Hiker survives 10 days in Californian mountains after drinking water from boot

An American hiker who was lost in the wilderness for 10 days has described how he drank water from his boot, foraged for wild berries and was followed by a mountain lion.

Lukas McClish had only intended to go for a three-hour hike when he lost his bearings in Big Basin Redwood State Park in California.

He set out for the walk on June 11 from his home in the town of Boulder Creek but was only reported missing by his family five days later when he failed to attend a dinner.

The 34-year-old was ill-equipped for such a long time wandering through the forest – he said he had just a small torch and a Leatherman multipurpose tool.

“I didn’t bring anything because I thought I was doing a three-hour hike,” he said.

Gallon of water every day

Once Mr McClish realised he was lost in the forested area, which lies south of San Francisco, he tried to walk back to civilisation.

“I kind of just hiked. Each day, I go up a canyon, down a canyon to the next waterfall, sit down by the waterfall, drink water out of my boot. I made sure I drank at least a gallon of water every day.”

He claimed at one point that he was followed by a mountain lion.

Despite the powerful predator occasionally attacking humans, Mr McClish said he was unfazed by its presence.

“I had a mountain lion that was following me, but it was cool. It kept its distance.”

At night, he said he slept on a bed of wet leaves, and during the day he shouted for help.

A large rescue operation, involving drones and around 300 emergency personnel, was launched.

Mr McClish was eventually found in a remote canyon when two state park rangers, who had a sniffer dog with them, heard his cries for help.

When he emerged from the forest, he was shirtless, grimy and wild-haired.

He hugged his mother in relief and looked to be on the verge of tears.

The 34-year-old was amazed to find that so many people had been looking for him. “It was really humbling. It was an awesome experience.”

Mr McClish suffered no serious injuries but was very hungry, saying he had craved burritos and taco bowls.

“That’s what I thought about every day when, after the first five days, I started to kind of realise that I might be in over my head.”

He said that while he enjoyed walking in the woods, he won’t be venturing back out again any time soon. “I did enough hiking for probably the whole rest of the year.”

Mark Bingham, a local fire service officer, said Mr McClish’s ability to survive in the forest was impressive.

“About 10 days he survived in the wilderness, drinking out of the creek and eating wild berries. He did have a minor injury.

“But for the most part, he was disoriented and surviving off the land, which is pretty impressive to say what a tough individual he is.”