A 10-year-old boy hid among the rocks to protect himself from brisk overnight winds before he was found alive and healthy Monday, almost 30 hours after he wandered off into the rugged terrain of Utah's High Uintas Wilderness.
Malachi Bradley was reunited with his family — who asked not to be otherwise identified — after they were reunited about 3 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) Monday, NBC station KSL of Salt Lake City reported.
Malachi was hiking with his family near Paul Lake when they hiked about three miles to go fishing Sunday morning, authorities said Monday. But then Malachi walked away to forage for wild mushrooms to cook with a fish he'd caught about 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. ET).
The area, which is noted for its dense foliage, is in a remote area with no cellphone service.
"There's just a ton of giant rocks, so I hid between four of them so the wind wouldn't hit me too much," Malachi told reporters late Monday afternoon.
An aunt, Lori Matthews, told KSL that Malachi's father has taught his son survival skills and that the boy was well-suited to protecting himself in the wilderness.
"Just a week ago, he was camping, and he and a friend were playing 'What would we do if we got lost?'" Matthews said.
"They were doing all the things you'd want them to do if you were lost," she said.
