Hiker Missing for Nearly a Week Survived By Eating Bees and Berries

A hiker who was missing for six days on Washington's Mount St. Helens was able to survive by eating huckleberries and bees he killed and ate his mother said.

"Bees were after him the whole time, he said, so he killed them and ate them," Linda Matheny told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday

Matthew Matheny, 40, was found alive Wednesday by rescue crews on the side of the mountain leading up to the legendary volcano. The Ohio native was conscious and talking when rescue teams found him, authorities said.

The sheriff's office said the hiker was taken to a local hospital by Life Flight helicopter, but it did not appear as if he had suffered any life-threatening injuries. 

At a press conference outside Southwest Washington Medical where their son was being treated for dehydration, Matheny's parents credited Matheny's training as a nurse, his past as a Boy Scout and his physical fitness routine with helping him to survive the ordeal. 

"I don't know where he learned that," his mother, Linda Matheny said. 

"He got to a point where he questioned being found," Linda said. "He really started thinking, this could be it."

Matheny was last seen by friends on Aug 9 around 7 a.m. after he borrowed a car and headed to Blue Lake Trail on the southwest side of Mount St. Helens. Friends say they reported him missing after he failed to return from his hike, which prompted a search. The gray Subaru he borrowed was later found unoccupied last Saturday, Aug 11, at the entrance to the Blue Lake Trail, sheriff's officials said. 

Rescue crews used drones, helicopters and tracking dogs to search for Matheny over the last few days. At one point, searchers decided to concentrate on a 1-square-mile area based on signals from his cell phone and a computer model that tried predicting Matheny's movements. 

Matheny would eventually be found nearly 3 miles away from where he parked the car. He said he had brought along two liters of water and some snacks on the hike, but was all out after Thursday and couldn't find any water sources, his parents told KATU.

Photos: Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office


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