This didn't make international news, so I only have link to the french version of that story

Résumé :
on december 18, 2004, the man went into an undergroung quarry, previously used as a mushroom nursery : he was depressed and simply wanted some solitude. But in the kilometers of underground passages, he rapidly get lost.
Nobody knew where he was. His wife rented a helicopter to fly over the woods, where he could have been walking...
After more than a month, college kids found his car in the entrance of the caves and alerted authorities.
They rapidly (1h30) found him (he calls when he heard noises), about 200m only from the entrance.

No need to say he didn't have any PSK, nor watch, nor light.
He spend these 35 days drinking water and eating decomposed wood ! lost 18kg.
The first week he tried to find the way out, without success. Afterwards, he spend most of the "days" lying on old plastic sheets he had found.

After a few hours at the hospital, he has been sent back home.

That is a strange one.
Very surprised he lasted that long.

An English version:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4198945.stm

thanks !
It will be much easier for members of this forum to read an english version.

Strange story anyway....

Frenchy:

He should write a book on how he lost all that weight.

He could sell it here in the US and make millions. We have so many diet freaks that will eat anything, but refuse to believe that only by eating less can you lose weight.

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

having myself some weight to loose, I was about to ask him where is this cave ....

otoh, if I only eat mushrooms for a few weeks.....

Frenchy:

Did you happen to catch that "Believe it or Not" episode of the guy that lets his meat and some other foods ferment before he eats them without cooking.

Supposedly he is a registered nutrishonist and has reversed some earlier illnesses with this new diet. Personally I think he is trying to start a new fad so he can make money writing and lecturing about it.

Bountyhunter

Thank you Frenchy for your story.

This guy deserves to live . . . Can you imagine 35 LONG days/nights!! What was he thinking?!! Was it dark? Quite a tough mind.

He certainly got the solitude he desired!

"Believe it or nor" ..... but I don't have a TV set !

And I prefer to eat my meat raw or cooked.

You bet he did !

He said that when he understood he was lost in those dark caves, with no light, that his depressed state of mind disappeared and he found a new courage. He was all to fight, to survive this ordeal and he (quite) never lost courage again.
The first 5 or 6 days, he kept walking in the dark, in the 5 km long maze, without stopping, without eating. After that, feeling a bit feable, he stopped and make camp with some old plastic foils, in which he wrapped himself to sleep.
Only during the last week he started to have doubts about his chance of survival, because he was feeling so cold.
Temp in the cave was about 14°C. Not such a great deal, when you have food to fuel your internal furnace !!

His first night home he didn't sleep : he wanted for dawn, to be sure there would be light again, to be sure it was not a dream, that he was really home and safe again.

He spent most of his time thinking about DIY jobs he wanted to make in his house.

Frenchy:

I believe it and for that, you are a better man than I am.

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Nothing but his brain and a little plastic and he made it 35 days in the dark!!! There is a certainly a lesson to be learned here. Based on What I read and Frenchy's translation of the story he read, this guy definately had the proper mindset.