Norway — What was meant to be a four-day adventure through Norway’s Folgefonna National Park turned into a desperate fight for survival for an American climate journalist after a devastating fall left him stranded and injured in the mountains.
Alec Luhm, 38, from Wisconsin, set out in July to hike through the park’s glaciers. But on the very first day, trouble began when the sole of his left shoe started to peel off. Using athletic tape as a temporary fix, he pressed on — a decision he later admitted was his first mistake.
“I just remember sliding down the mountain at first, and then spinning down the mountain, rolling down the mountain, and then just pinballing down the mountain,” Luhm told CNN, recalling the terrifying fall at the Buarbreen glacier, the third largest in Norway. The plunge shattered his left leg, leaving him immobile.
Stranded With No Phone or Water
During the fall, his backpack burst open, sending his mobile phone and water bottle tumbling out of reach. With only peanuts and granola bars left, dehydration soon made eating impossible. Luhm resorted to drinking his own urine to survive.
“The next time that I had to pee, I peed in my water pouch,” he told The New York Times. “I drank my urine basically to have a little bit of hydration, and to also get a little bit of food down.”
As hours stretched into days, he feared he would never see his family again.
Rescue Amid Harsh Weather
When Luhm failed to board a flight to the UK on Monday, his wife raised the alarm with Norwegian authorities. But worsening weather, including heavy rains, hampered search efforts.
Finally, on Wednesday, August 6, conditions improved, allowing the Norwegian Red Cross to launch a major rescue mission. Luhm, weak and hallucinating, initially doubted the helicopter above was even real. His desperate attempts to wave and shout went unnoticed at first, but after 45 minutes, rescuers spotted him and airlifted him to safety.
He was rushed to a hospital for treatment of his broken leg and dehydration.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Luhm said the thought of his wife and family kept him alive during the darkest moments of his fight for survival.