A man was rescued after surviving nine days lost in the Canadian wilderness, officials said.

Andrew Barber, 39, was reported missing in British Columbia's Cariboo region on July 31, CBS News partner BBC News reported . Williams Lake Royal Canadian Mounted Police Staff Sgt. Brad McKinnon told The Canadian Press that the search was like "looking for a needle in a haystack" and described the remote area as "boggy," with "tons of rural and wilderness areas."

Luckily, Barber had an "above average understanding of the wilderness," McKinnon said. He was able to build a shelter from sticks and moss. He drank pond water to stay hydrated, McKinnon said, and "munched on whatever he could find."

Barber also wrote multiple messages, including carving the word "HELP" on a rock near his shelter a

See Full Page