Hiker Survives On Crickets And Moths For Six Days After Breaking Leg

A Californian hiker, who broke his leg while hiking, survived on crickets, moths, and other insects for six days while stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

33-year-old Gregg Hein, who is recovering at a Fresno medical facility, told reporters that he was a couple of days into his solo hike in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks northeast of Fresno when a large rock crushed his right leg above the ankle.

After he broke his leg, Hein took the brave step of clicking the protruding bone back in, in order to increase his chances of survival, knowing he was alone.

Hein said to reporters: “I have to get these next moments right. What do I do to make sure I have the best chance for a positive outcome?”

While making his decision, the avid hiker chose not to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding as he knew that move would most likely lead to an amputation. Instead, Hein used hiking equipment to wrap his leg and then made his way to a flat clearing.

Having left his backpack behind, he barely survived on the few insects he could find in his immediate vicinity. Fortunately, a helicopter crew spotted the injured hiker and airlifted him to safety.

Hein has already undergone two major surgeries, and will need two more to recover properly from the badly broken leg. He needed five pins to hold his bones in place. He was also injured badly from scrapes he endured when falling 150 feet.

Even though Hein was warned by his father not to go hiking alone he paid no attention and embarked on two major expeditions across over 165 miles of remote wilderness. Doug Hein, the hiker’s father, told reporters: “I’ve got a long time to get him back home and get him cornered and say, “Hopefully you’ve learned from this.'”