Family members reported Rondy Packard Sr. missing after he did not return from a fishing trip last Sunday. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office searched the wilderness for nearly a week before locating him Saturday afternoon.
Packard is now recovering at Clovis Community Medical Center. His family said he is improving gradually after the ordeal.
Valerie Packard said the days her husband was missing were among the most difficult her family has experienced.
"I was sick. I was sick. It was hard for me to sleep. I maybe got two hours of sleep," she said.
According to family members, concern grew when Packard failed to return home from his fishing trip before dark.
"When it started getting close to dark, I got concerned because I know they don't really fish out there after dark," Valerie Packard said.
The next day, Packard missed a doctor's appointment. Packard said her husband's diabetes added to their concerns.
"Not having his injection that he's supposed to take every Wednesday, he didn't have that medication," she said.
Before authorities launched an official search operation, loved ones searched the area around Pine Flat Lake. Packard's son, Andrew, used technology to help locate his father's Nissan pickup truck.
"This app that they use for these new vehicles, I was able to download that, using his VIN number and getting proof of ownership, I was able to find his vehicle location on Trimmer Springs Road," Andrew Packard said.
Family members said Packard's cell phone also pinged in the area.
On Saturday, search-and-rescue teams found Packard about 500 feet from his truck. Family members said he was severely dehydrated and covered in mud when a California Highway Patrol helicopter rescued him from the rugged terrain.
Andrew Packard described the emotions his family felt upon learning his father had been found.
"Tears of joy. My mom shouted. There were emotions coming out," he said.
For Valerie, the rescue brought overwhelming relief.
"I was thanking god. I was so shocked. I was so happy that he was alive," she said.
The family believes Packard's military experience as a Marine veteran helped him survive in the wilderness. They also expressed gratitude to the search and rescue crews who reunited them with their loved ones.
Family members told Action News they are optimistic Packard will recover well and plan to remain by his side until he is discharged from the hospital.
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