A hiker who had been missing in Texas’ Big Bend National Park since Nov. 9 has since been found alive, the National Park Service announced Friday.

Christy Perry, 25, was found alive, awake and verbal about 0.25 miles below the summit of the Lost Mine Trail at around 9:30 a.m. She was then airlifted to a hospital in Odessa, Texas, park officials said.

NPS told KHOU-TV that Ms. Perry, who did not have food and ran out of water, subsisted on rainwater while she was missing.

Ms. Perry had been declared missing earlier this week after her family reported that she had not returned home from a hiking trip in the park. 

Her car had been left unoccupied at the trailhead of the Lost Mine Trail, which was closed temporarily to allow searchers more flexibility in looking for her.

“I’m just glad she was found safe. It’s such a relief. I’m through the roof. I’ve been telling my friends and family about it. They’ve been saying, ‘have faith, have faith.’ That’s a long time to just go missing,” Kathlyn Vega, a friend of Ms. Perry’s, told KRIV-TV.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.