A hiker who had been missing in the Northern California mountains for more than a week was found alive Thursday after witnesses heard his cries for help, authorities said.
According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, Lucas McLeish, 34, went missing after setting off on a hike in Boulder Creek on June 11. He was found 10 days later screaming for help in a remote canyon in Big Basin State Park.
Mr. McLeish said: KGO Television He left his home in Boulder Creek with only a few supplies and believed he was only going on a three-hour hike before getting lost in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
“I set out with just my pants, my hiking shoes and a hat. I had a flashlight and some folding scissors, like a Leatherman. That’s it,” McClish told KGO-TV.
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McCreish was photographed being reunited with his family after being found in a remote wooded area in Santa Cruz County, Northern California. (CAL FIRE CZU San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit)
McLeish was reported missing five days later after failing to show up to a Father’s Day family gathering. KSWB Television report.
Lucas McLeish, 34, told local media he survived by drinking water from streams and waterfalls through his boot and eating wild berries. (Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office)
The 34-year-old man told KSWB that he survived for 10 days after getting lost in the wilderness by drinking water from streams and waterfalls from his boots, eating wild berries, and sleeping on a bed of wet leaves — all the while screaming for help in the hopes of being rescued.
McLeish’s phone calls went unanswered by Thursday, but the sheriff’s office said multiple witnesses reported hearing someone screaming for help in Big Basin State Park.
Rescue crews said McLeish was not injured in the incident. (CAL FIRE CZU San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit)
The sheriff’s office flew a drone to pinpoint the exact location of the voice and found McLeish in the woods between Empire Grade and Big Basin Highway near Foreman Creek.
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The sheriff’s office said McLeish was not seriously injured and has been reunited with his family. Authorities released photos of a battered McLeish embracing his family in the woods.
Mr McLeish was found alive 10 days after getting lost in the woods. (CAL FIRE CZU San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit)
McLeish said he’s been tired of the outdoors for a while.
“I’ve done enough to hike it for the rest of the year,” he told KGO-TV.
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Multiple agencies assisted the Sheriff’s Office in the rescue effort, including Cal Fire CZU, Boulder Creek Fire Department, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and California State Parks.
