A man who went missing and spent nine nights alone in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains was found alive on Thursday.
Lucas McLeish of Boulder Creek didn’t tell anyone where he was going when he set out on a hike on June 11, thinking it would only take him three hours to get to work, and all he had with him was a flashlight and a pair of folding scissors, KSBW reported. report Saturday.
A shirtless man, McClish drank from streams and ate wild berries throughout his ordeal, walking up and down the ravine each day he became lost.
His family became concerned and filed a missing person’s report on Father’s Day, and authorities began a search to find him.
“I was in pain, a little tired and I lost my voice,” he said. Said ABC 7 News. “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.”
During his disappearance, McLeish slept on a bed of leaves, cried out for help and had an insatiable craving for burritos and taco bowls.
On Thursday, someone heard him calling for help, so emergency responders sent a drone to locate him in the area and a state park police dog pinpointed his exact location.
He was found in a remote valley and was eventually reunited with his loved ones.
“I’ve met so many people, so many more telling me how much they love my son and how they hope he’ll be found,” his mother said. “I never knew so many people in this town loved Luke.”
image show Hug his family after being rescued:
A Northern California hiker has returned home after spending more than a week in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Lucas McClish went hiking but got lost and failed to recognize some landmarks that had been destroyed in the fire. Read more about his survival story below. https://t.co/j6g5lsxoTr pic.twitter.com/gWRn0Jhas7
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 23, 2024
At the moment he was found, McLeish said he was overwhelmed by the number of rescuers looking for him.
“It was really humbling. It was a great experience,” he said. I got it. He felt safe and not worried the whole time he was lost.
