One Sunday, Malachi Bradley was searching for wild mushrooms in eastern Utah when he realized he had wandered too far from the mountain lake where he was hiking with his father and family.
The 10-year-old boy tried looking for a road to flag down a driver, but the area about 200 miles east of Salt Lake City was too remote. He remembered the survival skills his father taught him and eventually hunkered down between rocks still warm from the sun to protect himself from the weather. The remaining warmth helped him get through the cold night.
Over the nearly 30 hours he was missing in the rugged backcountry, he found river water to drink and even tried unsuccessfully to catch a fish with a spear made from a stick.
Meanwhile, dozens of search-and-rescue workers were combing the area on horses and ATVs, as well as in the air, but they couldn't spot Malachi in the wooded landscape.
Back at Paul Lake, his father, Danny Bradley, and a friend who had joined them for camping were keeping a fire burning, hoping the boy might wander back on his own. As the hours wore on, Bradley imagined his son alone in the woods and was terrified that he might be hurt.
The next day, Malachi heard a police helicopter flying overhead. He knew the searchers aboard the craft couldn't see him through the trees, so he started walking again until he found a clearing. He stayed there, briefly falling asleep, until a search plane spotted him from the air and a helicopter landed to pick him up on Aug. 24. Medical staff said he was cold and hungry but fine.
Malachi said he'll go camping again, but next time he'll stay close to other people. "I'll learn from my mistakes," he said.
