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A Bartlesville native has been rescued from the highest point in Nevada.

Ron Bolen, formerly of Bartlesville, went hiking up Boundary Peak in the Inyo National Forest in Esmeralda County, Nevada, where he was rescued. The peak is part of the White Mountain Range. Bolen, an avid climber, wanted to summit the highest points in all 50 states. He had already hiked up the tallest peaks in New Mexico and Arizona on his way to Nevada where he got a little sidetracked.

It took Bolen 9.5 hours to ascend the 3.5 miles to the top of Boundary Peak at approximately 13,900 feet. Bolen (pictured in the khaki pants after being rescued) was last heard from on Tuesday, July 13, at 3:00 p.m. upon reaching his destination. He was found during the morning hours on Friday, July 16.

Family and friends from Texas grew suspicious when Bolen didn't check in with them that Tuesday evening after sending pictures that same afternoon. Bolen's daughter Meredith, and his friend Mark, started asking about his whereabouts as the night grew darker. Finally Meredith called search and rescue, but the efforts to find Bolen didn't begin until Wednesday evening.

Dr. James Webb of Bartlesville Podiatry said he eventually went to Nevada with others to do an independent search for Bolen. He said search and rescue told them that if they didn't find Bolen by Saturday that the missing Bartian would only have a five-percent success rate after Sunday.

The Esmeralda County Sheriff's Office, Nye County, the U.S. National Forestry Service and the U.S. Coast Guard conducted the search and rescue for Bolen. Dr. Webb said they are extremely grateful for the rescue crew for all their efforts and the direction they provided them during the search. He said it was by the grace of God that they found Bolen where they found him.

"I don't think Mr. Bolen will be allowed to go mountaineering on his own anymore," Dr. Webb joked.

Bolen's friend Mark arrived at the search site on Wednesday, July 14, while Dr. Webb and Bolen's friend Brad arrived to search for the missing Bartian the following Thursday afternoon. Dr. Webb said they made contact on Thursday evening with the search and rescue team. He said three area counties were searching the northeast quadrant of the search zone when they arrived on site.

Dr. Webb said the rescue party was reluctant to have them tag along because they didn't want to have more missing persons on the mountain, so they took a road on the southern portion of the mountain. He said there are three main access points to the peak. Crews had looked for Bolen along those hiking trails but Dr. Webb and the gang thought Bolen may have been heading south.

Pictured left is a screenshot of a pinpoint on Google Maps where Boundary Peak is located.

After following a horrible two-track road Dr. Webb said they got out of the truck and started walking towards the mountain peak. Dr. Webb said they would find Bolen from there on Friday morning. He said Bolen wasn't even in the search zone that was established.

A Coast Guard helicopter was used during the search. Dr. Webb said many people didn't realize this but the helicopter passed over Bolen twice without realizing where he was. He said the same helicopter crashed on the mountain on the Friday they found Bolen. They were thankful to find Bolen when they did because the search and rescue team temporarily shifted their attention to the crash site. None of the four Coast Guard members were seriously injured in the crash, however, the helicopter was totaled.

Dr. Webb said the rugged, cactus covered terrain beat Bolen up. He said the descent took a physical and mental toll on Bolen, who was half-dehydrated and was running out of food by the time they found him.

It took Dr. Webb and company less than 30 hours on the mountain to find Bolen. Dr. Webb said Bolen was taken to a hospital for treatment for bruises, cuts and dehydration. He said Bolen returned to Texas to be with family for a while but is now home in Oklahoma City. His plans to go to California after his stay in Nevada have been postponed.

Bolen graduated from Bartlesville's College High School in 1982. Dr. Webb said Bolen graduated from the University of Oklahoma's (OU) Law School. He said Bolen is a professor at OU where he teaches and heads the entrepreneurship program.

Photo courtesy: Dr. Webb