A 65-year-old Fresno County man who had been missing in the snow-covered mountains of the Sierra National Forest for nearly three weeks has been found, authorities announced earlier this week.
KTLA’s sister station, Ron Dailey, a resident of Selma, reportedly left on October 13 for a solo fishing trip with the intention of returning the same evening. KSEE/KGPE reported.
When he failed to return, his family contacted the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, telling authorities that the 65-year-old, an experienced hunter with extensive knowledge of wildlife, said he was going to the Dinky Creek area east of Shaver Lake for a hike.
A multi-county search and rescue effort involving hundreds of volunteers was launched despite the winter storm and freezing temperatures that have battered the area since his disappearance.
His family was particularly concerned because Dailey, whom his wife described as a “really dependable person,” had underlying health conditions. SFGATE reported.
While the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that additional details surrounding the circumstances of his survival and rescue would be shared after he was interviewed, Dailey told a local TV station that he got lost on the Swamp Lake Trail, and suddenly found himself in an area of the woods where off-road vehicles were needed.
To make matters worse, the 65-year-old’s 2002 Dodge Dakota pickup truck broke down at 10,000 feet.
Dailey said he used his pickup truck as a shelter and lived on enough food for two weeks while trying to figure out exactly where he was. Eventually, he decided to make a move, saying, “You either get out or you’re going to sit here and die,” SFGATE reported.
The experienced fisherman also said that he had fallen several times on a cliff and lost his phone before a A group of hunters found it on the Swamp Lake Trail.
One day after his rescue, the off-road club came across Dailey’s badly damaged truck.
Hill Hoppers Bryce Anderson said: csi/cgb The Dodge Dakota was about six miles from an area normally accessible only by off-road vehicles, he said, adding that the back window was broken, the front end was on a lift jack and Dailey appeared to have removed the passenger seat so he could sleep in the cab.
“We couldn’t believe a stock truck could get this far,” he said.