TOBYHANNA, Pa. (AP) – An 82-year-old Pennsylvania man was found alive and conscious by rescuers Wednesday after getting lost in the woods of a state park and spending 32 hours braving snow squalls and freezing temperatures.

Charles Harrison, of Mount Pocono, was alert when he was found shortly before 2 a.m. in the woods of Tobyhanna State Park in the Pocono Mountains. He was flown to a Scranton hospital for treatment.

Harrison’s cell phone company sent an electronic query to his phone and got his coordinates, said Bill Delling of the state Bureau of Forestry. Harrison was unable to call for help because the signal was too weak.

Harrison might have been scouting spots for hunting when he got lost Monday night, officials said. He was reported missing by his daughter, and the search grew to include more than 20 people using all-terrain vehicles, a Hummer and a bloodhound. The search area spanned more than 14 square miles.

Rescuers said Harrison was able to survive because he was bundled in warm clothes. It was 18 degrees when searchers found him.

The rescuers carried Harrison about a half-mile out of the woods to an old logging road, where he was driven to a ball field and then put on a medical helicopter.

Harrison’s family released a statement praising the “tireless efforts” of police, firefighters and volunteers who joined the search.


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