Video: Hugh Armstrong, 72, Walks and Hitchhikes 1000 Miles Home After Losing Memory

Hugh Armstrong, 72, hit his head, lost his memory and became separated from his family during a New Hampshire vacation. Amazingly, he was able to find his way back home to Clayton, North Carolina, thanks to his wedding ring.

During the vacation, Armstrong took a walk around Stinson Lake. However, he accidentally slipped and fell down a ravine. Armstrong woke up in the dark not knowing who he was.

Armstrong told ABC News: "The only thing I could remember at that time was I didn't know who I was, but I had to go south and west, so that's where I started going."

Armstrong hitchhiked and walked 1,000 miles south, reports the Daily Mail. Along the way, he met some good samaritans who helped.

A farmer in Pennsylvania hired Armstrong to to do work on his farm. The farmer gave him a place to sleep, food and money. The farmer then drove Armstrong to Roanoke, Virginia.

When Armstrong was hitchiking in Virginia, a truck driver picked him up. After explaining to the truck driver what happened, the truck driver started listing towns in North Carolina.

When the truck driver mentioned Asheville, North Carolina Armstrong thought that might be his home.

Armstrong was let off at a McDonalds in Asheville, where recalled his granddaughter named Emma was living in Wilmington, North Carolina.

He wrote her a letter and signed the letter with the initials on the inside of his wedding ring, but could not recall Emma's address.

He started walking to Wilmington, North Carolina and was found by police walking along U.S. Highway 70 at 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning. 

Using a missing person’s database and the initials from his wedding ring, police officers were able to identify him.

Police called his wife Ellen at 3;30 a.m. Ellen and her daughter drove to the sheriff's office to take Armstrong home.

Turns out, more than 60 people had been looking for Armstrong near Stinson Lake, where they feared Armstrong had fallen in and possibly drowned.