Elderly hiker, 89, survives 10 days stranded in Idaho forest

With only 19 pounds of gear, 89-year-old Idaho hiker Bing Olbum embarked on what he planned as a five-day hike. Instead, he ended up stranded for nearly 10 days in the vast Salmon-Challis National Forest, covering over 4 million acres. The area is among the country’s most rugged, apart from Alaska, as noted by a local search and rescue coordinator.

Olbum navigated peaks and saddles reaching over 8,000 feet and trekked more than 20 miles through the alpine forest. “The odds of anybody surviving that period of time out in the wilderness area is very unlikely,” stated Custer County Search and Rescue Coordinator Lincoln Zollinger.

Olbum started his journey from the Hunter Creek Trailhead in east-central Idaho on August 1 and was expected to arrive at McDonald Creek Area five days later, according to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. However, he was reported missing on August 6.

The Custer County Search and Rescue team initiated a search for the Idaho hiker by land and air. Ground teams explored the forest, focusing on potential trails Olbum might have taken. The following morning, the Idaho National Guard and a private pilot joined the search with helicopters, while the Idaho National Laboratory used drones to scan the forested mountains.

Despite extensive efforts, the team “had zero traces of him for the five days” they had been searching, Zollinger said. Local residents formed the ground search teams, leaving their jobs and commitments to assist, as the Custer County Search and Rescue team consists entirely of volunteers.

Community members ultimately located Olbum. “We were getting ready to discontinue our search and turn it back over to the family,” Zollinger said, acknowledging the slim chances of survival after such a long period.

Olbum’s daughter, Jennifer Olbum, posted his photo and trail map on Facebook, seeking help from Idaho hikers familiar with the area. “For two days search and rescue have been unable to locate him, which tells me he is hurt or worse and unable to lay out a tarp for the choppers to see,” she wrote.

On the final evening of the search, a group of local rescuers found Olbum’s camp. Local residents on horseback discovered him safe on August 11 in the early morning hours.

Zollinger reported that Olbum was found virtually unscathed, only mildly dehydrated and sore from the distance covered on foot. Olbum’s family confirmed he is doing well but declined an interview.

An 89-year-old hiker who had been missing since Aug. 1 has been found alive and well by rescuers. He has been returned home in Custer County. https://t.co/om6cHcVnzT

— East Idaho News (@EastIDNews) August 11, 2024

The Custer County Sheriff’s Office praised Olbum’s survival instincts, stating his “will to survive has resulted in an unbelievably good ending to this incident” on Facebook. For his trip, Olbum had packed lightly, bringing beef jerky, salted nuts, iodine tablets, a one-man tent, a blanket, and a sleeping pad. He navigated using only a compass and a paper map.

Zollinger was astounded by the Idaho hiker’s endurance, especially since he survived without making a fire, despite temperatures ranging from the 40s at night to the 90s during the day. “Just having so few supplies, five days worth of food, stretching it out that far is just amazing, in everybody’s eyes,” Zollinger said. Even the Air Force rescue team was amazed at the outcome.

In a conversation with Zollinger a few days after being found, Olbum expressed confidence that he could have survived another three days in the wild, which Zollinger found “absolutely phenomenal.” “The biggest thing I see in him is his mindset,” Zollinger said. “And he said, ‘Well it was mostly my mind to keep going, to keep setting goals and keep moving forward.’”