70-Year-Old Hiker Found Alive After 5 Days Missing in Sierra Nevada Mountain

A 70-year-old man was found alive and well Wednesday after being missing for five days in the Sierra Nevada mountains, officials said.

Warren Elliott went missing on Friday, July 19, when he went for what he believed would be a short walk in an area he was familiar with, but a wrong turn sent him miles from his campsite in Rubicon Springs, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.

At around 8 a.m. Wednesday, another hiker spotted Elliott and texted 911 to say they had found a missing person. A California Highway Patrol helicopter picked him up and transported him to the command post at Homewood Mountain Resort.

A video shared by the sheriff’s office shows Elliott being reunited with his family. Cheers and applause can be heard as the helicopter lands, and Elliott can be seen walking under his own power, wearing a torn T-shirt and holding an empty water bottle. After being reunited with his cowboy hat, Elliott can be seen thanking everyone who was there for him.

Elliott was last seen in the area of Cadillac Hill, and was found near Hell Hole Reservoir, about 10 miles west of Lake Tahoe. According to the sheriff’s office, that distance is about nine miles “as the crow flies,” but Elliott “walked much further than that over the five days.”

Elliott told officials he was able to drink water from a river and had “a handful” of berries to eat.

“Each day there were between 50 and 100 searchers, representing 10 agencies from across the state, we want to thank everyone who assisted,” the sheriff’s office said.

—TMX contributed to this report