Man Missing 8 Days at Big Sur Is Found
BIG SUR — A San Rafael man who disappeared after going for a walk at the Esalen Institute eight days ago was found in a hollowed-out tree trunk where he had taken refuge.
Two bloodhounds fixed on David Leon Holt’s scent when they were brought into the search Saturday and tracked him down in about two hours, said their owner, Maury Tripp of Santa Cruz.
Holt, 48, was suffering from frostbite on his left foot, hypothermia and other complaints. He was hospitalized in serious but stable condition Sunday night, officials said.
Holt was last seen packing his car Dec. 2. He decided to take one last walk that afternoon before dinner and never returned.
Holt told Tripp that he found himself in a steep canyon as darkness fell. He tried to take a shortcut back to the institute but fell and hurt himself and could not walk.
He spent the next eight days sheltered in the tree trunk to keep dry from the rain, and crawled to a stream every day to drink, Tripp said.
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