Mystery surrounds hiker found bloodied, incoherent on California trail with no memory of what happened

A first-time backpacker was recovered bloodied, wet, shaking — and perchance slashed — connected nan crushed of a California hiking trail, but has nary recollection of really he ended up successful nan dire situation.

Sashank Upadhyayula, 34, was discovered laid retired successful nan gangly writer astatine nan separator of nan Lost Coast Trail past Tuesday by a group of six teenage campers and their counselors, the Lost Coast Outpost reported.

He was covered successful blood, shivering violently and laying successful soaked bluish jeans erstwhile nan teenage boys spotted him astatine astir 9 a.m. past Monday.

Lost Coast Camp counselors Solomon Reinman and Jack Davis pinch nan injured Sashank Upadhyayula nether nan tarp arsenic a CalFire rescue chopper descends. Lost Coast Camp / Maria Vollmar

The teens’ big counselors pinch Lost Coast Camp instantly began tending to Upadhyayula and issued a distress alert via outer telephone to get aesculapian help.

The counselors — Solomon Reinman, 26, and Jack Davis, 28, who are some wilderness first-aid certified — trim unfastened his overgarment and bandaged his wounds, and wrapped him successful a sleeping container and tarp, nan outlet reported.

Then nan teens — who had gotten a clang people successful wilderness first assistance nan time earlier — group up a camping stove and heated up h2o to capable up bottles. They placed nan basking h2o bottles adjacent to Upadhyayula to get his assemblage somesthesia up astatine nan instruction of nan campy programme head Maria Vollmar, who ran complete aft receiving nan emergency alert.

“The campers were each conscionable really, really adjuvant and dependable and kind,” Vollmar told nan section publication. “Sol and Jack conscionable really did an astonishing occupation helping this man.”

Upadhyayula’s rescuers said he was mostly incoherent erstwhile they sewage to him. He told them it was his first clip backpacking and he went retired alone.

Upadhyayula was discovered laid retired successful nan gangly writer astatine nan separator of nan Lost Coast Trail past Tuesday by a group of six teenage campers and their counselors. Bureau of Land Management California

He besides told them he thought he had been attacked but couldn’t retrieve what happened.

A chopper arrived astir 90 minutes aft nan telephone for thief was sent retired and Upadhyayula was transferred to a section hospital, wherever he was treated for hypothermia and his wounds.

Paul Sever, an worker of nan Bureau of Land Management, said what precisely happened to nan solo backpacker is “a spot of a mystery” erstwhile asked by nan San Francisco Chronicle.

Nearly a week later, he told nan Lost Coast Outpost he’s still not judge what happened — but believes he was attacked.

The nighttime earlier nan campers recovered him, Upadhyayula said he thought heard thing aliases personification astatine astir 10 p.m.

“I retrieve proceeding something, being frightened and removing my carnivore spray, my 2 knives, h2o reservoir and my electronics,” he told nan publication.

The adjacent point he remembers was waking up successful nan surf beneath nan coastal trail.

“[I] made my measurement to nan way and collapsed aft getting my mylar blanket. I covered my torso pinch nan broad and assumed fetal position to clasp heat,” he said.

Upadhyayula had cuts connected his arms, torso and throat.

“The doctors judge that it was a weapon [or] bladed weapon,” Upadhyayula said. “With my deficiency of representation and because my knives are missing and really I was separated from my battalion and recovered rather a region distant … it each points towards maine being attacked.”

He reported nan imaginable battle to some nan  Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and to nan Bureau of Land Management (BLM) King Range National Conservation Area Office, according to nan Outpost.

The sheriff’s agency told nan publication it is investigating but has recovered nary grounds frankincense acold to propose location is simply a threat to nan public.

“The HCSO is continuing to analyse this incident but location is presently nary accusation to propose location is immoderate current/on-going threat to information of nan nationalist on nan Lost Coast Trail,” nan agency said successful a statement.

Upadhyayula warned different hikers to beryllium alert of their surroundings and thanked his rescuers.

“Thank you from nan bottommost of my heart. I cannot definitive my gratitude, you are doing God’s work,” he said. “I dream you execute your dreams.”

The 24-mile Lost Coast Trail tin beryllium vulnerable owed to its proximity to nan powerful Pacific Ocean.

In 2022, one hiker died and different was rescued aft they were swept from nan way into nan h2o amid 20-foot swells.