This is about as ironic as it gets. I guess dumb luck is better than no luck... Luck is nice to have, but sure would be better to depend upon some simple preparations rather than luck:

A Dallas couple lost for 2 ½ days in a Southern California mountain wilderness survived after finding the supplies of a hiker who vanished more than a year ago. Rescuers found Brandon Day, 28, and Gina Allen, 24, on Tuesday morning at a makeshift campsite in the San Jacinto Mountains. They also discovered the backpack of John Donovan, a 60-year-old Virginia hiker who disappeared in the same area in early May 2005.

The Dallas hikers said they came across his backpack Monday evening in a gorge along their trek. In it, they found food, a small radio, some dry clothing and matches. They used the matches to make a signal fire that alerted rescuers to their location.

Rest of the article:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/051006dnmethikers.18014daf.html

Another article with additional details:

http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060510/NEWS01/605100326/1006

I hope they are able to find the guy's remains.

The sad part is the dead guy was prepared even if he didn't survive.

Interesting story. Makes me wonder how they can send you out on a tour without making sure you have basic supplies or an iron hand on where you are in relationship to the rest of the group. Of course, maybe the couple snuck off for an amorous tryst in the boonies.

Anyway, it's fortunate that they found the hiker's gear. My guess is his remains aren't far from the camp site, even if animals dragged away parts.

I suspect (and hope) that Mr Donovan may have died of natural causes. Heart attack?. It would be nice to recover his remains, but at least his family can take comfort in the fact that he died doing something he enjoyed. Given how small the chance of the young couple finding his gear in that large an area is, it makes me wonder about divine intervention.