A missing man was found in a remote canyon in Big Basin Redwoods State Park in California following a nine-day search. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said the 34-year-old Lukas McClish was last seen on June 11, hiking near Boulder Creek.
His family reported him missing, and numerous agencies engaged in a massive search throughout the heavily wooded area.
On Thursday (June 20), hikers near Foreman Creek heard cries for help and contacted the police. Firefighters followed his cries for help but struggled to pinpoint his location amid the rough terrain.
“There are no trails, no roads, several miles from the closest place to a road, which the closest road that we got into, we had to four-wheel drive probably a quarter of a mile in, and then we couldn’t go further,” Boulder Creek Fire Protection District Chief Mark Bingham told the Santa Cruz Sentinal.
With the help of a police dog, the rescuers managed to locate McClish at the bottom of a canyon. Surprisingly, he was relatively unharmed, suffering only a minor injury.
“About 10 days, he survived in the wilderness, essentially, drinking out of the creek and eating wild berries,” Bingham said. “He did have a minor injury … but, for the most part, he was disoriented and lost and surviving off of the land, which is pretty impressive to say what a tough individual he was or is.”
With the help of the rescue crew, McClish was able to hike out of the area.
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