Ohio hiker who spent 3 days lost in Maine woods says decision to leave trail was ’stupid’
By APWednesday, June 2, 2010
Lost Ohio hiker in Maine learned to stay on paths
PORTLAND, Maine — An Ohio hiker who went missing for three days in Maine’s Baxter State Park says he learned the hard way to stay on marked trails.
Michael Hays thought he’d found a shortcut down Mount Katahdin but said Wednesday he quickly realized that a grassy clearing he spied from 1,000 feet up was actually impenetrable brush. And he shattered his kneecap when he slid down a sheer rock while trying to find an alternative route.
The 41-year-old from Stow, Ohio, is now recovering at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor after surgery to reconstruct his kneecap.
He says it was “stupid” to leave the trail. But he has nothing but praise for the park rangers and others who searched for him. He was rescued Monday.
