A stranded hiker was rescued from the California wilderness after surviving for two weeks on a jar of salsa.
The hiker was found by a couple camping between Big Bear Lake and Angelus Oaks after they heard him screaming for help at a plane flying overhead, reported ABC7.
When they found him, the man, who gave his name as Eric, told Allison Scott that he had got lost two weeks earlier after leaving his hometown of Oceanside, California, more than 30 hours of walking distance away.
“We were underneath a flight path and an airplane went by pretty low and we heard someone yelling for help,” she told the news station.
“He had a stick with a water bottle on it trying to signal. He couldn’t walk. His feet were extremely swollen and infected just from walking so much, and possibly the cold where he was.”
She said that she called authorities and a rescue helicopter was able to recover Eric within 15 minutes.
And she told the station that she hopes to see Eric again.
“He said he doesn’t have a cellphone. We have his landline phone and he said, ‘Whenever you’re in Oceanside, I’ll take you out to dinner. Just give me a call,’” she said.
“He also said, ‘I’m very sorry for putting a damper on your camping trip,’ and I said, ‘I’m just glad you’re OK.’”
