NATCHITOCHES, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office Search Team found a hiker lost in the Kisatchie National Forest Thursday evening.
According to the NPSO, the NATCOM 911 Center called for assistance after a lost hiker reported that he was lost.
NPSO, the United States Forest Service, and Natchitoches Parish Fire Protection District 4 assembled a search team around 7 p.m. to start the search.
The hiker, identified as 23-year-old J. Devaraj of New York, said he had surveyed different areas of the Kisatchie National Forest and decided he wanted to explore other parts of the forest when he finished his work assignment for the day.
Devaraj told NPSO that he decided to hike on the Carolina Backbone Trail.
While hiking, he misjudged the amount of sunlight and became lost as he lost his only source of light. Devaraj became lost, and his cell phone was dying. He sent his friends a geolocation ping and called the NPSO for assistance.
The multi-agency search team hiked to the location of the ping until they found Devaraj unharmed and did not require medical attention. He was approximately a quarter of a mile from the ping location around 9:30 p.m.
First responders walked Devaraj back to his vehicle parked on the Longleaf Trail.
