Hunter survives three weeks lost in the mountains after solo trip gone wrong

A solo hunting trip turned into a three-week ordeal for husband and father Ron Dailey.

(NBC)- A solo hunting trip turned into a three-week ordeal for husband and father Ron Dailey, who vanished in the mountains after losing his way roughly 10,000 feet up.

Deputies say Dailey’s truck broke down on a rocky road, forcing him to use it as shelter while he waited for help. As his supplies ran out, he began walking for survival, battling exhaustion, thin air, and freezing conditions.

“It was the toughest walk I’ve ever done in my life,” Dailey said.

Deputies say Dailey used his truck for shelter, but as his food ran out, he decided to move. “You either try to walk out, or you’re gonna sit here and die,” he said in a voice memo recorded by his daughter from the hospital.

“I’m up at 10,000 plus feet. Every 100 yards I got to stop, get my wind. I probably stopped 100 times,” Dailey recalled. “I’m praying to the Lord… you got to send somebody up here to me, I can’t hardly walk anymore.”

For weeks, volunteers and law enforcement searched the rugged terrain by ground and air before finally locating him. Authorities credit a group of volunteer hunters for spotting signs that led to his rescue.

Dailey is now recovering with minor injuries.