A Texas man who had been missing for two weeks was found alive at the Grand Canyon.
The man named Martin Edward O’Connor, aged 58 of La Porte, Texas, was rescued from the inner canyon by a National Park Service helicopter about 10 a.m. Thursday.
The park passed a statement that said Martin’s evacuation comes a day after hikers reported seeing him along the New Hance Trail.
The park stated that the New Hance Trail is possibly the most difficult established trail on the South Rim of the canyon.
On 22nd December, O’Connor was reported missing and was last seen at the Yavapai Lodge, which is in Grand Canyon Village.
Lily Daniels, Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman, said in a phone interview on Thursday said the Martin he was cleared and released by emergency services.
Whether O’Connor ended up in the inner canyon or if he had been outside the entire time he was missing is still a mystery for Daniels and also for us, but she said when he was found he had “limited resources.”
“Our rescue team, they shared with me, they were amazed at how well he was doing,” Daniels said.
O’Connor was found at around 4,000 feet elevation, about three miles from the trailhead of New Hance Trail, which leads to the river.
Daniels said the hikers spotted O’Connor and reported the sighting on late Wednesday afternoon, but as it became dark because of the sunset, the helicopter was not sent in until Thursday
While Daniels said she did not know whether O’Connor had been in the elements the entire time he was missing, she said that temperatures reached the 20s at night in the area where he was found.
“We’re really glad to be able to reunite him with his family,” Daniels said. “It’s a great ending.”
