The trail runner reported missing Sunday in Northern California survived two days in wintry conditions according to published reports.
Robert Root, an experienced trail runner, was last seen along a trail at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
Searchers found Root shortly after noon Tuesday near Michigan Bluff on the Western States Trail, two days after he had been reported missing, Placer County Sheriff's spokesperson Dena Erwin said.
Authorities say Root survived for two days by sleeping on a cliff and keeping warm by curling up into bushes in a snowy wilderness area.
The NBC affiliate in Sacramento, KCRA, reported that searchers combed the area around the trail using helicopters, all-terrain vehicles and dogs.
At the time he was last seen, Root was wearing only running gear and unprepared for the snow that began to fall Monday night, officials told KCRA.
Root was wearing only a light running shirt, shorts and running shoes when rescuers found him walking along a bridge.
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Erwin says Root, who is recuperating in a hospital, told authorities that he survived on water, energy supplements and shaking his limbs to keep warm. He requested a hamburger after his rescue.
