Lost Hiker Survives 6 Days on Perseverance and Raisins

Lost, with painful blisters on his feet and a crust of bread and raisins his only food, Raimund Hilmar Ottmann kept walking.

And somehow, after six days lost in rugged Sequoia National Park, he emerged.

Even rescuers had almost given up hope, scaling back efforts to find the 45-year-old German aircraft mechanic who works at Edwards Air Force Base.

“We felt like we had searched the area adequately to find a live hiker and we didn’t,” park spokesman Pete Allen said. “And so we began to consider that he might be dead.”

Ottmann, who has declined to speak to reporters, was in excellent condition when he emerged Saturday morning. Though Ottmann could not describe his route to safety, park officials believe he stumbled upon a rarely used trail.

Ottmann left on a day hike to Paradise Peak on June 12. When he did not show up for work the next day, his colleagues became worried.

Helicopters, dog teams and about 100 rescuers scoured the dense brush and steep ravines. But the search was fruitless, and soon rescuers cut back their efforts.

“It’s steep brush and dangerous, and we had to consider the safety of our people,” Allen said.

But Ottmann fought on. He knew helicopters were above, so he tried to hail them using toilet paper and his camera flash. At one point, he climbed to a high point to catch the attention of circling pilots.

When Ottmann’s clothes got wet as he waded in a stream, he made sure to dry them. That helped him fend off nightly temperatures that dipped into the 30s, Allen said.

Eventually Ottmann crossed a swinging bridge over the middle fork of the Kaweah River near Buckeye Flat campground. A passerby saw Ottmann and drove him to a ranger station.

Search commander Randy Larson said Ottmann’s ordeal underscores the danger of hiking alone. Last year, 47 hikers at Sequoia National Park got lost, but only a few of the rescue operations involved wide searches, Allen said.

“We think he was fortunate,” Allen said. “But we think his good fortune was aided by his good judgment.”