A 23-year-old Placer County man and his dog who had been missing for three days in the Tahoe National Forest were found safe Thursday after a rescue helicopter crew spotted a sign reading “help” made of Duct tape on the ground, officials said.

Cody Michael, of Rocklin County, and his German shepherd, Bauer, were found off the Cherry Point trail of the sprawling forest, 1.2 miles northeast of where the American River meets Big Granite Creek in Placer County, officials said.

Michael told officials he lost his way after the trail became covered with snow in the area about 20 miles west of Truckee (Nevada County).

“We always hold out hope, but every searcher has the worst in the back of their mind,” said Dena Erwin, a spokeswoman for the Placer County Sheriff’s Department. “To have a positive outcome was amazing. There were a lot of us in tears.”

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