After missing for 17 nights in the Oregon wilderness a 69 year old man has been found alive according to police.
Harry Burleigh, from Roseburg, Oregon, was reported missing on May 7 after he failed to return home from a camping and fishing trip in the Toketee area.
Mr. Burleigh, was originally due home the day before, according to a May 9 news release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
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As a result, Harry Burleigh, who is 69, spent a total of 17 nights in the Oregon wilderness all on his own. He was in the Umpqua National Forest in the Cascade Mountains of the area.
According to CNN, the Douglas County Search and Rescue found his vehicle at a trailhead leading to a lake. Authorities believe he was possibly attempting to walk from the trailhead to Twin Lakes in order to get some fishing in before heading home for the night. Somehow, he must have gotten lost between the lake and his car.
As search teams looked tirelessly for the man, they tried to contact him by leaving him packages out in the wild. The rescuers would leave packages of food and notes telling Burleigh where to stay or go.
His wife had been actively posting in a Facebook group for the community. She once posted that 40 people had been able to get together from eight different counties. All were hoping to find Harry Burleigh alive after spending a couple of weeks fending for himself in the wild.
For days, Harry had not left any indications of life. Eventually, Burleigh’s tackle box was spotted alongside an innovative shelter. At that point, he had already moved onto his next location.
“They left him a note and lighter and told him to make a fire and they would be back in to get him tomorrow. It took the team another 6 hours to get out,” his wife posted on Facebook in a discussion forum. Each day she would share what rescuers were doing and what signs of her husband had been spotted.
A week later, another shelter appears further away from the last. The rescuers called out his name, Burleigh called back. A helicopter arrived to transport the missing man out of the area and to a nearby hospital. On Sunday, Burleigh, who was in stable condition, got to see his family again. He complained of minor pain but did not have any kind of serious injuries.
There were a total of 18 people that helped in his eventual recovery. So, while he may have thought he was alone out in the Cascade mountains, help was actually nearby.
It’s clear that Harry was innovative, smart, and a well-trained outdoor enthusiast. He made several makeshift shelters and was able to feed and hydrate for over two weeks. Here at Outsider, we think Harry Burleigh should get a chance to go on “Survivor” now and show the entire world his innovativeness and drive to survive.
Unfortunately, many people lose their way in the deep wilderness of the U.S. and especially in expansive and popular national parks. There is currently an ongoing search for an Apple Valley man who has been missing for more than a week. He took a trip to a remote part of Desert Valley National Park.
According to Victorville Daily Press, no one has heard from him since May 4. His trucks were found at a campground that was 35 miles from a paved road. He was on his way to Saline Valley to repair a truck he abandoned there a month ago. Both air and ground search efforts to find the missing man have so far led to nothing. Unfortunately, the Desert Valley National Park is a scorching 105 degrees right now. Read more from Outsider
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