A North Carolina man whose disappearance prompted a massive search of the area surrounding Stinson Lake in Rumney has been found alive in his home state, nearly 1,000 miles from where he was last seen.

State police announced that Hugh Armstrong, 72, was found walking around 1 a.m. Saturday along a roadway in Marion, N.C., by deputies from McDowell County Sheriff's Department.

They said it appears he had made his way to North Carolina by walking and hitchhiking.

Police said Armstrong "was confused, and not sure where he was going." He was fatigued but otherwise in good physical health.

Armstrong had been vacationing with other family members at a rental home near Stinson Lake last month. Early on the morning of July 25, he left a note saying he was going out for a walk.

When he did not return, relatives notified authorities, who launched a massive search of the area. Local residents joined officers and search dogs from numerous agencies in scouring the wooded trails around the lake while state police and National Guard helicopters searched from the air. Marine Patrol officers in a boat used a sonar device to search Stinson Lake.