Missing hiker Lukas McClish found alive after spending 10 days in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains | His story of survival

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — A missing Northern California hiker is back home after spending more than a week in the mountains, and the heartfelt reunion was captured in photos.

Lukas McClish, 34, said he spent 10 days in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

On Tuesday, June 11, McClish set out on a three-hour hike from his hometown of Boulder Creek. He said he got lost and did not recognize certain monuments destroyed by the fires.

Having failed to show up for Father’s Day dinner, he was reported missing on Sunday June 16.

Four days later, McClish was rescued.

“I’m tired and a little sore, I’ve lost my voice,” McClish said.

We spoke with McClish on Friday about what he had on him at the time.

“I left with just a pair of pants, my pair of hiking shoes and a hat. I had a flashlight and a pair of folding scissors, like a Leatherman tool. And that’s it,” McClish said.

The sheriff’s office said McClish had no major injuries.

McClish said he survived by drinking plenty of water.

“I just made sure to drink a gallon of water every day, but then towards the end my body needed food and some sort of sustenance,” McClish said.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said it has deployed drones. THE Cal Fire The San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit, Boulder Creek Fire Department and CA State Parks assisted in the search.

The sheriff’s office said around 3 p.m. Thursday, witnesses reported hearing someone screaming for help. McClish was found in a remote canyon in Big Basin State Park.

He was moved to see all the boots and paws on the ground looking for him.

“It was definitely humbling and, I don’t know, it was a cool experience,” McClish said.

He and his family are grateful for all the help they received.

And they won’t be hitting the trails anytime soon.

“I’ve done enough hiking probably for the rest of the year,” he said.

“Me too,” said his father.

“We all hiked a lot,” his mother said.