B.C. man who went missing in mountains for several days found alive

B.C. man who went missing in mountains for several days found alive

Search manager says it's 'absolutely remarkable' that hiker survived

A Squamish man who was missing in the mountains for several days has been found alive.

Stanislav Volo went for a hike on Sunday above the Sea-to-Sky Gondola and did not return home.

Speaking to CBC News from Squamish General Hospital after he was found, Volo said his phone died when he got to the top of a hike, and he was "going in circles and circles trying to find a way down," having to stay near a creek to get fresh water.

"I was crying from happiness," he said of his reaction to seeing people again on Friday, calling it a miracle.

He said when he eventually saw people searching for him on a road, they were crying too — reflecting how much they had hoped to find him.

Volo said he got injured while on the hike, and had to wait a few cold nights for his foot to heal.

He said he learned a lot about survival in the wilderness during, and was determined to not spend the rest of his time on the mountain.

Volo survived by eating twigs and wildflowers.

"When you still have some sort of stamina, some energy, and you can actually do something and that's why ... I decided to, like, keep going," he said.

His sister Ola Volo confirmed her brother was found earlier Friday.

"We found him," she said. "He walked out on the road on his two feet."

She eventually went to see her brother in hospital, where she connected him with CBC News.

He celebrated by eating pizza, calling it "very tasty."

Squamish Search and Rescue also confirmed that Volo had been found alive.

"It's absolutely remarkable that he survived," said search manager Tyler Duncan.

Volo managed to walk out onto the Indian Arm Forest Service Road where search and rescue had been flying a drone to look for him.

"He walked out of the forest onto the road and [we] were able to meet him and get in contact with him and provide him with some very basic first aid," Duncan said.

Hiker missing from B.C. gondola made call to 911 saying he's 'stuck on the mountain'

Volo was tired, hungry, cold and wet but overall he was doing well and wasn't injured, Duncan said.

The road he was walking on is on the backside of Mount Habrich Loop and he would have gone through difficult and technical terrain to reach the road.

"I would absolutely love to sit down with Stas and have a good conversation about what he has been up to for the last six days," Duncan said. "It's got to be a remarkable story."

Search teams looking for missing hiker in Sea-to-Sky region

Duncan said it was one of the most "involved" searches he had been a part of in his 15 years in search and rescue.

"He was out in that storm. It must have been an absolutely horrendous experience for him," Duncan said.

Went hiking above the Sea-to-Sky Gondola

Volo planned to hike the Mount Habrich Loop and surveillance footage showed him getting off at the top of the Sea-to-Sky Gondola in Squamish around 11:30 a.m. PT on Sunday.

Drones, helicopters and police dogs joined in the search along with many volunteers from multiple search-and-rescue agencies.

On Tuesday, Volo made a call to 911 saying he was stuck on the mountain.

RCMP Sgt. Katrina Boehmer said Volo was transported to hospital and is being treated for what is believed to be minor injuries.

Alanna Kelly is a CBC News journalist based in Squamish, B.C., covering the Sea-to-Sky region, including Whistler, Pemberton and the Sunshine Coast. You can email story ideas to alanna.kelly@cbc.ca.