How hiker overcame mental hurdles to survive 8 days missing in wilderness

A young hiker survived eight days missing in Washington state by eating berries and drinking river water, authorities said.

When Andrew Devers, an inexperienced 25-year-old hiker, went missing on a day trip in the Washington state wilderness, he managed to survive eight days by thinking on his feet -- and called overcoming the mental hurdles the hardest part. Devers disappeared on June 18, sparking a days-long search by sheriff's officials and trained search and rescue volunteers, the King County Sheriff's Office said. He was rescued Sunday morning near North Bend's Middle Fork Trailhead. Devers, who works in sales in the Seattle area, said he doesn't have wilderness skills and estimated he'd been on 10 hikes over the last few years. He'd planned for a day hike and said he had water and two cans of Mountain Dew with him.