SEATTLE - A missing teen hiker in Skagit County walked out of the woods Thursday morning.

After being lost on Blanchard Mountain since Tuesday afternoon, 15-year-old Sam Rickenbacker of Lynden ended up at the nearby Oyster Bar, a restaurant on Chuckanut Drive.

"Mostly the way I survived was on my own saliva as water and huckleberries to eat," he said.

Sam and 10 other teens were in the care of two adult YMCA counselors. When the group returned to the trailhead, they realized Sam was not with them.

YMCA executive director Dave Harding said Sam was on the trail between the lead counselor and the rear counselor. He said Sam ran ahead of his buddy and must have left the trail.

Speaking to reporters on Thurday, Sam said when he got lost he was frightened at first, but then "got used to it."

"I knew if I just kept on going and going I'd find my way home," he said.

Rickenbacker was tired and hungry, but otherwise OK.

Rescue crews had searched the area in Skagit County for the teen since he disappeared on Tuesday. Helicopters with infrared technology aided the search.

Joel Pratt of Skagit County Search and Rescue said the mild temperature was in the boy's favor.