A hiker missing for over eight days in the Washington state wilderness has been found alive after he survived by ‘foraging berries and drinking river water’.
Andrew Devers, 25, parked his car at the Middle Fork Campground near North Bend, WA, on June 18th to hike the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Trail. The popular trail near Seattle attracts day hikers and mountain bikers and is considered a mellow, lowland hike.
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However, when Devers did not return as planned, King County Search and Rescue were called to find him. Sheriff’s deputies began by discovering his car at Middle Fork Campground.
Over forty volunteers were out in the woods trying to retrace Devers’ steps. As the days passed, and the heatwave set in, the search was eventually suspended.
Devers was found near the Middle Fork Trailhead, close to where his hike began, on Sunday by a trail runner. He was taken to a nearby hospital to be checked over.
It is not yet clear how Devers became lost, but he told his rescuers that he survived by drinking river water and foraging berries.
Could you survive in the wilderness? Do you know which plants are edible, and which will kill you? The “rule of three” says that a lost person can expect to survive roughly three hours without shelter in extreme weather, three days without water, and three weeks without food.
