14 DAY TRIAL // A 72-year-old man survived after being lost in the wilderness for 19 days during cold weather. He was missing in Mendocino National Forest, but he was found.
According to NBC, Gene Penaflor, from the Bay Area, had gone on an annual hunting trip with a friend on September 24.
The Filipino man is an avid hunter with 20 years of experience. His 10-year hunting partner, Ben, described that he was armed with a rifle when he disappeared.
"He's a survivalist, in good shape, has a karate black belt. so we're all baffled why he hasn't found his way back home and/or hasn't left any traces of his whereabouts," his nephew described him on Facebook.
"He knew that terrain like the back of his hand. [...] He's been hunting for 25-30 years. He reads survival magazines," his son, Jeremy, adds.
Penaflor and his friend were familiar with the spot at Mendocino National Forest. The black-belt owner was supposed to meet his friend after they took different paths in the woods. He never made it to the meeting spot.
"His HB picked him up and they drove up together and set up their usual spot. they then when their separate ways and were supposed to meet back at a certain time. my uncle never returned.
"10 county rescue teams, search/rescue teams/dogs, helicopters have not found any clues/traces of him or personal effects," his Facebook page reads.
Penaflor faced rain and temperatures as low as 25 degrees F, until he was found by a group of hunters who alerted the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. He has been checked out at Ukiah Valley Medical Center and he is in good health.
He apparently fell to the ground, hitting his head on the day he went missing. He was unconscious and couldn't get back after coming to.
Fog had made him unable to find his way back, so he stayed near a water source and built a fire. He fed on squirrels he hunted and cooked and he took shelter under a log during the rain.