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Exclusive: Rescued Joshua Tree hiker shares experience, road to recovery

Published March 19, 2018 11:54 AM

Sunday, Paul Hanks spent his fourth day at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs recovering from injuries all over his body.

This was after being rescued Thursday afternoon, after getting injured and stuck for five days in Joshua Tree National Park.

“I’m still in a little bit of shock,” Hanks told KESQ and CBS Local 2’s Zak Dahlheimer in an exclusive interview.

Sunday, March 11, Hanks drove up from the San Diego area to hike the park for his 54th birthday.

“I went to Joshua Tree for just a little half-day excursion, for what I call “bouldering” or rock hopping,” Hanks said.

But while hiking on rocks, he slipped and fell about 20 feet, injuring his left leg.

“Having not slipped in 45 years, it was instant and total shock,” he said.

From there, he began crawling for miles, yelling for anyone with no response.

Finally settling under a Joshua tree for the night.

“I chose that area because I thought the ground around the tree would be a little softer,” Hanks said. “I could dig down into it and throw up some of the dirt on me for additional warmth.”

All while running out of food and supplies.

“By the very first night, I was drinking my own urine,” he said. “I had drank all of the water in my bottle and was refilling my bottle with my own urine. If I didn’t drink my own urine during those five days, I would be dead. I wouldn’t have made it.”

The second day, Hanks fell again.

This time, his energy low as the days went on.

And even at one point thinking his rescuers had come.

“But then after a few minutes, I realized I’m not seeing them,” Hanks said. “It’s a mirage.”

But Hanks eventually found fuel to carry on with rainwater and a cactus in the park for food.

He said he was preparing for what he thought was his final push.

“It gave me some physical energy, and it gave me some hope,” Hanks said. “It made me believe this is giving me the 24 hours I’m looking for.”

READ: Exclusive – Brother of missing hiker says rescue a ‘miracle’

But on the fifth day, he heard a trio of voices, which would turn out to be search and rescue crews.

“These three angels appeared out of nowhere, I was shocked,” he said. “I just couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to say I had given up. Multiple times I had written myself off as dead. That I was never going to see another human being again. And they showed up. And one of them asked, ‘What would you like?’ And I told them I had been fantasizing about Gatorade. You’re out there, you’re on your last breath of life. I would think you’d be fantasizing about much greater things, but for some reason I was just fantasizing about chugging down a Gatorade. And that’s what I did.”

Now back with his family, Hanks said he’s embracing the change from this experience while on the road to recovery.

“I look forward to both physical recovery, but also therapeutic change,” he said. “Just being a different person with a different outlook on life. Being more forgiving. Being more receiving of others. Being more genuine.”