A California hiker who was missing for 10 days while exploring the Santa Cruz Mountains reportedly drank a gallon of water from his shoe the day before he was finally rescued last week.
Lucas McLeish, 34, was shirtless when he began the three-hour hike on June 11, quickly became lost and was reported missing six days later when he didn’t show up for Father’s Day dinner. ABC7 Los Angeles reported.
“I left with just my pants, my hiking shoes and a hat. I had a flashlight and some folding scissors, like a Leatherman. That’s it,” the Boulder Creek resident told the station on Friday.
To keep himself going, he drank what water he could find from natural sources — and lots of it.
“I was trying to drink a gallon of water every day, but towards the end of that, my body needed food and some kind of nutrition,” he told ABC 7 LA.
“I’d go up a canyon, go down a canyon to the next waterfall, sit by the waterfall and drink water from my boot,” McLeish said. According to KSBW.
The missing hiker had also reportedly eaten wild berries and was found sleeping on wet leaves while screaming for help.
“Just help me, help me. I’m here,” he told the station. “Or is there anybody? I want a burrito and a taco bowl. Once those first five days went by and I started to realize this might be out of my control, that’s what I thought about every day.”
McLeish told ABC 7 LA he became lost after several landmarks were destroyed in recent wildfires in Northern California.
Multiple agencies searched the scene and the body was finally found Thursday afternoon in Big Basin State Park.
“Multiple witnesses reported hearing someone screaming for help, but it was difficult to determine where the person was,” the San Mateo-Santa Cruz Fire Department in California said. he said in a social media post.
McLeish said she was in some pain and had lost her voice, but was otherwise uninjured.
He told ABC 7 LA he was thankful to see the many shoe and footprints on the ground from the emergency responders who had been searching for him.
“It was really humbling and an amazing experience,” McLeish said.
