A Ronan man missing since Sunday was found alive Wednesday in Sanders County.

Troy Akers, 20, was found in a creek bed near Dixon. He suffered from exposure and had some cuts, bruises and scrapes, according to Sanders County Sheriff Tom Rummel.

Akers was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes. Temperatures dropped into the 30s during the three nights he spent out in the woods.

An extensive search had been underway along North Creek Road and the surrounding area that straddles Sanders and Lake counties.  “We’re working with some pretty rough ground,” Rummel said of the search area, which was narrowed to 80 to 90 acres on Wednesday.

At 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, one of the ground crews found Akers in a creek bottom. 

Two Bear Air out of Kalispell flew in to transport Akers to a staging area, where he was transferred to a Med Star helicopter that took him to a Missoula hospital.

Akers was last seen on Sunday when he and three friends took a drive up North Creek Road. Their vehicle became stuck and they abandoned it and started walking. The four got lost and Akers became separated from the group. 

Two Bear Air found the other three people on Sunday. 

The search continued through the week. Rummel said that on Wednesday there were 25 people and one rescue dog searching. 

Besides the helicopters, the search involved North Valley, Flathead County, Lincoln County, Sanders County, Lake County and Missoula County search and rescue groups, U.S. Border Patrol and Tribal Fish and Game.

“This is an answer to prayers. I want to really make sure that all the agencies are thanked for their help. We couldn’t have done it without them,” Rummel said.