Alaska State Troopers said 30-year-old Tyson Steele was picked up Friday in good health from an area 20 miles outside of the nearest town, Skwentna, with a population of 35.
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Temperatures in Skwentna, which is 70 miles northwest of Anchorage, reached a high of 6 degrees Sunday, according to AccuWeather.
Troopers responded to a welfare check request on Steele after his family said they hadn't heard from him in weeks. Video from the rescue shows the stranded 30-year-old waving his arms at the trooper helicopter as it circles the "SOS" signal stamped in the snow.
Once Steele was transported to safety -- and requested "a long dreamed-of 'McDonald's Combo Meal No. 2'" -- he told troopers his cabin burned down in mid-December, killing his beloved six-year-old Chocolate lab Phil.
"And the worst part of all of this -- I can survive 23 days again -- but my dog was in there, asleep by my side," he said.
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Steele said he survived by salvaging greasy coveralls from his shed for warmth and using scavenged tarps and scrap lumber to build a tent-like domed shelter around the woodstove that once heated his home.
He also managed to find a few "plastic-smoked" cans of beans and peanut butter for sustenance.
He said he now plans to return to Salt Lake City to live with his family.
"They've got a dog, and that would be some therapy," he said.
CLICK HERE to read Steele's full story in his own words.