Gold panner goes for water for friend — and gets lost in woods, California rescuers say

A gold panner vanished after going to try to find water for his exhausted hiking companion, California rescuers reported.

The two were hiking to the Middle Fork of the Feather River near Milsap Bar to pan for gold recreationally when they split up Thursday, Nov. 7, Butte County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue said in a news release.

The exhausted hiker spent the night and next day waiting for his companion, who never returned, rescuers said.

On Saturday, Nov. 9, the man hiked out to their pickup truck, where he also found no sign of his companion, and notified authorities, rescuers said.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter searching for the missing man spotted his campfire 1,000 feet down the ridge and about 1,000 feet above the river, rescuers said.

They credited the gold panner for being prepared to build a makeshift shelter and campfire to ward off hypothermia, and also for staying in one place once he realized he was lost.

The terrain was too steep to hoist the man by helicopter, so rescuers hiked in through heavy brush, assessed the man and helped him hike out, officials said.

The Middle Fork of the Feather River passes through Milsap Bar, which is about a 105-mile drive northeast from Sacramento.

This story was originally published November 12, 2024 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Gold panner goes for water for friend — and gets lost in woods, California rescuers say."