RCMP have found a 28-year-old who went missing while quadding with friends south of Grande Prairie.
Officials confirmed that Craig Paul Drysdal, who was reported missing early Friday morning, was found alive and uninjured.
Officials said Drysdale was spotted on the banks of the Wapiti River around 3 p.m. Saturday during an aerial search. Crews were able to land in the area and bring him back to the staging area.
He told police that after he was separated from his group he began to backtrack.
Drysdale said his quad stopped working and he continued on foot and ended up getting lost.
During the first night he explained that he lit a small fire in a densely-treed area. In the morning he began walking until he came up to the Wapiti River where he spent the next day and a half walking along the river bank.
On Friday night he found a trapper’s cabin where he dried his clothes and found a can of soup.
In the morning he continued along the river bank until he was found by the search helicopter.
During the search Cpl. Roy Kennedy said they had located Drysdal’s quad and they also believed he was equipped enough to survive the outdoors.
“He would be able to probably survive in the elements given his background and given that he appeared dressed for the weather.”
Several agencies and organizations assisted in the search including ERSD with a helicopter search team, an RCMP Police Dog and handler and over 150 volunteers on horseback, quads and foot.
