A missing Santa Cruz County hiker is back home after spending more than a week in the mountains, and the heartfelt reunion was captured in photos.
Lukas McClish, 34, spent 10 days in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
On Tuesday, June 11, McClish set out for a three-hour hike from his hometown of Boulder Creek. He said he got lost and didn’t recognize certain landmarks that had been wiped out by fires.
When he didn’t show up for Father’s Day dinner, he was declared missing on Sunday, June 16.
Four days later, McClish was rescued.
“I’m tired and a little sore, and I lost my voice,” McClish said.
We spoke with McClish on Friday about what he had with him at the time.
“I left with just a pair of pants, my hiking shoes, and a hat. I had a flashlight and a pair of folding scissors, like a Leatherman tool. And that was about it,” McClish said.
The sheriff’s office said McClish had no major injuries.
A hiker who was stranded on the side of a cliff in Marin County is speaking out for the first time since being rescued. McClish said he survived by drinking lots of water.
“I just made sure I drank a gallon of water every day, but towards the end, my body needed food and some kind of sustenance,” McClish said.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said they deployed drones. The Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit, the Boulder Creek Fire Department, and CA State Parks assisted in the search.
The Sheriff’s Office said that around 3 p.m. on Thursday, witnesses reported hearing someone yelling for help. McClish was found in a remote canyon in Big Basin State Park.
Rescuers also searched Del Valle Regional Park for a missing hiker identified as Alex Stecher. McClish was moved to see all the boots and paws on the ground looking for him.
“It was just really humbling and, I don’t know, it was an awesome experience,” McClish said.
The woman said she survived by rationing a six-pack of yogurt she had with her and eating snow to stay hydrated. Both McClish and his family are grateful for all the help they’ve received.
They won’t be hitting the trails anytime soon.
“I did enough hiking for probably the whole rest of the year,” he said.
“Me too,” his dad said.
“We’ve all hiked a lot,” his mom said.