A first-time backpacker was found bleeding, wet, shaking – and possibly cut – on the ground of a California hiking trail, but cannot remember how he got into this predicament.

Sashank Upadhyayula, 34, was discovered lying in tall grass at the edge of the Lost Coast Trail last Tuesday by a group of six teenage campers and their counselors, the Lost Coast Outpost reported.

He was covered in blood, shaking violently and lying there in soaked blue jeans when the teenagers discovered him around 9:00 a.m. last Monday.

The adult counselors of the youth at the Lost Coast Camp immediately cared for Upadhyayula and made an emergency call via satellite phone to get medical help.

The handlers – 26-year-old Solomon Reinman and 28-year-old Jack Davis, both of whom have wilderness first aid training – cut open his jacket, bandaged his wounds and wrapped him in a sleeping bag and tarp, the outlet reported.

Then the youths – who had completed a crash course in wilderness first aid the day before – set up a camp stove and heated water to fill bottles. At the instruction of camp program director Maria Vollmar, who had rushed to the scene after receiving the emergency alert, they placed the hot water bottles next to Upadhyayula to raise his body temperature.

“The campers were all really helpful, reliable and friendly,” Vollmar told the local newspaper. “Sol and Jack really helped this man incredibly.”

Upadhyayula's rescuers said he was largely confused when they reached him. He told them it was his first backpacking trip and he had set out alone.

He also told them that he thought he had been attacked but could not remember what happened.

About 90 minutes after the call for help, a helicopter arrived and Upadhyayula was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for hypothermia and wounds.

Paul Sever, an employee of the Bureau of Land Management, told the San Francisco Chronicle that what exactly happened to the solo backpacker was “a bit of a mystery.”

Nearly a week later, he told Lost Coast Outpost he still isn't sure what happened, but believes he was attacked.

The night before the campers found him, Upadhyayula said he heard something or someone around 10 p.m.

“I remember hearing something, getting scared, and pulling out my bear spray, my two knives, my water container, and my electronics,” he told the publication.

The next thing he remembers is waking up in the surf below the coastal path.

“[I] made my way to the trail and collapsed after grabbing my Mylar blanket. I covered my upper body with the blanket and assumed the fetal position to keep warm,” he said.

Upadhyayula had cuts on his arms, upper body and neck.

“The doctors believe it was a knife [or] “I have a bladed weapon,” Upadhyayula said. “Given my memory loss, the fact that my knives are missing, and the fact that I was separated from my pack and found quite far away… all indications are that I was attacked.”

According to Outpost, he reported the possible attack to both the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) King Range National Conservation Area Office.

The sheriff's office told the publication that it is investigating but has not yet found any evidence that there is a danger to the public.

“HCSO continues to investigate this incident, but there is currently no information to indicate there is a current/ongoing threat to public safety along the Lost Coast Trail,” the office said in a statement.

Upadhyayula warned other hikers to be aware of their surroundings and thanked his rescuers.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I cannot express my gratitude in words, you are doing God's work,” he said. “I hope you realize your dreams.”

The 38-kilometer-long Lost Coast Trail can be dangerous due to its proximity to the mighty Pacific Ocean.

In 2022, one hiker died and another was rescued after they were washed off the trail into the water by a 20-foot surf.