Hiker missing in Santa Cruz mountains for 10 days drank a water out of boot daily to survive

A man missing in the wilderness for 10 days has revealed the necessary – albeit a little nasty – act to survive alone.

A California hiker who was lost for 10 days while exploring the Santa Cruz mountains drank almost four litres of water out of his boot a day before he was finally rescued last week, according to reports.

Lukas McClish, 34, didn’t even put on a shirt when he began his hike on June 11 — a hike that was supposed to last only three hours before he lost his way.

He was reported missing six days later when he didn’t show up for a Father’s Day dinner, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported.

“I left with just a pair of pants, and my pair of hiking shoes, and a hat. I had a flashlight, and a pair of folding scissors. And that was about it,” the Boulder Creek resident told the station on Friday.

Lukas McClish, 34, was found after being missing for 10 days in the Santa Cruz mountains. Picture: SLV Steve

Ms McClish didn’t even wear a shirt when he went hiking. Picture: SLV Steve

He drank water he found from natural sources to keep going.

“I just make sure I drank a gallon of water every day, but then after, getting close to the end of it, my body needed food and some kind of sustenance,” he said, per ABC 7 LA.

“I go up a canyon, down a canyon to the next waterfall and sit down by the waterfall and drink water out of my boot,” McClish also said, according to KSBW.

The lost hiker, who also reportedly ate wild berries, said he would sleep on wet leaves as he screamed for help.

“Just, ‘help, help. I’m over here’,” he told the station. “Or, ‘Is anybody out there? I want a burrito and a taco bowl,’ that’s what I thought about every day ... after the first five days, when I started to kind of realise that I might be in over my head.”

He drank water he found and used his boot to do so. Picture: SLV Steve

the 34-year-old had trouble navigating because landmarks had been wiped out by fires. Picture: SLV Steve

McClish told ABC 7 LA he struggled to navigate because certain landmarks were wiped out by recent wildfires in northern California.

Multiple agencies scoured the area before he was finally located in Big Basin State Parks on Thursday afternoon.

“There were multiple reports of witnesses hearing someone yelling for help, but the location of that person was hard to establish,” the Cal Fire San Mateo – Santa Cruz department said in a social media post.

Rescue crews who saved the man. Picture: SLV Steve

Moment missing hiker Lukas McClish, 34, was found after being missing for 10 days in the Santa Cruz mountains. Picture: SLV Steve

McClish said he was a little sore and lost his voice, but otherwise didn’t suffer any injuries.

He told ABC 7 LA he was grateful when he saw all the bootprints and pawprints on the ground of first responders looking for him.

“It was just really humbling and I don’t know, it was an awesome experience,” McClish said.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission