Woman found alive after being missing 3 weeks in California mountains speaks out

Tiffany Slaton, 28, stated she has all the time had a love of foraging, gardening and outside adventures.

However her survival instincts and data of nature have been put to the check when she was misplaced within the mountains of Fresno, California, for almost three weeks and was lastly discovered alive on Wednesday.

Slaton spoke to reporters throughout a press convention on Friday about her expertise that started off as a three-day solo tenting journey and ended as a survival mission.

“I may never do a vacation longer than three days ever again,” she stated on Friday.

Slaton, from Jeffersonville, Georgia, was first reported lacking by her dad and mom on April 29 after they’d not heard from her for 9 days, officers stated.

At the beginning of her tenting journey, she recounted to reporters how she had fallen off a cliff and have become unconscious for 2 hours, injuring each of her legs within the course of. Slaton, who’s a educated horticulturist and “pre-Olympian” in archery, then proceeded to splint one among her legs and “pop another knee back into place,” she stated.

On account of a latest avalanche, she was unable to get again onto the principle highway and was unsuccessful in reaching 911 resulting from a scarcity of cell service.

Thus, she started her “long arduous journey” of making an attempt to get again to civilization, which included combating off animals, surviving on leeks and boiled snow, mountaineering peaks as much as 11,000 toes excessive and struggling by way of 13 heavy snow storms, she stated.

“Nature is quite terrifying. Once you start finding things that are scary for you, you do your best to keep moving and get over it.” Slaton stated.

Though she started her “vacation” with a tent, two sleeping luggage and her bicycle, she was solely capable of maintain onto a lighter and a knife for many of her journey.

All through her time alone within the wilderness, she stored considering she would quite “live than have to deal with my parents seeing that I failed in such a dumb way” and that she was decided to be reunited along with her household earlier than her birthday, which was on Thursday.

From Could 6 to Could 10, officers performed search and rescue efforts on the lookout for the 28-year-old, police stated. However with a search spanning almost 600 sq. miles and no confirmed sightings of her since April 24, police stated they’d selected Tuesday to cut back their efforts.

Then on Wednesday, her dad and mom, Bobby and Fredrina Slaton, acquired a cellphone name from none apart from their daughter Tiffany, saying, “Dad, I’m alive.”

The lacking camper had fought by way of a blizzard and located shelter in an unlocked cabin at a resort close to Lake Edison, officers stated.

Officers stated resort proprietor Christopher Gutierrez had “left a cabin unlocked as a precaution for this exact situation where someone who is lost could seek shelter and increase their chances of surviving the outdoor elements and harsh weather.”

When she got here throughout this cabin, Slaton stated she thought she was hallucinating and that she had “managed to make it to the North Pole.”

“When the door opened, I saw the best sleeping bag in the world,” Slaton stated.

Gutierrez found Slaton when he arrived on the resort to open up the place for the summer time, he instructed reporters on Wednesday.

“As soon as I saw her, she didn’t say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug. It was a pretty surreal moment,” Gutierrez stated.

Slaton stated, “If he hadn’t come that day, they would have found my body there.”

Gutierrez stated he knew that there had been a lacking hiker within the space and known as the sheriff’s workplace to say he had discovered Slaton.

Slaton instructed Gutierrez that “all she wanted was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

Deputies confirmed the girl was Slaton, who was then examined by medics and handled for dehydration, in keeping with officers.

Officers stated that Slaton, who they described as a “fighter,” was discovered roughly 45 miles from the place she was final seen.

Slaton, who was carrying sun shades throughout the press convention, stated she has skilled eye injury as a result of snowy situations together with a number of minor cuts and burns. She additionally stated she had misplaced about 10 kilos after being within the wilderness for 20 days, but her blood work got here again “perfect” resulting from her foraging abilities.

Fredrina Slaton stated she is “very proud” of her daughter’s survival, however “will be prouder when she gets a GPS.”

Tiffany Slaton will journey again residence to Georgia along with her household as she continues to get better. She stated she journaled the entire journey and plans on going by way of that documentation as she adjusts again to actuality.