Photo provided Joshua Kennett

"It's always great when you find someone you"re looking for," said Lary Kuhns, a sergeant with the Homer Police Department. Shortly before 10 p.m., a Homer officer spotted Joshua A. Kennett of Oregon walking on the sidewalk between Homer Middle School and West Homer Elementary School.

Kennett was reported missing at 12:11 a.m. Wednesday. He had been seen last at a residence on West Hill Road. With daylight, the effort to find Kennett grew to include the Homer Police Department, Homer Volunteer Fire Department and Civil Air Patrol. Alaska Search and Rescue personnel in Anchorage also were contacted, but they did not become part of the search before Kennett was found.

"According to a relative, (Kennett) was an avid hiker and loved to hike and be in the wilderness, but we didn't know if he had tried to go to Homer cross-country, became disoriented, had medical problems or what," Kuhns said. "So, not knowing, we launched an all-out effort to get volunteers coordinated."

The beach was one focus area.

"Generally, in my experience, when most people get disoriented, they go downhill, and I'm not sure all newcomers are aware of the tidal fluctuations in the area," Kuhns said. Wednesday morning's high tide along Kachemak Bay reached 18.7 feet at 3:43 a.m., before sweeping out to a low of -2.1 at 10:12 a.m.

Airplanes and helicopters searched from the air, while ground volunteers performed a grid-type search pattern.

Kennett's parents in Oregon also were notified. "His mother was just a wreck and his dad was compelled to fly up here on a moment's notice. He showed up last night," Kuhns said. At 6 p.m., while police were attempting to get background information they were told Kennett had e-mailed a friend around 9 that morning. According to Kuhns, the message said, "I'll be gone for a few days. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

However, without confirmation the message had indeed originated with Kennett, the search continued.

"Then last night at 9:47 p.m. he was observed walking along the roadway," Kuhns said.

Although Kennett did nothing illegal, Kuhns said, "We could have expended the man hours "not only our agency, but other agencies" in other areas. But there again, not knowing, it was not an alternative not to go forward with the search. I think he was made aware that there was a lot of concern for him."

The message for others?

"If you need a few days to yourself, let somebody know," Kuhns said. "At least leave a note. Think of others more than yourself. Everyone was glad how it ended, but a lot of people were worried. You never know." McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.