Utah boy survived night alone in woods by curling up in warm rocks

UTAH -- A 10-year-old boy who survived a night alone in the remote eastern Utah backcountry says he remembered the skills his father taught him and curled up between rocks still warm from the sun to survive the cold mountain night.

Now, Malachi Bradley is back in the arms of his family.

Bradley was camping with his them in the remote mountains 200 miles east of Salt Lake City when he says he set out to gather mushrooms and got lost.

"I didn't have anything bad happen to me other than tripping," he said. "Getting a few cuts."

As temperatures dropped into the 30s, he used large rocks for shelter, wrapping a T-shirt around his legs and staying huddled inside his jacket to stay warm. That same jacket he used to filter water to drink while a team of 100 search and rescuers combed the mountains for any sign of him.

"I thought if I was in an open space, maybe the helicopters and them would find me," he said. "I sat there most of the day, waving at helicopters."

And after they found him, a ride on a rescue chopper brought his 28-hour ordeal to an end.

"He looks like he has been through a hard time, which he totally has," mom Molly Bradley said. "But his spirit's up, so that's good, and he's going to be OK, which is the bottom line. That's super exciting. So exciting, such a relief."

Malachi says he'll go camping again, but he'll stay close next time.