I love camping. I’ve done it in lush, green forests, and dry, hot deserts. I was a Girl Guide and have since always been fascinated with getting in touch with nature. I’m still all about the city and an eternal lover of the concrete jungle, but escaping now and again to breathe in fresh air and soak in the mountainside or lakeside is what reminds me I’m alive. I’m all about getting extra prepared because getting lost, disoriented and making friends with bears is not my cup of tea.
That’s why this story hit home extra hard for me. I can’t imagine my 10-year-old self getting lost in dense woods, away from my family with only myself to rely on to make it through the night. This kid is tough as nails and serves as a reminder that it’s important to know a few outdoorsy skills just in case.
Malachi Bradley from Utah, USA, was out with his mom and dad hiking in the beautiful and expansive wilderness. He went to forage for wild mushrooms to cook with the fish they had caught earlier, but he got lost and never ended up back at the campsite. Somewhere in the rugged terrain of Utah’s High Uintas wilderness, 10-year-old Malachi spent the next 30 hours, alone, surviving the area’s rough conditions even experienced mountain men would struggle to get through.
But Malachi is a tough little cookie, and he snapped into survival mode. Skills his father had taught him were immediately put into action, like how to stay warm or how to filter clean drinking water. He found four massive boulders to shield him from the nasty wind, and stay safe in the dark. When rescuers were able to locate the boy, you can imagine the relief and gratitude his parents felt. What’s more, to add another wild layer to this story, his aunt says that only a week before this camping trip, Malachi and his friends were playing a game called “What would we do if we got lost?” (!!!!!!!)
Click below to watch this boy’s harrowing tale of getting lost and found.
