California
California man on three-hour hike rescued after being lost for 10 days
A Californian man who embarked on a three-hour hike has been found after being stranded for 10 days in the mountains, surviving mostly off water.
Lukas McClish, 34, covered in dirt, reunited with his family late last week afer his ordeal in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
McClish told KGO that he set out on a hike on June 11 from his hometown of Boulder Creek in what he thought would be a short outing that Tuesday on his way to work; however, the further he got into the hike he became lost after he did not recognize several guiding landmarks that had been burned down in wildfires.
McClish, a hiker and experienced backpacker who does landscaping in forests that have been destroyed by wildfires, told The New York Times that he was intending to go and look at a granite outcropping in a nearby woods, but ended up becoming lost in the area that was devastated by the CZU Lightning Complex fire in 2020.
“That’s one thing that I didn’t take into consideration — when the fire comes through like that and decimates it, it turns into the desert, and you’re unable to find your bearings,” he told the outlet.
On June 16, McClish was supposed to attend a Father’s Day dinner with his family, but after becoming a no-show, he was declared missing that day once they had alerted authorities.
Four days later, McClish was found after multiple reports came into local agencies that they could hear the sound of someone yelling for help in the Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
“Just help, help. I’m over here. Or is anybody out there? I want a burrito and a taco bowl, that’s what I thought about every day when after the first five days, when I started to kind of realize that I might be in over my head,” McClish told KSBW.
Around 3pm in the afternoon, several witnesses reported hearing someone yelling for help in Foreman Creek off Big Basin Highway, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a social media post.
The deputies from the sheriff’s office, State Parks, Cal Fire and Boulder Creek Fire Department all responded to the area, where they eventually found McClish, who had been missing for around 10 days at that point.
The agencies used drones to find McClish’s exact location, and State Park rangers were shortly on scene with the missing man, with fire crews behind them to bring him to safety.
Fortunately, the hiker had no major injuries and was able to reunite with his family, the sheriff’s office wrote.
The hiker told KGO that he was overwhelmed by the amount of personnel that joined in his rescue.
“It was just really humbling and I don’t know, it was an awesome experience,” McClish said.
“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, like a Leatherman tool. And that was about it,” McClish added.
While he was lost in the Big Basin State Parks area, McClish told the outlet he managed to survive by drinking lots of water.
“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,” McClish said.
He told KSBW that on the days he was out in the wilderness, he just kept hiking, going up and down canyons, and even encountered a mountain lion while trying to find his way out.
“I felt comfortable the whole time I was out there; I wasn’t worried,” McClish, who has backpacked through other regions in the US, told the outlet. “I had a mountain lion that was following me, and it was cool. It kept its distance. I think it was just somebody watching over me.”
McClish, who likes to “embrace the wilderness,” used the opportunity to test his survival skills while he was lost; however, the hiker ended up losing around 30 pounds in 10 days, the New York Times reported.
Now he has been rescued, he told KGO that he thinks he has done “enough hiking for probably the whole rest of the year.”
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — The California Highway Patrol is urging drivers to stay focused on the road as they head out for Fourth of July celebrations.
The holiday weekend can be a dangerous time on our roads as millions of drivers are expected to travel.
CHP Officer Jorge Toro joined Eyewitness News Mornings to share how drivers can stay safe behind the wheel.
Officer Toro also highlighted the importance of sober driving over the holiday.
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He says anyone hosting a party should make sure all of their guests get home safely, ensuring anyone who may be impaired doesn’t drive.
California is returning a stretch of rugged Mendocino County coast to the Indigenous nations whose ancestors once stewarded its shores.
State transportation officials recently approved the transfer of Blues Beach and the surrounding bluffs to Kai Poma, a nonprofit founded by representatives of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes and Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
The transfer of 136 acres just south of the community of Westport will mark the first time land managed by the California Department of Transportation has been returned to Indigenous tribes.
“This is beyond huge,” said J. Carlos Rivera, tribal chairman of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians. “It’s enormous from our tribal perspective that we are basically obtaining the land that our people once lived on before colonization.”
California purchased the swath of rocky cliffs and windswept shoreline in the 1960s to expand the construction of Highway 1 and create a scenic viewpoint for highway travelers, according to a California Coastal Commission report.
More recently, public access has been largely unregulated, and summer weekends and holidays have drawn large groups who camp and party on the beach, at times driving through sensitive areas, damaging cultural sites and leaving behind trash, the report states.
Kai Poma plans to conduct cultural and archaeological resource studies and environmental surveys and then prepare a resource management plan for the property, according to planning documents. The nonprofit and the Coastal Commission have drafted a public access management plan that states the land will be open from sunrise to sunset.
Rivera described the entire property as a sacred site. The coastal waters are used by tribal people for seaweed and abalone gathering, and the shores host youth cultural camps, he said. “Protecting the land, it has a deeper meaning for us because we’re connected to the land,” he said.
The effort to acquire the land took years — and required a change in state law. Caltrans lacked the ability to transfer land to tribal governments until 2021, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill sponsored by state Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) that enabled the transfer, according to a news release issued at the time. The law also bars commercial activity on the property and requires public access be maintained.
“With 136 acres now officially transferred into tribal stewardship, one of the most spectacular stretches of the Mendocino Coast will be forever protected,” McGuire said in a statement.
“This agreement, the first of its kind in California, gives these three dynamic Native American tribes the rightful opportunity to reclaim sacred lands and cultural traditions on this special piece of earth. And it’s about damn time.”
The land transfer cleared its last regulatory hurdle June 26 with the approval by the California Transportation Commission, said Neil Thapar, an attorney who works as an advisor and legal consultant to Kai Poma. Caltrans staff will next record the deed transferring the title from the state of California to Kai Poma, which is expected to happen any day, he said.
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Essential safety tips for buying, handling, and watching fireworks to ensure a safe celebration.
With July 4 falling on a Saturday this year, many businesses and organizations are taking the day off Friday, July 3, to mark America’s 250th birthday. From banking to mail service, here’s what’s open and closed for the holiday weekend.
Most federal offices closed, mail service to continue
Non-essential federal offices will be closed on July 3. However, mail service will continue as normal, and post offices are scheduled to remain open.
Most California government offices to remain open
Most California government offices will be open on July 3, with some exceptions.
DMV offices throughout the state will be open. However, the Employment Development Department will be closed.
DMV offices that offer Saturday hours will be closed on July 4.
Private parcel services to remain open
UPS and FedEx are both scheduled to operate normally on July 3, but will suspend service on July 4.
Stock markets closed
Both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will be closed on July 3.
Most banks to stay open
While most banks were expected to operate normally on July 3, some may operate under modified holiday hours. All banks will be closed on July 4.
Online banking services should remain operational.
Grocery stores
Most major grocery chains will be open on both July 3 and July 4. Trader Joe’s locations will be open for regular business on July 3 but will close early at 5 p.m. on the Fourth of July.
Retailers
Many major retail stores, such as Walmart and Target, plan to operate under normal business hours on both July 3 and 4. All Costco warehouse stores operate under normal business hours on July 3, but will close on July 4.
Restaurants
Most major restaurant chains remain open on July 4, but some will have limited hours. All Raising Cane’s locations will close on July 4.
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