Alec Luhn, Missing American Journalist, Found Alive in Norway

Europe|Alec Luhn, Missing American Hiker, Is Found Alive in Norway

Rescue workers on Wednesday found Alec Luhn, an American hiker who had been missing for nearly a week after taking a solo backpacking trip in a Norwegian national park, according to police officials and the Norwegian Red Cross.

Mr. Luhn, 38, was in “good condition,” said Oystein Torsnes, a police chief in the Hardanger region, in a phone interview.

A rescue helicopter found Mr. Luhn, who had suffered some injuries to his feet, said Svein Buer, a local police official in Hardanger, in a phone interview.

Workers had been searching for Mr. Luhn since Monday night through bad weather and challenging terrain. On Wednesday morning, the weather conditions — while still cloudy and rainy — were good enough to use helicopters, which had not been possible the day before.

“It’s amazing,” Mr. Buer said. “He stayed alive for almost a week, up in the mountains.”

Mr. Luhn has been transported to the Haukeland Hospital in Bergen, according to Ingeborg Thorsland, a spokeswoman for the Norwegian Red Cross.

Mr. Luhn had last been heard from on Thursday afternoon when he texted his itinerary to his wife, Veronika Silchenko.

An experienced hiker, Mr. Luhn was on a solo backpacking trip heading into Folgefonna National Park from Odda, a nearby town. The park is a popular, if challenging, place for hikers to admire its stunning nature, which includes a large glacier at its center.

Mr. Torsnes, the police chief, said that Mr. Luhn was found where rescue workers had expected — a few kilometers north of his last known position, from which he had sent his wife a photo of himself from his phone.

There were about 50 people involved in the search, Mr. Torsnes said.

Mr. Luhn is an environmental journalist who has also covered the war in Ukraine, among other topics. His articles have appeared in newspapers and media outlets including The Guardian, The Atlantic, Scientific American and Vice News.