A 72-year-old hiker was rescued from the back country near Bull Mountain on Sunday.

According to Cranbrook RCMP, the man and a friend went hiking on Saturday, but they became separated around 4:30 p.m. while climbing a peak in the Steeples.

The next morning, the man's family contacted RCMP, who notified Emergency Management B.C. and Cranbrook Search and Rescue.

Civilian Air Search and Rescue and Kimberley Search and Rescue also took part in the search.

A 20-person ground team with the RCMP police dog team began to search the rugged terrain were the hiker was thought to be. A helicopter transported searchers to high alpine areas to continue the search.

At about 8 p.m. Sunday, a Cranbrook RCMP member using a spotting scope saw the missing man high on a mountain, about five hours hike from the search base.

A ground team climbed the mountain to help the hiker down, and at about 10 p.m. he was evacuated by helicopter to Cranbrook's hospital.

He was exhausted and suffering from dehydration and weakness, but he was otherwise in good condition and, after being kept overnight in hospital, he was released Monday.

The hiker was an experienced outdoors man who was very familiar with the area and was well equipped for an overnight stay.

However, he did not have a cell phone or personal locator beacon with him so electronic location was not possible.

Cranbrook/Kimberley Search and Rescue and the RCMP strongly recommend that all people hiking in remote areas either have a cell phone, VHF radio or personal locator beacon as these devices will aid searchers in quickly locating anyone who may be lost or injured.