Dehydration didn’t get him. It was the ants that did him in.
Hiker Josh McClatchy spent six days lost in the Arkansas wilderness battling the elements, he told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
McClatchy, 38, had planned his hike in the Caney Creek Wilderness for weeks. The trip was going well until the Dallas native accidentally strayed from the path and got disoriented.
Unable to find his way back to his car, McClatchy texted his mother on June 1 to ask her to send help. Search and rescue teams combed the area for days and the man was finally located by a helicopter on June 7.
He said he spent a few days near the top of Katy Mountain hoping the elevation would help him be spotted by rescuers, but had to change locations when ants became a problem.
“When it comes to wildlife, I learned very quickly that the ants were my nemesis,” McClatchy told ABC. “Ants that were an inch long, the stinger as large as the head.”
He followed streams so he’d have a source of water, but still ended up dehydrated. He also suffered a cut to his head that required stitches, but was in good spirits other than that.
After the 3-mile, four-hour trip out of the woods on a one-wheeled cart, McClatchy smiled as he was loaded into the ambulance.
“There’s no way I could have anticipated being stranded,” McClatchy told ABC.” “I don’t feel ashamed for being stranded. Reason being is that I’ve learned not only in that area, just hiking in general, people get stranded all the time.”
While on “Good Morning America,” McClatchy thanked his rescuers and hospital staff who he called “heroes” and “absolutely amazing.”
“I’m in one of the best spots mentally that I’ve been in for a long time,” he told ABC. “I have an incredible support team around me and I’m fortunate because not everyone has that. My outlook is so different now, I’m so grateful.”