In an astounding story out of southern Oregon, an elderly man is alive after becoming stranded in his Jeep in a remote canyon, unsuccessfully trying to walk out with his dogs and chancing across help four days later.

A cyclist found the nearly unconscious man collapsed on the ground and summoned help from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the local ambulance company. Police say the man’s two dogs survived, too.

The man and his rescuers couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday. But Oregon State Police, who also stepped in to help, outlined the story on social media.

The man and his two dogs got stuck in “a very remote part of Lake County” on July 14, according to state police. A photo posted to the agency’s Facebook page shows a dirty white Jeep, its front bumper wedged against a large rock or chunk of dried mud.

At some point, the man and his dogs attempted to hike back to civilization. On July 18, the cyclist spotted the man on the ground -- with one of his dogs “faithfully by his side,” according to police. A deputy and medics responded and whisked the man off to the hospital and his dog off to an animal clinic.

On July 20 -- six days after the man became stranded -- a state police airplane spotted the Jeep in a narrow, roadless canyon. Troopers reached it by ATV and found the man’s second dog next to it -- injured, but still alive.

A photo shows the salt-and-pepper pup standing on a rock, still looking spunky. A mud puddle nearby might have provided a water source.

Police say the man had set out to find help with both of his dogs, but the second dog had at some point run back to the Jeep.

The Bureau of Land Management is still working on retrieving the Jeep.

With about 7,900 residents, Lake County is one of Oregon’s least populous counties, with less than one resident per square mile.

Police didn’t release the name of the man or the cyclist who encountered him. They also didn’t release the man’s age.

The man’s rescuers are celebrating a joyful ending to his story.

“We are happy to report that the man and his two dogs were reunited and are back home resting after their harrowing ordeal,” the state police post said.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

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