An injured hiker who became stranded in the woods of northern New Mexico has been rescued after a two-week ordeal which saw his body temperature plummet to a dangerously low level.
Another hiker, identified by local officials as John Utsey, and his daughter came upon the unidentified man in the Santa Fe National Forest on Saturday.
The stranded hiker, believed to be aged in his 50s, was in a steep ravine, meaning he was difficult to spot and not easily accessible.
Mr Utsey said he offered the man food and water, and then hiked three miles to call 911 and pass on the GPS coordinates of where they found the missing man to firefighters, ABC News reported.
However, firefighters could not initially locate the missing hiker and called off the search after eight hours, Captain Nathan Garcia of the Santa Fe Fire Department said.
Mr Utsey, however, said he was determined to help rescue the man and set out to re-locate him.
"So, at 9 o'clock Sunday morning I get in and put my hiking boots back on and hike back, and he was exactly where I left him," he told Albuquerque news channel KRQE.
Mr Utsey said he then called 911 again and subsequently led rescuers to the hiker's spot.
First, responders built a fire to raise the man's "dangerously low" body temperature and gave him food and water, according to a statement by the fire department.
"The man suffered from chronic back pain and again injured his back while hiking and could not stand or walk," the fire department said in its statement.
"His gear was stolen, at which point he got lost and disoriented."
The hiker was subsequently taken to hospital, where he is expected to recover from his ordeal.
