A shirtless hiker has revealed how he survived 10 grueling days in the Northern California mountains before being rescued, relatively unscathed.
Lukas McClish, 34, had embarked on a three-hour hike through Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Boulder Creek, California, on June 11 after his friend mentioned a granite rock in the area. according to the New York Times.
He didn’t tell anyone where he was going and only brought a few things with him.
“I left with pants, my hiking boots and a hat,” McClish said told KGO-TV. “I had a flashlight and the look of a pair of folding scissors, like a Leatherman tool – and that was about it.”
McClish would then have to forage for himself—shirtless—for nine nights and ten days, drinking water from the creek, eating wild berries and sleeping on wet leaves.
Lukas McClish, 34, was rescued from Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Boulder Creek, California after 10 days
McClish, an experienced hiker who does landscaping in forests devastated by fires, said he was “surprised” he had gotten lost.
The area he hiked in was destroyed in the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire and “looks completely different than all the other terrain,” he explained.
“That’s something I didn’t take into account: if the fire comes right through and decimates it, it turns into the desert and you can’t get your bearings anymore.”
The typical marking signs to indicate the direction, such as deer trails or hiking trails, had disappeared.
But initially, McClish viewed his predicament as an opportunity to test his survival skills.
“I’m an avid backpacker, so going out for a night or two is not unusual,” he told the Times.
On Thursday, police found McClish and reunited him with his family
Big Basin Redwoods State Park was hit by a wildfire in August that burned about 97 percent of the parks (18,224 acres)
But on that first cold night, McClish tried to build a camp for himself, but the brush he used to start the fire was wet.
He then hiked through a gorge for better shelter, and the next day he looked for a stream he thought would be close by.
“So I just went for a little walk,” McClish told WDBJ. “Every day I go up a gorge, down a gorge, to the next waterfall, drinking water from my boot.”
“Every time I was there I felt comfortable,” he said. “I wasn’t worried about it.”
“I had a mountain lion following me, but it was cool,” McClish added. ‘It kept distance.
“I think it was just someone watching over me.”
McClish said he initially saw the dire situation as an opportunity to test his survival skills
His parents became concerned when he didn’t show up on Father’s Day and filed a missing person report
But on day five, McClish began to worry and tried to find a way back to civilization.
“I knew if I kept following the sun I would eventually reach the ocean, but I didn’t know how far I was from the ocean,” he said.
Meanwhile, his family became concerned when he didn’t show up on Father’s Day and filed a missing person report.
This led to a huge manhunt, involving almost 300 people and emergency workers from various agencies.
“Some nights, even though I just had to trust God that he was going to be okay — and that was hard some nights when we went to bed at night because I was worried about where he was, where he was sleeping, how cold he was and where he would be if he was alive,” his mother, Diane McClish, told WDBJ.
The missing persons report sparked a massive manhunt involving nearly 300 people for the missing hiker
McClish was eventually found when park rangers heard his cries for help
As search efforts continued, McClish began screaming for help when he developed hypothermia and slipped while going over a rock wall.
“Help, help, I’m here,” he remembers shouting over and over during days eight and nine, along with “Is anyone there?”
At the same time, McClish said he continued to dream about his next meal while forced to survive on wild berries.
“I wanted a burrito or a taco bowl,” he said. “That’s what I thought about every day when, after the first five days, I started to realize that I might be in over my head.”
Finally, around 7:30 PM Thursday, two park rangers walked up a hill and heard McClish’s screams.
“I’m thinking, I hope this isn’t a mirage,” McClish said.
The Boulder Creek Fire Department deployed a drone and spotted him, while a dog tracked him down
But the Boulder Creek Fire Department soon deployed a drone and spotted him, while a dog tracked him down.
He was then escorted out of the wilderness by police and reunited with his concerned family.
McClish was expected to spend Thursday evening safely at a local hospital, where doctors removed stones from his back.
He said he’s still not afraid of the wilderness, but admitted, “I’ve probably hiked enough for the rest of the year.”