A hiker that was reported missing by Kachemak Bay State Park Rangers on Wednesday morning has been found.
Amandine Testu, visiting from France, was to be picked up at Haystack Rock on Monday, July 22 at 2 p.m., park and trails specialist Eric Clarke wrote in an email Wednesday. She was last seen in Halibut Cove Lagoon “with the intention of hiking to Haystack Rock via China Poot Lake and Wosnesenski River Trails,” Clarke wrote.
Testu said that she lost the trail, so she followed a river to find her way back.
“But it was the wrong river, so I made my own way through the forest. I felt really lost, but I worked hard because I knew many people would be worried,” she told the Homer News on Wednesday. “I followed another river and got to China Poot Bay.”
Ranger Jason Okuly confirmed that Testu was “self-rescued.” Upon reaching China Poot Bay, she found a private residence with a canoe, which she paddled across the bay and came out at the Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge. The lodge reported Testu’s self-rescue to park staff at approximately 10:30 a.m., Okuly said.
Testu said that she was largely OK with food and supplies, though she was without food Wednesday morning. The Wilderness Lodge provided breakfast while they were waiting for the boat with park staff to arrive.
Testu said she will likely rest in Homer for a couple of days, but she isn’t sure what her next plans are.
“Maybe I will take a ferry to Kodiak,” she said.
Okuly credited the efforts of Kathy Sarns and the Friends of the Kachemak Bay State Park, as well as the several volunteers, who helped in the search and rescue efforts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We don’t have a search and rescue nonprofit or organization in this area,” Okuly said. “Our search and rescue is a phone tree – we call up volunteers who are willing to help.”
He said that 13 or 14 volunteers were conducting searches on Tuesday.
“Barrett (Moe) from Lower Peninsula Power Sports offered to take his jet boat up the Woz, and we were able to send KESA’s Chelsea (Marsh) and Jake Richter with him,” he said. “They hiked that trail and looked for her in that area.”
Emily Jensen with Kachemak Emergency Services also offered drone assistance along the shorelines of China Poot, he said. Volunteers searching the Halibut Cove Lagoon covered the ranger’s station, public cabins, campground and trails and talked with tourists and recreators in the area to locate Testu.
“We were able to narrow our search area based on information from those folks,” he said.
Volunteers were searching the Wosnesenski River area on Wednesday morning when the Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge reported that Testu was safe and sound.
Okuly noted that it is important for prospective hikers or parkgoers to understand that the trails in Kachemak Bay State Park are not maintained. He advised hikers to consult the trails report or park staff before hiking in the park.
The Kachemak Bay State Park Trail Conditions report is available online at dnr.alaska.gov/parks/asp/curevnts.htm. For more information on Kachemak Bay State Park or the trails, visit www.friendsofkachemakbay.org/trails-home.
