Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Missing gold panner rescued after two nights alone in California forest

Rescuers located the man in Plumas National Forest after spotting his campfire

Michelle Del Rey
Thursday 14 November 2024 00:45 GMT
Comments
An amateur gold panner was rescued from a California forest over the weekend
An amateur gold panner was rescued from a California forest over the weekend (Butte County Sheriff’s Office)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

An amateur gold panner was rescued after going missing in a California forest for two days.

The search started on Thursday when the man and his friend started hiking through Plumas National Forest in northern California. One of the hikers became tired and the other went to look for water before the two became separated, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.

The man that had been left waited for his friend in the same spot, choosing to spend the night outside. On Saturday, he decided to hike back to their truck, hoping the missing man would be there. Once he got back to the truck and did not see his friend and he called 911 to raise the alarm.

A rescue helicopter was deployed and managed to locate the missing man’s campfire on a steep cliff. A joint rescue team from the Butte County Search and Rescue and CalFire were then deployed to save the man.

Following a hike through “very thick” vegetation, the crew found the missing man and determined he was in good health and without major injury. He was then rescued from the canyon.

The sheriff’s office is now using the incident to warn hikers against splitting up from each other.

“You should always stay together, surviving as a team is always easier than surviving alone,” the office said in a statement. Officials are encouraging hikers to find emergency shelter and stay put if they get lost, in addition to carrying fire-starting materials.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in