**Lost Hiker Found Alive After Over Five Weeks in British Columbia Wilderness**

In a remarkable tale of survival, a hiker missing for more than five weeks in the backwoods of British Columbia has been found alive. Sam Benastick, 20, disappeared on October 19 after failing to return from a planned 10-day fishing and hiking excursion in Redfern-Keily Park, a remote area in the northern Rocky Mountains.

Authorities had ceased search and rescue operations for Benastick by late October, as temperatures in the region had plummeted to as low as -20°C (-4°F). However, in a stroke of incredible luck, two individuals heading to the Redfern Lake trail for work encountered Benastick walking towards them on Tuesday. They recognized him as the missing hiker and immediately provided assistance.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl Madonna Saunderson expressed relief at the outcome, which had feared to be much grimmer given the duration of Benastick's disappearance. "We're very grateful. The family is thrilled," she told the BBC, emphasizing that Benastick had simply gotten lost in the wilderness.

Benastick recounted to police that he initially stayed in his car for a couple of days before relocating to a creek area where he camped for 10 to 15 days. He had embarked on his trip with minimal camping supplies, including a tarp and a backpack. Subsequently, he moved down the valley and constructed a makeshift camp and shelter in a dried-out creek bed as winter conditions intensified, with snowfall covering the area.

Despite these harsh conditions, Benastick managed to endure and eventually reached a location where he could flag down his rescuers. "Those are very difficult conditions for really anyone to survive in, especially [with] limited supplies and equipment and food," said Adam Hawkins, search manager at Prince George Search and Rescue. He acknowledged that even the most experienced outdoorsmen would find such a scenario challenging.

The extensive search efforts involved multiple rescue teams, the Canadian Rangers, the RCMP, and Benastick’s family and friends, all scouring a vast and rugged terrain. The remote region boasted low-lying hills, steep alpine cliffs, and glaciated areas, making the search even more daunting.

Little information is available about Benastick's physical condition or the specific strategies he employed to survive. He is currently receiving medical attention in a hospital. Mike Reid, a local inn owner who got to know Benastick’s family during the search, reported that Benastick had cut his sleeping bag and wrapped it around his legs to keep warm.

Before being rescued, Benastick was last seen at a trailhead near Redfern Lake, the park’s largest lake, where he had been using his red dirt bike. Adam Hawkins from the search team expressed a keen interest in learning more about Benastick’s ordeal in order to enhance future search and rescue operations.