Police are surprised by the “good condition” of a hiker found after two weeks missing in the mountains

Melbourne, Australia – A the traveler survived on two muesli bars, eaten berries and river water for two weeks while missing in remote Australia, police said Wednesday.

Hadi Nazari, a 23-year-old medical student from Melbourne, went missing on December 26 when he became separated from two people he was traveling with on a photography trip in Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales state.

He was rescued after he met a group of hikers on Wednesday afternoon, telling them he was lost and thirsty, Police Insp. Josh Broadfoot said. Nazari had walked more than 6 kilometers through steep and densely wooded terrain from where he was last seen.

A massive ground and air search was launched the day Nazari went missing. More than 300 detectives are involved.

He was reunited with two of his hiking buddies on Wednesday before being taken to the hospital to be checked out, Broadfoot said.

Nazari told police they were “going from morning to night,” Broadfoot said.

“He seems fine: It’s amazing,” Broadfoot told reporters.

“This is the 14th day we’ve been looking for him. For him to come out and be in such good shape and in such good shape, it’s amazing,” he added.

“There are streams up there and he said he was getting water where he could get food where he couldn’t, with berries. At one point, he said he got a few pieces of muesli in the hut, but other than that – 14 days and that’s very little food,” said Broadfoot.

Ambulance Insp. Adam Mower said Nazari only needed treatment for dehydration.

“He’s in amazing shape for someone who’s been missing for so long,” Mower said.

The park surrounds Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest peak. But Australia is a flat continent and the mountain is only 7,310 meters above sea level.

The climate is mild in the current Southern Hemisphere summer.

Investigators hoped Nazari would be found alive. He was an experienced traveler with a tent. Searchers found his campfire, camera and poles in recent days, suggesting he is still on the move.