A 20-year-old man who went missing on hiking trails near Nanaimo over the weekend has been found alive, search and rescue crews confirmed Monday.

Spencer Hunt was found on the third day of a search centered around Ammonite Falls, where he set out for a hike with family members Saturday afternoon and became separated, failing to return to his car that night.

Hundreds of search and rescue volunteers from up and down Vancouver Island launched a massive effort to locate Hunt, but searches on Saturday and Sunday turned up nothing.

He was finally spotted by a helicopter waving his arms near a creek. Crews on quads drove into the area, located him and got him to the helicopter, and he was later transported to hospital for assessment.

Crews said Hunt was cold and hungry but otherwise in good shape. He was reportedly only wearing a hoodie and jeans when he went missing.

“Given the conditions, two nights overnight in below freezing temperatures, freezing rain yesterday, he was pretty resourceful and obviously kept moving,” said Paul Berry of Comox Valley Search and Rescue. “He’s lucky to be alive. In B.C., as we’ve said before, many victims last 24 hours in the wilderness. Hypothermia is the number one killer out here and he beat the odds.”

Hunt had travelled about 2.5 kilometres from his start point in very rugged terrain and crossed at least one creek before being located in another one.

Video from the search staging area shows Hunt’s parents bursting into tears upon hearing the news.

Berry said upwards of 100 people were scouring the area Monday, and all were relieved that Hunt was found safe.

“This is the SAR community in British Columbia. This is what you see whenever we have a large-scale search. Doesn’t matter whether the subject’s young or old, SAR volunteers come together as a community and their communities support them,” he said. “This is exactly why we do what we do.”

Berry said a Talon helicopter from Vancouver that joined the search effort Monday was the one that spotted Hunt waving.

“That was the tool that helped us locate him this morning.”

Crews aaid the search was made difficult because the area contains many trails with thick brush.