A Idaho Biker was found alive nearly a week after he went missing, revealing the risky survival method he used when he was lost in the wilderness until help arrived.
Zachary Demoss, 24, was on a motorcycle trip through the West with two other motorcyclists when they split up and Demoss disappeared. His friends feared he was in serious trouble.
On August 16 at 1:42 a.m., authorities received an SOS message from a Garmin inReach satellite communicator.
“The first report did not indicate whether there was an emergency and the second report stated that the missing motorcyclist had been found alive but in critical condition,” the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office said.
‘A later message from Garmin confirmed that the missing person was Zachary Demoss.’
Zachary Demoss, 24, was found alive and in “poor condition” by rescuers after authorities received an SOS message from a Garmin inReach at 1:42 a.m. on Aug. 16
Demoss was found at the Lost Creek Campground, near mile marker 136 on Highway 12, and was taken to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula for treatment.
He later said that he had survived all those days by drinking water from a nearby stream.
DeMoss disappeared on August 11 after going on a cross-state bicycle trip in the West with his friends Devlin Zarn and Aly Phan.
The seasoned motorcyclist was riding his 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan on Highway 12 in northern Idaho and disappeared.
The bike was later found along the road at Eagle Mountain Trailhead.
After he was rescued, the sheriff’s office said: “Sheriff Ulmer would like to thank everyone who assisted in the search for Zachary, and we wish him the very best in his recovery.”
In a photo posted by his mother Ruth Rickenbacher, DeMoss is seen alive and well, surrounded by family and friends.
Rickenbacher also told supporters that he was found by the parents of one of his best friends.
DeMoss disappeared on August 11 after going on a bike ride through several states in the West with his friends Devlin Zarn and Aly Phan
In a photo posted by his mother Ruth Rickenbacher, DeMoss is seen alive and well, surrounded by family and friends
Riding his 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle on Highway 12 in northern Idaho, the seasoned motorcyclist disappeared
She is happy wrote: ‘MY SON Zachary DeMoss has been found ALIVE!!! A miracle happened today. Thank GOD!!! I am going to Saint Patrick’s Hospital now.
‘GOD BLESS ALL THE VOLUNTEERS, POLICE, IDAHO SEARCH and RESCUE, WESTERN STATES CATERPILLAR AND STAFF, SITETECH and STAFF, family friends and especially the CAMPERS WHO FOUND HIM, AND GOD…MIRACLES DO HAPPEN, he is amazing.
The couple who found him were one of his best friends, his father and mother.
“He said he heard Greg and Daniel Commons’ voices and he was so relieved when he opened his eyes.”
It remains unclear what caused DeMoss to go missing for days while driving on the highway.