By Wendy McKillop
Lucas McClish has been found in the mountains of Boulder Creek. The community of Boulder Creek had been searching for Lucas McClish, It was common for Luke to not contact his parents for a few days. It was also common for Luke to hike these mountains alone. He grew up here and knew the area well. On the sixth day Luke was missing happened to be Father’s Day, a holiday he always spent with his family. Diane, Luke’s mom, says she knew then that something was wrong. Her and Luke’s dad, former Boulder Creek Fire Chief Kevin McClish, began making phone calls. They discovered that none of his friends had seen or heard from Luke since Tuesday June 11. That is when they called the sheriff’s department to file a missing persons report. Chief McClish contacted friends and family and the Boulder Creek Fire Department. The search had begun. Luke had left his home on Tuesday June 11 to take a three mile hike to his boss’s house in Brookdale. It was a hike he had taken before. Luke thought he was only going to be in the woods for three hours, so he did not take the new camping gear he had just purchased. He also did not bring his pocket knife or his cell phone. He rarely carried his phone, so he didn’t think it was something he would need on this day. After about an hour of hiking Luke lost his way. “The terrain had changed since the fire”, Luke told me, “There was no sign of game trials or fire roads which I could usually use to get my bearings.” At some point along the way Luke used his shirt to gather up some rocks which he left on the river bank, thinking he would return shortly to recover it. When he attempted to go back, he was unable to find the spot again. So he trekked on without a shirt, knife or any other survival gear. Once it started getting dark he knew he had to hunker down for the night. He found a hollowed out log and stuffed himself inside to stay warm. The next morning Luke still did not have his bearing. He could not tell where he was or which way to the road. He ventured around a bit. He knew he could not survive without food, he also knew he could not survive without water. He thought it best to stay near the water source until rescuers and his dad could find him. He took wider and wider circles around the point he had found between two creeks. Each one stretching out more and more. Luke has albinism, so his skin is very susceptible to the sun and its harsh effect. Luke had to stay under the cover of the canopy. Luke says he was enjoying his time in nature for the first couple of days. He knew the whole time he would be found. He knew the town and his family would never give up on him. By day three he was getting pretty hungry. “Everyday I hoped they would find me before 8:oo so I could get a burrito and taco bowl.” That is what kept him going for the 10 days and 9 nights Luke was lost. Luke shared that while on his daily walk, trying to find some sign of civilization, he was tracked by a mountain lion. “He kept his distance, he was a pretty cool lion I guess.” Luke told us. He said he was visited by what he assumed was the same screech owl that lived in the tree outside his house. “At least you found me,” he told the owl. “I have lived here all my life, I have hiked many treacherous trails from up north in the Sierras to down south, and I never assumed our mountains were like that. I didn’t realize they could be so harsh” Luke said, “I’ve hiked these mountains many times and I have never seen terrain like that. I just wanted to stay by the water”. Talking with Boulder Creek Fire chief Mark Bingham, the story of the behind the scenes rescue efforts were unveiled. Mark praised the sheriff’s department for their lead on the search and rescue operation. Mark Bingham shared the series of events which led to Luke’s rescue. An ex fighter happened to be all the way out at the edge of his property when he heard a faint voice. He tried to call out but the wind was in the wrong direction to carry his voice down the ravine as Luke’s voice had been carried up. That man, a behind the scene hero, called the sheriff’s department and reported what was added to the list of leads, all proven false. “There were Luke sightings all over the place, we followed up on them all,” chief Bingham said. All to no prevail until this one was. The joint effort led by the sheriff’s department entered the ravine on two sides by hiking and three sides by drone. The drones that were used in the operation were equipped with a camera, speakers and a microphone, so they could see, hear, and speak in the wild terrain they were searching. At some point one of the drones recorded a voice saying, “you are right above me” which led rescuers to zero in on Luke’s location and allow the departments to develop a strategy to retrieve Luke. They did not know for sure, however, that it was Luke. Say your name, the drone called out, but Luke did not hear. It was not confirmed it was Luke until they reached him. Diane, his mother, was at the command center at the top of the area where they were searching. She was speaking to Chief Bingham “is it him, can they say his name”, she asked. Bingham conveyed to the rescuers again and again, until the one word came back over the radio, “McClish” it called out. I asked Luke, “what was the most valuable thing you had with you?” His response; “my boots.” He went on to tell how he used his boots as a cup. “It was better than trying to catch enough water in my hands,” he said. His boots, a foldable pair of scissors and a flashlight were all that Luke used in his heroic adventure. “My Milwaukee flashlight lasted the whole 9 nights. It was surprising, ” he shared. “I tried to conserve the batteries as much as I could. It was not too bad though the moon was big, heading to full, so it provided a lot of light”. I continued my questions, “what was the hardest thing you experienced?” “It was cold at night. I would usually build a lean to and use dry duff on the bottom to stay warm, but since the fire there was no dry duff, only the wet stuff. It did not provide me with much insulation, it was cold. At some points I went outside the log to warm up. The wet stuff just wasn’t working.” I asked Chief McKillop if he ever lost hope. “No,” he said, “there was always hope. We were never sure he was in the woods or out of town or just laying low in a place without reception.” “It had been too long for him to go without contacting us,” Diane followed up, “I was worried. We barely ate or slept in days, I just prayed to God that he would come home, and he did”. “What piece of advice would you give anyone hiking these woods?” I asked Luke, “what did you learn from your experience?” His reply, “go in a group, don’t go out there alone”. Luke was taken to Dominican Hospital where he was assessed. He was badly sunburnt and had scrapes and bruises, but no serious injuries. Mostly he was hungry. As predicted his dad bought him a burrito and taco bowl, which he ate both. 
known by locals as Luke. Luke went missing on June 11.
