FORT ST. JOHN -- In what can only be described as a miraculous turn of events, Sam Benastick, a hiker who was reported missing after a camping trip in Redfern-Keily Provincial Park, has been found alive.

The 20-year-old is now recovering in hospital after surviving nearly 50 days in the wilderness.

Benastick was discovered on a service road along the Redfern Lake Trail by two men on their way to work. Recognizing him as the missing hiker, the men provided him with food and water before calling 911, Mike Reid, General Manager of the Buffalo Inn, told CJDC-TV.  

“They took him halfway so the ambulance could meet him halfway, and they brought him to the Fort Nelson hospital yesterday," said Reid.

Reid developed a relationship with Benastick’s parents, who stayed at the Buffalo Inn in Pink Mountain during the search for their son.

“I’ve got three kids and five grandkids myself, so I know what they were going through,” said Reid.

Reid says he was told Benastick was weak, using two sticks to support himself and had wrapped a cut-up sleeping bag around his legs for warmth.

In a release, Northern Rockies RCMP say he told officers that he stayed in his car for a couple of days before moving to a mountainside creek, where he camped for between 10 and 15 days.

He then made his way to a valley and built a shelter in a dried-out creek bed, ultimately finding his way to the road where he was rescued.

The RCMP and various rescue teams had been searching for Benastick since he was reported missing on October 17. Days later, the RCMP released information about his last known whereabouts, the red Honda dirt bike he was riding, and equipment he carried.

The search was put on pause on October 29, according to a social media post by his mother. Despite temperatures dropping below minus 20 degrees, countless volunteers continued to scour the Sikanni Chief area, but to no avail.

“His mother said if she knew how the terrain was, she wouldn’t have let him go,” explained Reid. "She didn't want him to go alone but he's 20 years old."

RCMP expressed their relief at the outcome, stating in a release, "It was feared that this would not be the outcome."

Benastick is said to be suffering from frostbite and smoke inhalation but remains in hospital with his parents by his side.

"The time, effort and resources put in to locate Sam from the time of notification he was missing was beyond measure," the RCMP statement said. "We are thankful for the great outcome."