Missing Bushwalker Found

[Overlandman]

From ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-26/b ... ve/7447758

A 58-year-old bushwalker missing in Lamington National Park on the Gold Coast since Saturday told police he was eating eight sultanas a day to stay alive.

The man became lost on Saturday night and called police about 7:00pm before his phone lost power.

This morning he walked out of the rain forest to a nearby farmhouse on Christmas Creek Road about 10:00am.

The occupant of the farmhouse then called emergency services.

Inspector Mike Dowdy said the man had limited rations with him when he went for his walk.

"He took a small container of sultanas, three sandwiches and three 600ml bottles of water," he said.

"He ate the sandwiches on Saturday night.

"Since Sunday he's been living on eight sultanas a day."

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Adrian Tong said when paramedics arrived at the farmhouse, the man was sitting in a chair, in good spirits.

"He had very minor cuts and grazes to his legs and to his arms," he said.

"He had a little bit to eat and drink over the last couple of days.

"Otherwise in very good condition."
Major search effort focused on water sources

Mr Tong said paramedics treated him at the house for general discomfort before taking him to Logan Hospital.

Doctors will make a decision later today if the man remains in hospital or will be discharged.

More than 60 people were involved in the search, including 20 professional hikers.

Inspector Mike Dowdy said earlier search crews had followed creek lines through the national park.

"We started that earlier in the week based on the assumption that he had one or two days worth of water," he said.

"You become thirsty before you become hungry.

"The natural instinct is if I can hear water or see water I'll head towards water."

[drewmac]

Some questions being asked.

Comments from bloke regarding 'how much is my story is worth...?'

Original story had SES etc instruct him to stay at a spot until morning but he moved.

Many people spent time, resources and dollars looking for him.

Unfortunate as it impacts the greater bushwalk community.

Happy he is safe.

[Jayps68]

I'm glad he's safe as well, but it reeks of dodgy.
I think a lot of us have spent some good time in LNP, and in shorts and a t shirt in May, trying to find your way out at the southern, less developed, more untouched part of the park, you're going to have a lot more damage and exposure than just a few surface stratches and a bit of weight loss.
He refered to "finding the road" and that meant "no more tracks" well, there aint too many tracks in there... if he was genuinely lost and bashing the creek edges, he'd be fighting lawyer, rasberry, leeches, hard rocky egdes covered in long slippery grass. His legs would be a mess. The only real track along any creek there is the Christmas Creek track leading up to the spur by Westray's Grave that heads up to the Stinson, (its about an hour to walk from the spur base to the road btw), or the Stretcher Track, which is completely overgrown and doesn't follow a creek.
He's adamant that he "didnt see any searchers". It may be a possibility that he knew precisely where he was all along.
Colour me cynical...

[Sammy38]

I have to agree on this one. Having walked in this area many times I can tell you this is pretty rugged country and for that man to have walked out after 5 nights with only a few scratches raises a lot of questions.
During his distress call to police he stated he was in the Running creek area. I can tell you now my mobile never works anywhere up in the Lamington range area so He must have a far better phone than I or he made the call before he went in. Running Creek is a large valley that runs up to the main border range with quite a few waterfalls on the way that need to be bypassed via the steep hills to the side. Once you are in that valley the only way out is to climb up the North east side via an unmarked track to the stretcher track and follow the ridge ( I would be very surprised if he found the track without help) or to continue up the creek until you hit the border track. (Again not likely).
The stretcher track does not exist as such and is and overgrown maze of lawyer vines that will rip you to shreds. If he made it up onto the stretcher track then he could have followed it up to point lookout and around to the campsite at the turn off to the Stinson wreck and then down the ridge to Christmas Creek and onto the road. That would have been achievable but not wearing what he had on! If he was lost in running creek the easiest way out would have been to walk down hill back to the creek and follow it back to his car. (Every gully leads to the creek) Not climb 800 metres up a ridge and push through a wall of thorns for 4km while detouring around fallen trees.
Most people who have been stuck in the rainforest overnight in single digit temperatures are not in the best condition overnight let alone for four nights. It will be interesting to see what gear he was carrying. If he had a tent and sleeping bag we can assume he knew he was going to be out for a while. If he had been sleeping on the ground the leaches would have eaten him alive. An Ambulance officer being interviewed stated the hiker did have a ration pack of food which conflicts with the 3 sandwich story.
I recently surveyed and marked the Westrays Grave and Stinson tracks for a friend who runs a resort on Christmas creek road who was fed up having to go looking for guests who had gone for a walk and not returned before dark and had become lost. There is an odds on chance he saw my orange and pink marker tapes and followed them down to the car park on Christmas Creek road.
My son and I walked up to the wreck and back down Binstead's Gully to Christmas Creek and Via Westray's falls to the gravesite and back to the road last month and I can tell you I was a complete mess after one day. It is a very tough walk!!! We were fully kitted out for the walk also (not just in sneakers and shorts). Being 50 and trying to keep up with a 12 year old would not have helped. Anyway it will be interesting to see what unfolds.
I would make bets that someone finds a tent and a sleeping bag hidden up there somewhere. No way anyone could survive for that long at 3 deg overnight for four nights and walk out unscathed. Having watched the news he was still wearing the same clothes he was found in and apart from a few muddy patches on his shorts looked like he just went for a stroll in the park. I am not Buying it. If he was lost then he wanted to be lost. 6 days up there???? No way. I have nothing but praise for the police, Ambulance SES and others that risked their lives to look for the Hiker. I am sure they are not impressed. This is why you never go into these places alone. I was getting prepared to go up and help look for the body. I don't think anyone expected to find him after so long.