Malachi Bradley was only 10 years-old when he went missing in the Utah wilderness during a hike. As the hours went on, officials feared that Malachi might never make it home alive given the desolate area he disappeared in. That’s why it came as a happy surprise to everyone when he was found safe 30 hours later, revealing that he had used the survival skills his father taught him to stay alive!

Malachi was out hiking with his family when he wandered off to look for mushrooms that he could cook for dinner along with the fish he had already caught. He ended up getting lost in the High Uintas Wilderness, which is an area that is difficult for even adult wilderness experts to survive in.

After Malachi was found, his aunt explained that one week before the hike, the boy and his friends played a game called “What would we do if we got lost?” This played a huge role in keeping the boy alive.

“It was weird not having anybody with me, but I just kept going. I knew I had to make it back, or my family would be really sad,” Malachi recounted, adding that he “went way too far” when he wandered off.

Malachi first tried to find a road so that he could flag someone down, but he was not able to find one. Then, using a technique his father taught him, Malachi filtered water from the river so that he could drink it. Explaining how he survived the freezing temperatures at night, Malachi said, “There’s just a ton of giant rocks, so I hid between four of them so the wind wouldn’t hit me too much.”

Since the rocks had been exposed to the sun all day, they provided warmth for his body.

Malachi’s mother said she was worried sick when her son was missing, adding, “I felt like the forest was so huge. They were showing pictures on a map of how many people they had on the ground, and it felt like it was a tiny amount compared to the vast place that was the forest.”

“I was just hoping he was able to stay warm enough,” his father added.

Hearing the search and rescue helicopters the next day, Malachi was able to find a clearing where he could be seen. Medical personnel said that he was cold and hungry, but healthy.

“He’s healthy and he’s coming up and this is going to be all over and it’s not a tragedy,” his mother said. “I was not going to have to bury my baby. I was so happy to have my baby back. That was a good day.”

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