Exclusive – Brother of missing hiker says rescue a ‘miracle’
Even for the well-supplied, five days in the desert can be a perilous venture. Paul Hanks wasn’t well supplied in the least, but that didn’t stop him from toughing through adverse conditions. Late yesterday afternoon, the search for the missing Joshua Tree hiker ended, and more details emerged about the harrowing days in Hanks spent in the desert and his fortitude to make it through.
“He had three hours of water. four packets of squirt packs was the only nutrition he had,” said Dr. Steven Hanks, Paul Hanks’ brother. “And he, using his survival mode and instincts as an experienced outdoorsman, he was able to pull through.”
His “survival mode” helped him overcome a 20-foot fall, a fractured skull, a broken ankle, stark cold, and beating rain. Although Dr. Steven Hanks gives his brother credit, he can’t help but point out how daunting the circumstances seemed, and how overwhelming the news of the rescue was.
“It was almost like a miracle, late in the afternoon, when the ranger gathered the family to let us know they had an update. and I a took a deep breath thinking the worst. and then we heard those words, ‘they found him alive.’ and we were just overcome with emotion.”
For more on this story. tune in to KESQ News Channel 3 at 6 p.m. for Zak Dahlheimer’s full story.
