Missing autistic hiker found alive after 3 weeks

[azdesertfather]

Jul 13, 9:25 AM EDT

Autistic man survives 3-week ordeal in Utah desert

By DAN ELLIOTT
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) -- An autistic man lived on frogs and roots as he wandered for weeks in the remote Escalante Desert of southern Utah until being rescued, emaciated but alive.

William Martin LaFever, 28, of Colorado Springs, Colo., told rescuers that in addition to the bits of food he scavenged, including a few frogs he caught, he drank water from the Escalante River while attempting to walk from Boulder, Utah, to Page, Ariz., a distance of approximately 90 miles or more by the route he appeared to be taking.

The Garfield County Sheriff's Department estimated he had traveled about 40 miles over...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/sto ... csp=34news

[Sredfield]

Incredible!

[te_wa]

a frenchman who survived on frogs.. you dont say.. haha!

[Al_HikesAZ]

That is huge rugged country. Kudos to the Deputy of Garfield County. He took a long shot and it paid off. He recently completed some training and learned that autistic people tend to go toward water. So he put the Helo searching along the river. Twenty four hours longer and this story might not have had a happy ending.

[big_load]

Wow!

[RedRoxx44]

I've backpacked that section and I didn't see any sign of passage on long segments of the river. He would have good shelter choices and water but I would think would be a hot one at this time and not much on the natural food selection that I saw. Most people will avoid that area due to the heat and even if he was near the popular Stevens Canyon and Coyote Gulch probably wouldn't be much of anyone around to help. He is extremely lucky and his rescuers extremely savvy.