Missing hiker found alive in Texas national park
Officials said Christy Perry never showed up for her camping reservation Nov. 9. Her car was found at the head of the Lost Mine Trail.
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BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas – The search for Christy Perry, a hiker who went missing last week after a trip to Big Bend National Park, has ended after she was found on Friday.
The National Park Service said park search and rescue teams found Perry, 25, at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time. She was found a quarter mile below the summit of the Lost Mine Trail, a popular trail at Big Bend National Park.
Rescuers transporting Perry near the summit of the Lost Mine Trail. Nov. 17, 2023. (TX Department of Public Safety / FOX Weather)
Perry was found awake and talking, the NPS noted. She was taken to Odessa, Texas, for medical attention.
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"Big Bend National Park rangers would like to thank all who participated in this search, and the public for their concern and assistance in helping spread the request for information," the NPS said.
Photos of Perry. (NPS / FOX Weather)
They noted that searchers from the NPS, U.S. Border Patrol, Los Diablos Fire Fire Crew, Texas Parks and Wildlife, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Texas Department of Public Safety had been searching for Perry since Nov. 15, when Perry was reported overdue from a trip to Big Bend National Park
On Nov. 9, Perry drove a rental car from Midland, Texas, to Big Bend National Park, according to the NPS. She had a camping reservation at the Chisos Basin Campground for that evening, but she never arrived.
Chisos Basin Campground in Big Bend National Park. (NPS / FOX Weather)
Her vehicle was located at the trailhead of the Lost Mine Trail, a hiking trail that rises 1,100 feet over 4.8 miles roundtrip and goes through the woodlands of the Chisos Mountains, the NPS said.
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Taking hikers through the mountains and deserts of Big Bend and Mexico, the trail takes hikers an average of about 3 hours to complete, according to the NPS. They added that mountain lions and black bears inhabit the area.
Map showing location of Big Bend National Park in Texas. (FOX Weather / FOX Weather)
NPS officials said Park Rangers and U.S. Border Patrol Agents searched the trail Wednesday while the park pilot surveyed from the air.
More teams combed the area Thursday, according to the NPS. Two helicopters with the Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Border Patrol, plus the NPS airplane, searched from above.