Posted on 07/13/2012 10:12:28 AM PDT by Washi
BOULDER, Utah – A 28-year-old autistic man from Colorado was found emaciated but alive on Thursday after living off mainly frogs and roots while wandering for at least three weeks in the remote Escalante Desert of southern Utah, authorities said.
William Martin LaFever of Colorado Springs, Colo., told rescuers that in addition to the bits of food he scavenged, he drank water from the Escalante River while attempting to walk from Boulder, Utah, to Page, Ariz., a distance of approximately 90 miles or more by the route he appeared to be taking.
The Garfield County Sheriff's Department estimated he had traveled about 40 miles before he was found.
"It is some of the most rugged, unforgiving terrain you will find anywhere on Earth, jagged cliffs, stone ledges, sandstone, sagebrush, juniper," sheriff's spokeswoman Becki Bronson said in a telephone interview.
"Where William was hiking, there just isn't anyone out there," she said. "There are no people. There are no towns."
Sheriff’s deputies and the Utah Highway Patrol helicopter began searching along the Escalante River Thursday.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
LaFever set out along the river but ran out of food. His dog left him, and LaFever began abandoning his gear until all he had was the clothing and shoes he was wearing when he was found, the sheriff's department said.
The dog hasn't been seen since. Authorities do not know why the dog ran off, Bronson said.
If I were the dog, I'd run off too. I don't imagine being in the desert with a starving man usually works out too well for dogs.
Autistic people are not stupid. Give the guy credit for good survival skills. He had enough sense to follow a river, survive for three weeks and progress roughly halfway toward his destination. But you’re right about the dog.
Did the theme to “Kung fu” play in his head and did he walk into a general store and say “I seek water”?
Dog ran off? Hmmmm. Three weeks is a long time to survive without food.
It’s a wonder his fate didn’t end with the meetup of a pack of coyotes or a big cat.
I had the same thought...
“Dog...oh the Dog! He...uhhh...he...ran off! Yeah that’s it...ran off.”
The dog probably got eaten by a larger predator.
And good job to the rescue crew! It must be so great for them to have a successful rescue!
“A 28-year-old autistic man from Colorado was found emaciated but alive on Thursday after living off mainly frogs...”
The 28 year old man will be eligible for parole just prior to his 97th birthday after receiving a 125 year prison sentence for eating an endangered species of frog.
I’m betting the dog became some other animal’s dinner. Coyote maybe?
LOL!
Does the guy look like he could have been the son of doggie eating Obama? If so, smart dog.
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