Rescued hiker lucky to be alive, officials say

Man survived on muddy water and urine for 12 days in the forest after fall breaks his back.

By Gretchen Hoffman
News-Press

August 22 2002

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- An Arleta man who spent 12 days trapped in the Angeles National Forest was in fair condition with a broken back Wednesday following a harrowing ordeal in which he survived on leaves, grass, muddy water and his own urine.

Luis Cruz, 26, went into the Angeles National Forest to relax and commune with nature, but he got a closer look at the elements than he'd anticipated. Montrose Search and Rescue Team members who helped airlift him out say he's lucky he survived the ordeal.

"I don't think the odds would be that the average person would survive," said J. Paneno, one of the team members who took part in the rescue 12 days after Cruz walked away from his disabled car at Switzer's Campground.

According to rescuers, Cruz set off on foot Aug. 9 along the Angeles Forest Highway, intending to walk home. As nightfall began to set in, he decided to take a shortcut through the heavy brush to Big Tujunga Canyon.

The terrain wasn't the easiest, especially for a man not known to be much of a hiker, and the thick vegetation camouflaged a 30-foot cliff. He slipped and fell over the side, breaking his back and dislocating a hip.

Cruz knew he needed to stay hydrated, so he dragged himself by his hands and elbows until he found a small stream. To supplement the meager water source, he filled his water bottle with urine, drinking some of it to quench his thirst and splashing some of it on his face to cool off.

After a couple of days -- he isn't sure how many -- he made a makeshift splint, lashing his leg to a stick with an Ace bandage he had in his backpack, and dragged himself further downstream, continuing in his slow progress.

His family reported him missing Aug. 12. On Monday, a U.S. Forest Service Ranger spotted his SUV at the campground, and rescuers began canvassing the area around the campground with tracking dogs.

Cruz saw a helicopter circling overhead but had no way to signal. The sound of motorcycles filtered up to him from the highway, but his constant yells for help went unnoticed. One night, a black bear came within 15 feet of the immobilized man, but was spooked and ran away.

Throughout the ordeal, Cruz subsisted on leaves and grass. He drank muddy water from the streams he was able to find or squeezed moisture out of leaves into the cap of his water bottle. He tried to stay calm and rest as much as possible, but the pain made it hard for him to sleep.

On Tuesday, two hikers found Cruz lying near the Grizzly Trailhead in Big Tujunga Canyon -- 7 or 8 miles from his car, as the crow flies. He was airlifted to Huntington Memorial Hospital and is expected to be released in a couple of days, officials said.

"I think part of the reason he did survive is he did stay calm," Paneno said.

"He told me that next time he would leave a note."