Hiker who survived 50 days in northeast B.C. woods released from hospital

The 20-year-old man who survived 50 days in the woods of northeastern B.C. has been released from hospital, CBC News has learned.

Mike Reid, the general manager of the Buffalo Inn in Pink Mountain, B.C., said Sam Benastick and his family stopped in to see him on their way home after being discharged from care in Fort Nelson.

Benastick's parents and brother stayed with Reid for several weeks while searching the nearby Redfern-Keily Provincial Park, where Benastick was last seen before being reported missing.

"I don't know the full story," Reid said in an interview with CBC News Friday morning. "But he did say that he did get lost because he was getting chased by a wolf."

There is intense interest in Benastick's story, with news of his survival making headlines worldwide and Reid saying he has done more than a dozen interviews in the last two days.

CBC News has not spoken directly to Benastick or his parents since he was found, and the family has asked for time and privacy as he recovers from his time in the woods.

However, Reid also said it didn't seem Benastick had been expecting conditions in the park to be as difficult as they were, although he was well-equipped for his ordeal.

"He does love the outdoors," he said. "So he was prepared, and he lasted. He had one jar of peanut butter left in the last 20 days, and that's how he survived."

Benastick had set out on his trip on Oct. 7, which was supposed to last for 10 days. He was reported missing Oct. 19 and could not be found until Nov. 26 when, according to police, he flagged down two industrial workers headed to the Redfern Lake trailhead, which was also the last place he had been seen.

He was reportedly wearing a sleeping bag wrapped around his legs for warmth and supporting himself with two hiking sticks before nearly collapsing and being taken away in an ambulance.

In a statement on Wednesday, RCMP only provided a few details of what they believe happened, saying Benastick told them he stayed in his car for a couple of days, then walked to a "creek, mountainside" where he camped for 10 to 15 days.

After that, police say, he "moved down the valley and built a camp and shelter in a dried-out creek bed." He was found Tuesday morning when he flagged down the two men and was taken to safety.

But questions still remain about how Benastick went missing, why he could not be found as search crews scoured the area, and how he survived as snow fell and temperatures plunged below -20 C in the remote mountain park.

In an email to CBC News on Friday morning, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Brett Urano said the police force was no longer investigating the file "as there is no criminal element" and would not be sharing any more information about what happened.