How did this trekker survive for 10 days without any food after losing his way?

A resident of California who went missing after a trek has been finally rescued after 10 days. The trekker was lost while exploring the Santa Cruz mountains and survived drinking gallons of water. Lukas McClish, a 34-year-old man set out on a trek and was expecting to return in three hours and attend the Father’s Day dinner on June 11. Speaking to a radio station, he said that he left with just a pair of pants, a hat and a pair of hiking shoes. He also had a flash light and a pair of folding scissors.

Survival:
Lukas McClish soon realized that his three-hour trek would take longer after he lost his way around the trekking route. The recent forest fires in California are being blamed for McClish losing his way around the trekking route. Many of the marks had been destroyed and hence it was difficult following a path. It was tough surviving for 10-days. He described his experience of going from one canyon to another canyon and to the waterfalls. He used his boots to drink gallons of water from natural sources. He also said he ate wild berries and slept on wet leaves while screaming for help. He soon realized that he had to eat some solid food and only dreamt of burrito and taco.


Search operations:
McClish kept shouting for help but it didn’t arrive soon. There were multiple people who heard his screams but could not locate him. He was finally rescued after the entire area was secured. Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz department said in a social media post. Multiple agencies were involved in the search operations. He was finally rescued from the Big Basin State Park.

FAQs:

Was Lukas McClish injured after being lost while trekking?
He said that he was a little sore and lost his voice. He did not sustain any other injuries. Further, he was exhausted after surviving on the bare minimum for a period of 10-days.

Why are there so many fires being reported from California?
There have been multiple heat wave warnings issued for the state. Excessive heat like conditions is resulting in many forest fires in the state.