Cut to the chase
With Mr. Benastick now at home, declining to speak publicly as he recovers from both physical and mental injuries, his story continues to fuel online chatter and even skepticism. Some members of the very Facebook groups focused on finding him have even called the ordeal a stunt, claiming without basis that he had access to his vehicle but chose to camp outside.
Mr. Benastick shared his own account of events with The Globe this week, in part to address such misinformation.
After arriving at the Redfern Lake trailhead on Oct. 7, Mr. Benastick spent two nights in his car, owing to his late arrival and to rain, his mother wrote in an e-mail. On Oct. 9, he rode his dirt bike toward Redfern Lake, making it partway there before setting up camp. Muddy and wet conditions the next day prompted him to forgo the trip and turn back.
“After riding back for a bit, it got late, so he parked his bike off trail, left some supplies, covered them, and walked to a nearby stream to set up camp, intending to head out the next morning and get back to his car,” Ms. Crocker wrote.
“He was walking towards the stream and a wolf appeared behind him and began to follow, separating him from his bike. The wolf stalked him and he tried to scare it off with bear spray but the spray malfunctioned. He was able to fend it off with his hatchet and fled up the mountain. However, he fell into a gully and injured his legs.”
Those injuries included severe spraining and cuts to his right ankle, she said. When he ran out of bandages, Mr. Benastick resorted to sewing up one deep wound himself, using fishing line and a needle from the survival sewing pack in his first aid kit.
After settling in for the night near a creek, Mr. Benastick awoke injured and disoriented, unable to regain his bearings. He stayed in this location for two weeks, healing his legs and starting fires in an effort to signal for help, Ms. Crocker said.
When weather conditions worsened, he moved lower into the valley and built a shelter in a dried-up creek bed. He stayed here for about three weeks, tending to his leg and starting fires.
As he ran out of peanut butter, Mr. Benastick headed in the direction he believed was east, walking in a straight line through deep snow for five days, in hopes of reaching the Alaska Highway. He turned at the sight of snowmobile tracks, which led to a plowed trail.
“He followed this trail until he was found by two workers,” Ms. Crocker wrote.
Glad to say I have hunted Northern BC
Simon Fraser had pretty good judgement on what he found in BC
I do not believe this guy's story. A single wolf was not able to chase him off the trail. A pack of wolf would eat him no matter how fast he could escape.
However, I will bring a bottle of peanut butter on every hunting trip from now on. It is easy to carry and has a lot calorie/nutrients.
Life is too short and time goes too fast. Hunt, hunt, and hunt....
His story had more twists and turns to it than a mountainous FSR. I've heard many tales from fishermen who have similar mannerisms... Prioritizing stitches over large fire seems a bit unwise. Stitches to a leg doesn't make any sense to me. Search and rescue should have seen a continuous fire as smoke rises and is visible from the air from a long way away. Especially if he had a fire for a few weeks straight waiting for his monofiliment to scab in...
Last edited by eatram; 12-20-2024 at 05:58 PM.
WSSBC Life Member
Can’t wait for the truth to come out on this one lol
Stitches with material not properly sterilized would be felt within a few hours and get worse from there, i am talking bad infection and no I am not a Doctor.
If that is his Story then we have ben DUPED !
Cheers
* When the People fear the Government there is Tyranny, when the Government fears the people there is liberty.
* Studies have shown, Vegetarians are poor providers !
* We are told this is the Information age. Seems to me more like the missinfomation age !
* Most always the soft spoken ones are the most deceiving and Dangerous !
* The Law is no substitute for Morality !
Be safe and happy Trails !
He doesn't know how to figure out which way is East?
Yah, this story is BS.
He is most likely a Schizophrenic. He won't even know what really happened.
It is well to try and journey ones road and to fight with the air.Man must die! At worst he can die a little sooner." (H Ryder Haggard)