Hiker Missing for 10 Days in California Mountains Survived by Drinking a Gallon of Water Every Day

CNN
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A California man spent ten days stranded in the mountains after getting lost while hiking, relying in part on large amounts of water to survive.

Lukas McClish, 34, left for what he thought would be a three-hour hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains on June 11, according to CNN affiliate WABC. But it got lost in the mountains – partly due to the destruction of local monuments in recent wildfires.

His family officially reported him missing when he failed to show up for a Father's Day dinner on June 16, triggering search and rescue operations, WABC reported.

McClish was finally found Thursday using a Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office drone, according to a Cal Fire San Mateo post, which said McClish was found in Big Basin Redwoods State Park — the oldest state of California and home to an ancient, imposing coastline. redwoods.

“There were numerous reports of witnesses hearing someone screaming for help, but it was difficult to locate that person,” Cal Fire said.

McClish was found “without major injuries and reunited with his family,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Speaking to WABC, McClish said he was “tired and a little sore” after his ordeal. “I lost my voice,” he added.

All he had to survive in the forest were the clothes he wore when he left: “I left with just a pair of pants, my pair of hiking shoes and a hat,” he said. -he declared to WABC. “I had a flashlight and a pair of folding scissors, like a Leatherman tool. And it was about that.”

He attributed his survival to drinking plenty of water. “I just made sure to drink a gallon of water every day, but then towards the end my body needed food and some sort of sustenance,” McClish said.

Seeing the number of search and rescue officers who worked to find him was “really humbling,” he told WABC. “It was an incredible experience.”