A man from Duncan Falls and his dog were rescued at The Wilds Thursday evening after he became lost on the property’s 3,500 acres of hiking trails.

David Delaney and two of his friends were on adjacent property to The Wilds when the three men heard hiker, Dean Daniels, in the woods yelling for help.

The three men took off on a buggy to search for Daniels after hearing him yell at about 5 p.m.

After about three hours, the three men were able to locate Daniels and return him to The Wilds’ parking lot around 8 p.m.

Delaney said that many crews and other people were present and searching as well.

According to Lieutenant Joe Sayles of the Wayne Township Fire Department, the man was able to get a message through to his wife when he realized he had been walking in circles for about two and a half hours despite little cellular service in the area. She then notified authorities around 5:30 p.m. 

Crews from area fire departments including Wayne Township, Cumberland and M&M as well as searchers from The Wilds looked for the man.

At one point, the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s helicopter was sent out but quickly called off when the missing man was located several hours into the search.

“It was getting dark, and we didn’t want him to get stuck out there,” said Sayles.

Sayles said the man has military experience and already had a fire started for the night when he was found. 

Around 35 people helped with the search, some on bikes and some on ATVs.

Sayles said the lost man’s son, who once hiked the Appalachian Trail, is an avid hiker at The Wilds and was able to use his expertise in the search.