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An experienced hunter who vanished in the California wilderness for 20 days has been found alive by another group of hunters in what authorities are calling “nothing short of a miracle.”
Selma resident Ron Dailey, 65, was discovered Saturday along the Swamp Lake Trail in the Sierra National Forest, according to a statement from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Dailey, who has underlying medical conditions, had been missing since Oct. 13, when he failed to return from a hunting trip near Shaver Lake, prompting a massive search-and-rescue operation, officials said.
After his grueling trek — during which Dailey reportedly went six days without food as his legs began to give out — Dailey’s wife, Glenda, said he has since received medical treatment.
“The hospital staff are pumping him with fluids, and his color is coming back,” Glenda said in a statement on social media. “He’s going to be shocked when I show him all the people who helped look for him,” she added.
The Fresno County Search and Rescue Posse said that after navigating difficult terrain and spending countless hours searching, members called the news of his recovery an absolute miracle.
“Ron’s safe return is nothing short of a miracle,” the agency said in a statement. “May it remind us all of the value of every life, the strength of unity, and the calling to serve our neighbors in their greatest hour of need.”
On the morning of Oct. 13, officials said Dailey, known to travel down small roads and dirt paths, left home to head to the Shaver Lake and Courtright Reservoir area in Fresno County.
In a recording shared by his family, Dailey recounted driving his 2002 silver Dodge Dakota up the Swamp Lake Trail, reaching the top safely and stopping to snack on some jerky and a handful of nuts, ABC News reported.
He then reportedly drove down a “jeep road,” where he realized he could not turn back and became stuck, forcing him to continue farther down the trail.
“I don’t know why, but I did,” Dailey said in the recording.
Despite following trail signs, Dailey said the rough terrain tore up his truck, leading him to remain on a “rocky plateau” for several days, ABC News reported.
The outlet said he later reached a flat section of the trail, where he proceeded to jack up his truck to level it as well as remove the passenger seat to create a place to rest — a setup he described as “very uncomfortable.”
After several days, Dailey realized he would have to abandon his truck and continue on foot, the outlet added. He described the trek, at an altitude of more than 10,000 feet, as the “toughest walk I’ve ever done in my life,” saying he had to stop every hundred yards just to catch his breath.
“This is it, Ron, you either try to get out or you sit here and die,” Dailey recounted telling himself, according to the recording.
During the trek, Dailey reportedly fell twice and eventually lost his cellphone. At one point, he stopped to pray.
“You gotta send somebody up here to me. I can hardly walk anymore,” Dailey said in the recording as he was holding back tears, according to ABC News.
In a miraculous moment, Dailey said he then saw the headlights of a car and raised his hands in the air, the station added.
When the hunters recognized him, he reportedly “started hugging them and praying.” They gave him food and water after he told them it had been six days since he had last eaten.
“To the men who went down that road and found him, I am eternally grateful for you; I cannot wait to see you,” Glenda said, while also crediting every volunteer “who never gave up” in searching for Dailey.
“There are so many Family members, friends and people we do not even know that were looking and we are so thankful to all of you! God still does miracles, and we have just been shown one.”
Officials said Dailey’s safe return should “remind us of the value of every life, the strength of unity and the calling to serve our neighbors in their greatest hour of need.”
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