A hiker who got lost on Thursday was found alive Tuesday along the Buffalo National River in north Arkansas.
Clinton Preston Smith, 67, of Baton Rouge, appeared to be uninjured but was exhausted and weak from not eating, said Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler.
Wheeler said Smith had slipped and fallen a few times while he was lost in the woods.
"He's bruised and banged up but in good spirits," the sheriff said.
Wheeler said Smith was found about noon Tuesday by a search crew composed of people from the National Park Service and Arkansas State Police search and rescue team.
Smith was found next to the river, about 2.5 miles from Hemmed-in Hollow Trail, where he had gone hiking, said Wheeler. Smith was found in the vicinity of Horseshoe Bend, according to a news release from the Buffalo National River.
Wheeler said Smith was brought out of the woods on horseback Tuesday afternoon because he was too exhausted to walk out. Wheeler said a couple of local people who were riding in the area -- and keeping an eye out for the lost hiker -- offered one of their horses to extricate Smith from the woods.
Smith was reported missing about 9 p.m. Friday after failing to return from a hike the previous day, according to a spokesperson for the Buffalo National River.
"He got lost the first night," said Wheeler. "After that, came the rains and low temperatures, which might have led to hypothermia and confusion. He got off the trail pretty early in the hike."
Wheeler said fallen leaves covered the trail, making it difficult to follow it and see converging trails.
Wheeler said Smith was taken to North Arkansas Medical Center in Harrison on Tuesday, but he was a bit too confused to provide investigators with all the details, so they plan to interview him again today.
The sheriff said he didn't know how Smith survived five nights in the cold and rainy woods. He said Smith wasn't dressed for the cold weather.
Searchers set up a command post at County Line Baptist Church near Compton.
Wheeler said he noticed that the sign outside the church read: "You're never too lost to be saved."
"It was already there," said Wheeler. "We don't believe in coincidences up here."
"The National Park Service and Newton County sheriff's office led a search and rescue operation that began the morning of Oct. 29 and canvased the Ponca Wilderness for four days," according to a news release. "Grid style ground searches, aerial searches, and tracking dogs were used by search and rescue crews throughout the search."
"The terrain in Buffalo National River can be rugged and steep," according to the release. "Off-trail travel is often dangerous, and we ask visitors to please stay on established trails to avoid injury and disorientation."