Texas hiker rescued after going missing in Big Bend National Park, officials say
A 25-year-old woman who never showed up for a camping reservation at Big Bend National Park has been found and given medical care, officials said.
The National Park Service said that Christy Perry picked up a rental car in Midland, Texas, on Nov. 8. The vehicle was seen parked at the trailhead for Big Bend's Lost Mine trail the next day, but Perry did not arrive for a camping reservation at the park's Chisos Basin Campground that same day. Her family later reported that she did not return home from the camping trip, park officials said.
On Friday afternoon, park officials said on social media that there had been a "successful search and rescue operation in Big Bend National Park" with park rangers and outside law enforcement locating and rescuing Perry.
Perry was being taken to a hospital in Odessa, Texas, and "is currently under medical care."
"We thank all involved parties, including our dedicated search and rescue team, partnering law enforcement agencies, and the local community for their unwavering support throughout the operation," officials said. "Our primary focus remains the safety and well-being of those who visit and explore Big Bend National Park."
Park rangers and U.S. Border Patrol agents searched the Lost Mine trail on Wednesday, with a park service airplane surveying the area from above. An expanded search occurred on Thursday, with park service employees and Border Patrol agents joined by Texas game wardens and local fire crews. Two helicopters from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Border Patrol also joined the search.
The trail was closed "to allow searchers room to work efficiently and quickly," park officials said. The trail has not yet reopened.
The park described the Lost Mine trail as a very popular hiking trail that's about 4.8 miles round trip. The steep trail goes through wooded areas.
Big Bend National Park is in west Texas and has views of the Texas and Mexico deserts. The park shares 118 miles of border with Mexico, running alongside the states of Chihuahua and Coahuila, and is "one of the largest transboundary protected areas in North America," according to the park service. The park covers over 1,250 square miles, has three river canyons and contains 196 miles of the Rio Grande.