In an interview with CNN, an American hiker recounted his survival experience in a Norwegian park, where he was forced to drink his own urine to stay alive.

A difficult decision that saved his life. Alec Luhn, an American climate journalist, was forced to drink his own urine after injuring himself in Folgefonna National Park, Norway, after becoming stuck due to a fall.

This improbable adventure began in late July, when the experienced hiker, who had already made several solo trips in difficult conditions, set off on a four-day excursion to a Norwegian national park. Aware of the irregular mobile network, he warned his wife, Veronika Silchenko, that communication would be difficult to maintain.

"It's the beginning of a disaster movie"

The 38-year-old reached the Buarbreen Glacier, one of the branches of the Folgefonna Glacier, on the first day of his trek. He then continued his trek to a ridge leading to a nearby valley. However, the excursion turned into a nightmare when he fell down the mountain due to a misstep.

"I just remember going down the mountain at first, then spinning, rolling, and bouncing all the way down," he said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

When his fall finally stopped, he realized his left femur had broken. "My left foot was flailing aimlessly. I was almost immobilized," he said, adding that his backpack had ripped open and several of his personal belongings, including his cell phone and water bottle, were missing.

According to him, the first few days were "a dry ordeal" under a scorching sun, even though he had very little protection against the heat. He tried to eat peanuts and cereal bars, but struggled to swallow without water. "My mouth was so dry that the food turned to concrete inside," he explained.

Rapid mobilization of relief efforts

Terribly hungry and dehydrated, the explorer finally resorted to drinking his own urine to survive. "The next time I had to urinate, I urinated into my water bag. I drank my urine, mainly to hydrate myself a little and also to swallow some food," he recounted.

When his wife, back in London, discovered he had missed boarding his flight back to the UK, she immediately alerted Norwegian law enforcement, she told our American colleagues.

Despite adverse weather in the park and heavy rains that hampered initial searches, the Norwegian Red Cross managed to deploy a large team of volunteers, including climbing specialists and drones, as soon as the weather conditions improved.

"I woke up and it was very cold and very wet. There was a slight clearing, I saw a little bit of sunshine breaking through the whole valley and the helicopter arrived," he said.

A new breath of life

Although he doubted the reality due to hallucinations caused by the six difficult days in the wilderness, he nevertheless waved and shouted to attract the attention of the crew, but the plane continued on its way without spotting him.

Determined not to miss a second chance, he took out his tent stake and tied it to a bandana to signal his presence. About 45 minutes later, the helicopter returned to him.

"I was waving and screaming at the top of my lungs. And finally, the side door of the helicopter opened and someone waved back. That's when I knew it was over. It was finally going to be over," said the young man from Wisconsin.

Alec Luhn was taken to a hospital, where he was reunited with his wife. "I told her, 'I love you.' And she said, 'I'm going to beat the shit out of you, but for now, I love you,'" he said humorously.

And this experience had a profound impact on him. “I felt very alone up there in the mountains. I couldn’t see anyone else for miles around. The whole time up there, all I could think about was how I might die on this hike I was trying to do, and that I would never see my wife, my parents, or my siblings again. It was the most painful thing I could think about,” he concluded.