A hiker who was lost in a remote Alaska national park was rescued last week after he was spotted mouthing the words “help me” during a bear camera live stream.
The hiker became lost during a period of thick fog on Dumpling Mountain in Katmai National Park last Tuesday.
A video shared by Explore.org, a multimedia company that operates web cameras for the National Park Service and other entities worldwide, shows the man mouthing the words “Help me” and “Lost.”
The live stream had been set up to capture the Katmai National Park’s world-famous brown bears.
Viewers alerted the company to the man’s distress signal and the Park Service was then swiftly notified of the emergency situation.
A rescue team was then sent to find the lost hiker who was later brought to safety unharmed, a park service spokesperson said.
“The park sent a search and rescue team to find the hiker, who was caught in windy and rainy conditions with poor visibility,” Park Service spokesperson Cynthia Hernandez told the Washington Post. “Park rangers found the hiker a few hours later, unharmed, and brought the hiker back to safety.”
In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Explore.org said: “Bear Cam saves hikers life!
“Today dedicated bear cam fans alerted us to a man in distress on Dumpling Mountain. The heroic rangers @KatmaiNPS sprung into action and mounted a search saving the man.”
The name of the hiker has not been released, and it was not immediately known how he became lost, before coming across the life-saving camera situated about 2,200 feet above sea level.
Former ranger, founder of Fat Bear Week and resident naturalist for Explore.org. Mike Fitz told USA Today the weather on Dumpling Mountain on the day the man got lost was dismal, with poor visibility, gusty winds, driving rain and dense fog.
Mr Fitz added that he was not surprised that someone had got lost in Katmai National Park. “Even though you’re only two straight-line miles from Brooks River and the lodge in the park visitor center that happens to be there in the campground, in that situation, it can feel like a world apart,” he said. “The weather often is much worse on top of the mountain … it’s just really difficult to get your bearings.”
Katmai National Park encompasses more than 4 million acres — or 6,250 square miles, about three-quarters of New Jersey — and is only accessible by plane or boat and has no cellphone reception.
