A Campbell River man who went missing on Burke Mountain on Sunday was found safe by rescuers Tuesday morning and was airlifted out of the bush.

Pieter Kramer looked dirty and dishevelled, but was otherwise all right, as he walked from the bright yellow Talon search and rescue helicopter to awaiting paramedics shortly before 1 p.m.

The 58-year-old waved to several applauding spectators who had gathered around a field in north Port Coquitlam that search crews were using as a temporary heli pad.

“I’m feeling fine,” was all he said to reporters who had gathered at the scene before he was whisked into an ambulance and taken to Eagle Ridge Hospital for a routine assessment.

Kramer was first spotted attempting to walk out of the Pinecone-Burke Mountain Provincial park Tuesday at 11:20 a.m. in a cliff area near Munro Creek, wearing a tattered green shirt and ripped cargo shorts.

The Campbell River resident was visiting the Tri-Cities, where he use to live, when he left for a day-long fishing trip on Sunday. He was planning to visit Munro and Dennett lakes, and was expected to be home before dinner.

When he did not arrive, family with whom he was staying with in Port Coquitlam notified Coquitlam Search and Rescue and Coquitlam RCMP.

“It’s great to see this search end with a positive outcome,” said Coquitlam RCMP Const. Brigitte Goguen. “We knew we were doing everything we could and information received throughout investigation and the expertise of search and rescue came together.”

Goguen said witnesses who saw Kramer fishing helped officials narrow their search area.

Crews searched through the night Sunday and all day Monday before taking a break Monday night. On Tuesday morning, the search resumed and Kramer was found a short time later.

Search manager Al Hurley said Monday while the search was still taking place that the terrain in the area where Kramer was hiking was extreme.

“It’s hike-in only,” he said. “It’s a really rough, rough road to get there.”

The RCMP chopper and the Talon search and rescue helicopter focused the initial part of their search on the creeks and tributaries that run down the mountain. Rescue workers said people who are lost in the woods often follow water sources because they believe they will guide them out of the bush. Cabins in the area were also searched.

Volunteers from Coquitlam, Surrey and North Shore search and rescue groups took part in the search and more than 20 people were used in the field.

gmckenna@tricitynews.com