A hiker missing for more than a week was found alive Sunday, having survived in the woods during a heat wave on just berries and river water.
Andrew Devers, 25, disappeared June 18 near a hiking trail in North Bend, Washington, the King County Sheriff’s Office previously reported, and for the past week, deputies along with trained search-and-rescue volunteers, have scoured the Washington state wilderness to find him.
They reportedly called off the search a few days ago, according to the Seattle Times, but on Sunday morning, the sheriff’s office tweeted that a trail runner near Middle Fork Snoqualmie River trailhead, northeast of North Bend, found Devers.
He was brought to a local hospital for evaluation. Authorities said he had survived on berries and river water.
‘We’re obviously very glad he was found alive,’ King County sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Tim Meyer told the Times. ‘Certainly the favorable weather this weekend helped.’
Andrew Devers, 25, disappeared on June 18, while hiking at Middle Fork Campground near North Bend, Washington. He is pictured here on a 2017 trip to Seattle
Devers was found by a runner Sunday morning near the Middle Fork Trailhead, northeast of North Bend, Washington
King County Sheriff’s Office officials tweeted on Sunday that Devers was found safe and had survived for eight days on berries and river water
Devers reportedly disappeared June 18, but was not reported missing for four days, according to KIMA.
At that point, his girlfriend, Krysteena Mann, posted about his disappearance on the Missing People in Washington State Facebook group, writing: ‘The Sheriff has informed me of posting in local social media groups for any more potential leads or if anyone spotted him on the trail.’
By Friday, his information also was posted to Reddit, asking people on a Seattle-based thread if they had any information about Devers’ disappearance.
One user, with the handle Able-Jury 6211, responded that the Middle Fork Campground where Devers was hiking ‘has a trail that’s been closed to the public for some time, but is one of the longer trails accessible from the southern campground parking lot.
‘That being said,’ he continued, ‘it’s easy to get to and the landslide area in particular is easy to get lost in’ with ‘lots of big drops and cut-outs in the trail.’
‘It’s closed for good reason,’ Able-Jury wrote.
Another Redditor, Super_Natant, wrote that he had been in the park last weekend and saw that ‘melt is in full effect now.’
It caused rapid waters in the river, he said, which is only going to get worse as a heatwave in the Pacific Northwest continues.
‘Real easy to imagine falling in and not being able to recover,’ Super_Natant wrote.
Redditors said the North Bend’s Middle Fork Trailhead could be dangerous as melting continues in the area during a heat wave that has been gripping the Northwest
His girlfriend, Krysteena Mann, posted about Devers in a Facebook group for Missing People in Washington State, and asked if anyone had any information about his whereabouts
Devers, left, has been in a relationship with Mann for at least four years, according to his social media
It remains unclear why Devers was missing.
But his disappearance came as a record-breaking heat wave swept the area. The Friday he disappeared, North Bend faced a high of just 74 degrees, according to AccuWeather, but by the next Monday, temperatures reached 90.
Over the weekend, temperatures soared past 100 degrees, and Sunday reached a high of 103.
Washington officials warned people against hiking in such extreme weather, telling KIMA that the heat may cause dizziness, headaches, cramping and confusion, which could make falls and slips more likely.
Jennifer Brenes, the president of the King County Search and Rescue Association, said the organization had responded to 10 calls of hikers needing help of some kind as of June 24. Last year, she said, the association responded to a total of 227 calls.
And at one point a few weeks ago, she said rescue crews were responding to four missions at the same time, spreading resources thin.
Brenes suggested hikers bring a lot of water, take frequent breaks while hiking in the heat and tell someone when they expect to be back.