Missing Hiker Josh McClatchy found Alive after 6 days in Woods

Missing hiker Josh McClatchy has been found alive almost a week after he went missing in the woods of Polk County in Arkansas, United States of America.

On June 1st, McClatchy, 37, was reported missing after he went on a hike in the Caney Creek Wilderness area, but could not locate his way back to the town where he started from.

The Texas native texted his mother to say he needed help, but cellphone service was spotty at best and he was unable to give much help as to his location, ABC News reports.

Those texts a week ago were the last anyone had heard from McClatchy until Friday night.

After weather and timing issues, search-and-rescue crews finally had a good window for a National Guard helicopter, equipped with infrared technology, to locate McClatchy, according to Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer.

Sawyer said McClatchy is in good shape and good spirits, but he is dehydrated.

He was transported to Mena Regional Health System in Mena, Arkansas, for further evaluation. McClatchy’s parents and sister, who regularly posted search updates on a Facebook page, are with him at the hospital.

The crew spotted McClatchy from the chopper within 30 minutes of beginning the search, but it took the search team an hour by foot to reach his location about 3 miles into the Caney Creek Wilderness area. He was off the trail when he was located, according to Sawyer.