Miraculous: Hiker Missing For 10 Days In California Mountain Survives

A California hiker spent ten days stranded in the mountains and survived largely by drinking only water.

Lukas McClish, 34, went on a hike on what he thought would be a normal hike on June 11th but ended up getting lost in the mountains during his hike.

On June 16th, his family declared him missing after missing a Father’s Day dinner.

Five days after he was declared missing, he was finally found by a drone deployed by Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office.

McClish survived ten days in the wilderness by drinking water from streams and waterfalls.

HIKER FOUND ALIVE: 34-year-old Lukas McClish went missing for ten days in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We’re hearing from the Boulder Creek resident tonight about how it happened. @abc7newsbayarea pic.twitter.com/Z4rODN5g3k

— LaurenABC7 (@LaurenABC7) June 22, 2024

Here’s what CNN reported:

A California man spent ten days stranded in the mountains after he got lost on a hike, relying in part on large volumes of water to survive.

ADVERTISEMENT

Lukas McClish, 34, set out for what he thought would be a three-hour hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains on June 11, according to CNN affiliate KGO. But he became lost in the mountains – partially due to the destruction of local landmarks in recent wildfires.

His family officially reported him missing when he didn’t show up for a Father’s Day dinner on June 16, triggering search and rescue efforts, KGO reported.

McClish was eventually found on Thursday thanks to a drone from the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office, according to an X post from Cal Fire San Mateo, which said McClish was found in Big Basin Redwoods State Park – California’s oldest state park and home to towering ancient coast redwood trees.

“There were multiple reports of witnesses hearing someone yelling for help, but the location of that person was hard to establish,” said Cal Fire.

Hiker found alive after 10 days lost reveals how he survived https://t.co/zZkIclVSg0 via @MailOnline

At least he took a pair of fresh pants on his three hour hike….Michael Mosley missed a trick there (TWTWTW)

— TWTWTW This Week This Week This Week (@PeterChurcher2) June 24, 2024

Per BBC:

A California hiker has been rescued after being stranded in the mountains for 10 days, surviving on little but wild berries and one gallon of water a day.

Lukas McClish, 34, went out for what was supposed to be a three-hour hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains on 11 June.
But he soon lost his way, in part due to the destruction of landmarks by recent wildfires in the area.

His family reported him missing on 16 June after he did not show up for Father’s Day, triggering a multi-day search and rescue effort.

Mr McClish was found on Thursday after a drone from the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office spotted him.

ADVERTISEMENT

In a post on X, Cal Fire San Mateo, which assisted in the rescue efforts, said there were “multiple reports of witnesses hearing someone yelling for help, but the location of that person was hard to establish”.