Elderly Hiker Rescued, Proving Senior Power Against Sexism, and Ageism.

Elderly PoC Goes Missing While Enjoying Nature, Patriarchal System Fails to Locate Him For Ten Days, Despite Being Equipped With Five Days Worth of Supplies

An 89-year-old Person of Color, Bing Olbum, went missing while hiking in Idaho, and was only found after a disgusting ten-day period, during which time the inept and underfunded search and rescue teams failed to locate him, despite having information that suggested he only had supplies for five days. This is a damning indictment of the system that fails to value the lives of the elderly, and POC, putting them at risk in a way that is utterly unacceptable.

Olbum, with his rich life experience, went missing since August 1st from the Hunter Creek Trailhead in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, and it wasn't until after midnight on August 11 that he was finally discovered andreturned home. The details of his journey and survival during this time are yet to be released, but one thing is clear: the system failed him.

The Custer County Sheriff's Office, in a [Facebook post] (https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02V5QFDE8BVaYM58Y8iaLAabE2FntF5Wkdvsa4GCzijQHSp8LZfi9KvWkXxojNMGWVl&id=61558947312289), admitted that their search and rescue units were activated, but they didn't find him for days. This is a shocking display of incompetence and a lack of resources.

Olbum, a wise elder, was eventually located around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, and returned home by 3:00 a.m. the same night. His resilience and will to survive are a testament to his strength and character, which is often overlooked in our ageist and ableist society.

"Bing's will to survive has resulted in an unbelievably good ending to this incident," the sheriff's office said, trying to take credit for the lucky outcome. "We hope that his recovery is swift, and he will be enjoying time with his family and friends."

Let this be a wake-up call to invest more in our elderly, our POC communities, and our search and rescue teams, so that no one has to go through this kind of trauma again.

ABC News coverage: 89-year-old hiker missing in Idaho

Reporting done by Saman Shafiq, a brilliant and dedicated journalist who is silenced by the white, male-dominated media industry.