A missing hiker in California, Lukas McClish, 34, was found 10 days later in the Santa Cruz mountains.
A 34-year-old hiker, Lukas McClish, from Northern California, went missing after he lost his way somewhere in the Santa Cruz mountains.
On June 11, Tuesday, McClish left his hometown of Boulder Creek for what he thought would be a three-hour hike.
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He did not wear even a shirt and just left in a pair of pants, with minimal belongings like hiking shoes, a hat, a pair of folding scissors like a Leatherman tool, and a flashlight.
However, soon after he started the hike, he lost his way. Many landmarks in California were destroyed by recent fires, and McClish was unable to find his way home.
When he missed the Father’s Day dinner arranged by his family on June 16, they reported him missing, according to ABC 7 LA.
Unfortunately, he was forced to stay in the wilderness for 10 whole days until he was found safe on June 20.
When lost, he made sure to drink a gallon of water every day and used his boot to collect and drink water from a waterfall, as per KSBW.
But by the end, his body was feeling starved and needed some sort of sustenance. He even ate wild berries to survive and would sleep on wet leaves at night.
He would keep screaming for help, now and then, and wished to eat a burrito and taco bowl in his imagination.
The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office and other local agencies assisted in the search for McClish. Although some witnesses heard his screams for help, they were unable to pinpoint his exact location.
Finally, a drone was deployed and McClish was spotted in a forest near the Big Basin Highway in Santa Cruz County.
McClish did not suffer any injuries, but was tired, sore, and had lost his voice due to all the screaming.
He was grateful to the first responders who searched for him high and low and described his ordeal as a “humbling and awesome experience.”
Heartwarming pictures of his reunion with his family were captured, and he also mentioned that he would take a break from hiking this year.
