A mother and her nine-year-old son who were lost in the Australian bush for 10 days have recounted their traumatic experience.
Michelle Pittman, 40, and her son Dylan were found within the Mount Royal National Park, in the New South Wales Hunter region, on October 12.
The pair had set out on a bush walk 10 days earlier, but became lost in the dense bushland after losing sight of the track.
Speaking to Channel 7’s Sunday Night, Ms Pittman and Dylan said they managed to survive using skills they learned from TV adventurer, Bear Grylls.
Michelle Pittman, 40, and her son Dylan were found within the Mount Royal National Park, in the New South Wales Hunter region, on October 12
Michelle and Dylan endured 10 days in the bush before they were rescued, suffering from severe dehydration and insect bites
On the fourth day of their ordeal, Ms Pittman and Dylan resorted to drinking their own urine in order to combat their dehydration.
‘I said, ‘mummy will go first’, and I said, ‘you’ve got to keep thinking apple juice. Just think apple juice’,’ Ms Pittman said.
‘I’m glad I paid attention when we were watching it [Bear Grylls] because I remember him doing it and saying that you can.’
While the desperate measures kept their thirst at bay for a time being, the pair were starving.
The mother and son cupped water from a nearby rock pool with leaves, and tied grass around trees to mark their place.
Before they set off on their bush walk, Ms Pittman said she had not told any family or friends where they were going.
On the fourth day of their ordeal, Ms Pittman and Dylan resorted to drinking their own urine in order to combat their dehydration
The pair were reported missing by family members on October 4 when they failed to return and a large-scale search was launched soon after
The pair were reported missing by family members on October 4 when they failed to return and a large-scale search was launched soon after.
A team of over 40 rescue workers searched for the mother and son, as the duo became increasingly more desperate.
While Ms Pittman had a phone, there was no reception in the national park and she was slowly losing battery.
On the fifth day, Ms Pittman woke to find Dylan stone cold, stiff and purple.
Dehydration and several days without food took its toll Dylan, who had turned purple and stiff on the fifth day of their ordeal
A team of over 40 rescue workers searched for the mother and son before they were rescued
TV star Bear Grylls dubbed Ms Pittman and Dylan ‘resourceful and courageous’ for their survival skills
Dehydration and several days without food took its toll on the young boy, but Dylan eventually came to.
‘It was my job to get him out, my job to protect him and keep him safe,’ Ms Pittman said.
When they were found by search crews, mother and son were covered in insect bites, were suffering from severe dehydration and starvation and swollen legs.
The pair spent 11 days in hospital recovering from their terrifying ordeal, never leaving each others side.
In an interview with Sunday Night, Bear Grylls dubbed Ms Pittman and Dylan ‘resourceful and courageous’.
‘You don’t have to be the biggest or the strongest, you’ve just got to be the smartest and the most tenacious and I think this whole experience really for me just speaks to Michelle and Dylan’s tenacity and their courage and that’s what really shines bright,’ Bear Grylls said.