Eric Tucker, the Mountain View hiker who disappeared in the Stanislaus National Forest 10 days ago, limped into a campground yesterday afternoon with a broken ankle but in otherwise good condition.

The 28-year-old engineer told authorities that on June 27, the first day of his trip, he fell 40 feet from a trail and was hurt and unable to walk well for several days.

Tucker -- whose disappearance prompted several full-scale searches -- hobbled into the Baker Campground near the Kennedy Meadows trailhead about 4 p. m., according to the Tuolumne County sheriff's office. The area is not far from where he began his trek two weeks ago.

After the fall, Tucker stayed put, hoping a passing hiker might see him, but he couldn't hear or see anyone, according to the sheriff's office. He had packed food and a water purifier when he set off for a solo hike across the 898,099-acre Emigrant Wilderness area of the Sierra Nevada.

Unable to walk well, he set up camp, and days dragged on. He heard helicopters overhead and waved a yellow plastic tarp in vain.

Finally, at 11 a.m. yesterday, with his ankle feeling better, Tucker set out to rescue himself.

He was treated at Tuolumne General Hospital and released last night, officials said.

Hospital spokeswoman Judy Villalobos said Tucker fractured his left fibula, was dehydrated and had an elevated blood pressure, but was in otherwise good spirits.

"He knew how to handle himself and kept his wits about him," Villalobos said.

Tucker, who is 5 feet 11 and weighs 180 pounds, was considered an intermediate hiker. He once turned back during a 1999 attempt to climb Mount Shasta because of bad weather.

A native of Washington, D.C., Tucker earned his master's degree in computer science from Stanford University. He is an employee of CacheFlow, a Sunnyvale computer company.

Mark Kraynak, a spokesman for CacheFlow, said employees learned that Tucker had been found when the company's engineering vice president sent out a brief e-mail message just after 6 p.m. yesterday.

"It was pretty relieving to hear the news," Kraynak said, speaking by phone last night. "We still don't know exactly what happened."

Many of Tucker's co-workers had joined local authorities in a huge search after he was reported missing July 3. He was supposed to return to Kennedy Meadows July 1, after a hike of up to 50 miles.

The day before he left, Tucker had outlined his intended route in an e-mail to his mother, Elinor Tucker, of Washington.

Tucker planned to begin at the Kennedy Meadows trailhead and trek through Emigrant Meadow, Deer Lake and Saucer Meadow, weaving through stretches of meadows and granite surfaces reaching 8,000 to 10,000 feet in elevation.

The area is 140 miles east of San Francisco.

About 100 people joined in a ground and air search that combed that route for several days. On Monday, searchers found backpacking equipment that appeared to be Tucker's near the Emigrant Meadows area of the park, leading authorities to believe that he had strayed from the trail.

Last Sunday, a U.S. helicopter aiding in the search went down near Granite Dome in the Emigrant Wilderness, in Tuolumne County just east of Sonora.

One of the six crew members aboard the HH-1N Huey helicopter suffered a broken bone in his hand; others received minor cuts and bruises, said Naval Air Station spokeswoman Anne McMillin.

The helicopter was climbing to the summit of the 10,000-foot-high Granite Dome to set up communications equipment when the aircraft failed. The accident is under investigation.

The search was not without other problems as well, including a series of storms and flash floods that hampered efforts. Rugged granite trails, rain runoff and a large number of hikers in the area during the Fourth of July holiday also hindered the search.

The Associated Press and Chronicle staff writer Angelica Pence contributed to this report. / E-mail Kelly St. John at kstjohn@sfchronicle.com.

Missing Hiker Limps Out Of Forest

More Than 120 People Take Part In Search

The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department said that 28-year-old Eric Tucker of Mountain View, Calif. limped into the Baker Campground near the Kennedy Meadows trailhead about 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Tucker was taken to Tuolumne General Hospital. He was released about 10 p.m. and walked out on crutches.

Tucker said that he fell about 40 feet his first day out after losing his trail, hospital spokeswoman Judy Villalobos said.

"I was going down a creek bed, and it was getting progressively steeper and steeper," Tucker said. "I ended up on a part with some water trickling down it, so it was pretty slippery, and I fell down."

Tucker said that he stayed put for about a week before gaining the strength to find his way out of the forest. He had packed food and a water purifier when he set off for his hike June 27.

"I knew eventually I'd be able to walk, but I didn't know if I'd be able to find a path out," Tucker said.

Villalobos said that Tucker may have broken both his ankles, was dehyrdrated and had an elevated blood pressure. He's in good spirits otherwise, she said.

"He knew how to handle himself and kept his wits about him," Villalobos said.

More than 120 people had searched for Tucker since he was reported missing July 3 after not reporting from his solo camping trip. He was supposed to return July 1 after setting off June 27.

Tucker had intended to return to Kennedy Meadows after a planned hike of up to 50 miles in the Sierra Nevada.

A military helicopter aiding in Tucker's search went down Sunday near Granite Dome in the Emigrant Wilderness. Five crew members on board the helicopter from Nevada's Fallon Naval Air Station were not seriously injured. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Tucker's mother, Elinor, has described her son as a moderately experienced hiker, who turned back during a 1999 attempt to climb California's Mount Shasta because of bad weather.
Courtesy of LifeWhile,      http://www.lifewhile.com/news/867055/detail.html