SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - After searching almost every day for three weeks, Ed Michelin finally found his nephew George Collins curled up in the woods by Lakeview Cemetery on Wednesday. He was weak and had lost a lot of weight, but he was alive.

George Collins: All he could think about was how good a piece of ham and pineapple pizza would taste.

"I'm really happy, of course," said Michelin. "I couldn't ask for a better result."

George Collins, 37, had been missing since Sept. 8.

After they were reunited Wednesday, Michelin said his nephew told him he'd been purposely avoiding people and moving around constantly, staying off the main trails. He's gone off alone before, but never for this long, and it's always been for the same reason - to get some solace.

"He said that's three weeks of peace he's had," said Michelin. "That's a rough way to get it. That's not a healthy way."

Collins has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and prefers to keep to himself.

"He's smart so I don't want to embarrass him, but he does realize that he's got a problem with people issues," said Michelin.

It was pure chance that Michelin found Collins. A woman tipped off police Monday that she'd seen him around Frame Lake, in an area close to the cemetery. Michelin kept combing the area afterwards hoping the person she'd seen really was his nephew.

He went up a rocky bluff on Wednesday to look around and couldn't help but be discouraged by the vast wilderness that surrounds Yellowknife.

"I just looked around and I saw rocks and trees everywhere and lakes and I thought 'where could he be?' he said. "I'm not deeply religious but I just said a prayer and, you know, then I found him. What's the odds?"

Michelin came down from the rock and was wandering through the bush to the right of the cemetery entrance. He heard people talking on the road, so rather than come out in that area and possibly spook them, he backtracked toward his truck, and there was Collins, an estimated 50 pounds lighter, curled up on a poncho on the ground.

"His shoes were worn - the insoles were coming out and the socks were just rotted through and they were black," said Michelin.

All Collins had taken with him were some books, a flashlight, a knife and flint, and a little food. Collins is an avid outdoorsman and was able to survive the cold weather of the past few weeks.

"I'm glad I found him because he would have basically just laid around ... if nobody would have found him it would have been a bad result," Michelin said.

Driving back from the Lakeview Cemetery with Michelin, Collins remarked that for the past week all he could think about was how good a piece of ham and pineapple pizza would taste. When they got home, Michelin went to Bruno's and grabbed him four slices.

"I'm sure they were as just good as he thought they'd be," said Michelin.

As of Thursday, Collins was in Stanton Territorial Hospital for a check-up on his general health.

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