A 76-year-old Vietnam veteran who endured several days lost in the Arizona desert has recounted how he used his last reserves of energy to climb to higher ground, where a desperate text message for help finally managed to send. Mark Eric Young was reported missing after he failed to appear for a family dinner last week, a day after embarking on a solo camping trip along Bloody Basin Road off Interstate 17, according to Arizona's Family.
Stranded by Faulty GPS
A malfunctioning GPS left Young stranded in challenging terrain, forcing him to resort to extreme survival tactics—including drinking his own urine—while his family and rescue teams searched for days. He killed a rattlesnake that attempted to bite him, recited scripture to maintain his morale, and lit fires each night to keep warm, as reported by ABC 15 News.
It was not until the fourth day, as he fought severe dehydration and mental confusion, that Young managed to reach an area where his plea for help finally reached his son. A helicopter scanning the area spotted the veteran in a remote location north of the Valley, where rescuers lifted him from a canyon and airlifted him to a hospital.
Emotional Reunion
“I just burst into tears. I just burst into tears. And, you just, it’s just such a sense of relief, and it’s just overcome with emotion,” his daughter-in-law Lydia Young told AZ Family. Both authorities and Young now emphasize that the single text message, combined with the extensive search operation, was crucial in saving him from a tragic outcome.
The Ordeal Unfolds
On April 16, Young—an Arizona native and experienced hiker—decided to extend his trip after attending a wedding, opting for a short solo camping excursion after his wife flew home. He set out in a rental car, driving deep into backcountry forest roads near Cordes Lakes, according to Yavapai County deputies. From that point, he was not heard from again.
Although Young was hiking terrain he had explored before, alarm bells sounded the following day when he failed to show up for a dinner in the Verde Valley. The county’s forest patrol launched a search-and-rescue mission that night but found no trace of the veteran. His car was discovered the next morning on Forest Road 16, about 30 minutes from Black Canyon City, with several belongings inside, including his sleeping bag, but no sign of Young.
Expanded Search Efforts
The search-and-rescue effort expanded with assistance from Coconino and Maricopa County crews, along with a ranger helicopter from the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Over three days, dozens searched the backcountry of Yavapai County, joined by a ranger with his horse and dogs, who navigated difficult terrain and a steep canyon believed to be in Young’s path. Young’s daughter-in-law said the hours of each day were excruciating as the family faced uncertainty, but they never gave up hope.
The first sign of hope came on Monday, when searchers reported faint, distant calls for help, but the sound was too difficult to track amid strong winds and canyon terrain. Just after 1 p.m., the life-saving text message came through: Young had been found six miles from where his vehicle was located, conscious and alert.
Rescue and Recovery
As a Maricopa County helicopter lifted him to safety, authorities said Young was in good spirits and even cracked a few jokes before being airlifted to a Valley hospital. He shared his plans to rest and recover at a Scottsdale resort before heading back to his home state, while also revealing the harrowing nights spent lost in the vast Arizona desert.
At night, surviving on almost nothing, Young relied on lighters he carried to start fires. “I began to use my compass just to keep going north so that I would hit a power line, but I just never did,” Young told AZ Family. “Each mountain that I climbed, there was another one,” he added to ABC. He said that while he prayed often and felt the prayers of family and friends, he knew by the third night he had to begin taking extreme measures to stay alive. “The third day I was on another mountaintop, and I knew that I had to drink my own urine to survive,” he told the outlet.
Gratitude and Lessons Learned
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office thanked its search-and-rescue volunteers, who had just returned from Seligman after several days without power. “To the Forest Patrol, the volunteer units, and the partner crews—Yavapai County salutes you,” the department shared in a statement. “Your dedication proved that in the face of the rugged Arizona backcountry, no one is left behind.” Following his rescue, Young told family members he would never again set out on a solo trip.
He also shared words of wisdom he received from a first responder on the scene: first, to pack a reflective sun visor, similar to those used on car windshields, and second, if someone finds themselves lost, they should place the reflective device in a tree and stay put so it can be spotted from a helicopter. His children released a statement to ABC after the rescue, which read: “This rescue was nothing short of a miracle, made possible by countless hours of service from so many. While we are incredibly grateful that our dad survived, we are also deeply aware that the outcome could have been very different. This experience has reminded us that there are still so many good people in the world, people who give their time, their energy, and their hearts to serve others.”
