"At the point I found him he was giving up," said Trooper Dave Sherbahn of Ninilchik.

Although some searchers looked for Redden in the Cottonwood Lane and Cape Ninilchik Avenue area near the Anchor Point end of the North Fork Road, Sherbahn had thought to look for Redden in the Wagon Road and Epic Road area further east. A search of the Kenai Peninsula Borough geographic information system Web site showed Redden's son had property off of Wagon Road.

"That's why I went there. It's amazing that we found him. It worked out great," Sherbahn said.

Sherbahn found Redden lying in the road and drove him to the Anchor Point Fire Hall. Emergency medical technicians treated Redden for dehydration and took him to South Peninsula Hospital. Redden was released after being at the hospital for several days.

Redden's ordeal began after he bought a used three-wheeler at the Trading Post store in Anchor Point. Redden left the business about 10 a.m. May 22. He told a store employee about a trail near off Cape Ninilchik Avenue that connected to Cottonwood Lane near Redden's home. When Redden hadn't returned by 10:30 a.m. May 23, friends reported him missing. Troopers, a volunteer with the Community Emergency Response Team and friends began searching in the Cape Ninilchik Avenue area. Trooper Helo 3 was enroute to join the search when Sherbahn found Redden about 4 p.m. that Saturday.

"He was totally opposite the other side of the North Fork in an area we had no clue where he was at," Sherbahn said.

Redden wore a jacket, walking shoes and blue jeans, but had no survival gear or a cell phone. Sherbahn said Redden told him he had a lighter and tried unsuccessfully to light a fire in logging slash using two dollar bills he had in his wallet. Temperatures that night had gotten down into the 30s, Sherbahn said.

Redden had driven his three-wheeler to look at his son's property. He had crutches but not a prosthetic leg.

"It was just going to be one of those 'go up there, take a look at his property, come back,'" Sherbahn said. "It didn't happen that way."

Sherbahn visited Redden at the hospital.

"He seemed to be fine. He looked a lot healthier than he did on the four-wheeler trail," Sherbahn said.

A man who answered the phone at a number listed in Redden's name said Redden was not available for comment.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.