Missing hiker found alive in California mountains after being stranded for 10 days

A missing hiker was rescued after spending 10 days in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebookpost Friday that several witnesses reported hearing someone yelling for help in the area of Foreman Creek off of Big Basin Highway around 3 p.m. on June 20.

"Deputies responded with State Parks, Cal Fire and Boulder Creek Fire Department and were able to confirm it was Lukas McClish, who had been missing since Tuesday, June 11," the sheriff's office said in the Facebook post.

The SCCSO said it used several drones to help determine McClish's exact location, adding that park rangers were first on the scene, with fire crews assisting in bringing him to safety.

The sheriff's office said McClish had no major injuries and was reunited with his family.

On June 11, the 34-year-old McClish went out for a three-hour hike in his hometown of Boulder Creek when he got lost. McClish told ABC 7, a news outlet based in Southern California, the reason he got lost is because he didn't recognize certain landmarks wiped out by fires.

When McClish failed to show up for a Father's Day dinner on June 16, his family reported him missing, and four days later he was rescued, according to ABC 7.

McClish told the outlet all he had on him was a pair of pants, a pair of hiking shoes, and a hat, along with a flashlight and a pair of folding scissors. He credited drinking a lot of water for his survival.

"I just made 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," McClish told ABC 7.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].