Missing Hiker Presumed Dead Turns Up At Press Conference Held To Find HimThe Tan Hill Inn/Facebook
An 80-year-old hiker who was presumed dead was reunited with his family when he turned up at a press conference about his own disappearance.
Harry Harvey, from Tynemouth, UK, was reported missing in the Gunnerside area of Richmondshire in North Yorkshire at around 1.30pm on Sunday, September 6.
The hiker had set out with an organised walking group, but he became separated from them during a heavy hailstorm. He described the area as being ‘desolate’ and said he knew he had to find safety, after which he endured ‘three good nights’ wild camping’.
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Posted by The Tan Hill Inn on Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Harry was described as a ‘competent hiker’ by officers, and he later told reporters that he’d ‘got all the kit, all the training’ necessary to stay safe, though that didn’t stop him from suffering a fall as he crossed a stream, The Guardian reports.
The 80-year-old commented:
I fell crossing a bridge over a stream. It was a tree across a stream with a mink trap on it, I stepped over the trap and went down and banged my head, which I patched up myself.
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When Harry’s walking group noticed he was missing, search teams were deployed from the Tan Hill Inn. Fearing the hiker may be injured, as many as seven mountain rescue teams worked to help police find Harvey, while local residents and workers were asked to check outbuildings including sheds and barns.
Hiker Harry HarveyTan Hill Inn/Facebook
Harry actually spotted a police helicopter and members of the public who appeared to be searching, but he said he didn’t realise they were looking for him. He used his whistle to put out a distress call, but didn’t have any luck in getting attention.
On Tuesday, September 8, Harry’s family planned to hold a public appeal at the Tan Hill Inn, but just before it was about to begin, he turned up in a Land Rover with mountain rescue workers.
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Hiker turns up at press conference about himTan Hill Inn/Facebook
Earlier that day, the hiker had been spotted by a wildlife photographer who noticed him waving at her from the direction of the village of Keld.
Harry commented:
I rang my wife when I was found. I didn’t give her the chance to get angry with me, I put the phone down before she could be.
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HE HAS BEEN FOUND ALIVE MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #bringharryhome
