That’s some proper prior planning.
A lost hiker missing for three weeks in the California mountains miraculously survived when she stumbled upon an unlocked cabin that had been left open by its owner for this exact situation — and was rescued just in time to celebrate her 28th birthday.
Georgia woman Tiffany Slaton found shelter at a closed resort in the eastern Sierra Nevada range after she was initially reported missing on April 29, authorities said.
A massive search for Slaton involved scouring more than 600 square miles at the Sierra National Forest, but it was Vermilion Valley resort owner Christopher Gutierrez who found her first this week.
He arrived at the venue Wednesday to prepare to reopen when he saw a front door slightly open and a pair of shoes.
“She pops out, didn’t say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug,” Gutierrez said during a Wednesday evening news conference.
“It was a pretty surreal moment, and that’s when I realized who this was.”
He typically leaves the cabin doors open while the resort is closed during the off-season in case a wayward hiker needs a place to crash amid harsh weather conditions like blizzards.
“It’s mainly for people, just as this scenario played out, if they need to hole up in there one of shelter then it’s available,” Gutierrez said.
Slaton, who hails from Jeffersonville in the Peach State, told Gutierrez she survived for weeks solely munching on leeks before the resort owner fed her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
“It was a blizzard, and she pushed through that blizzard, and the first thing she saw was a cabin,” said Gutierrez. “And she held up in the cabin overnight … this girl was saved for the reason.”
The survivor was brought to a hospital and is in good condition besides dehydration, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.
Her parents reported her missing late last month, and witnesses told the sheriff’s office she was last seen on April 24.
Two days before she was found, the sheriff’s office announced it was scaling back the search.
Bobby and Fredrina Slaton, her mom and dad, were losing hope when they received a phone call from none other than Tiffany as she was being taken down the mountain.
“She said, ‘Dad, I’m alive, and I’m sorry, but I’m alive and I wanted to call you and let you know I’m alive,’” an emotional Bobby Slaton said at the press conference.
As Bobby cried inside a store, Fredrina needed someone to hug.
“I grabbed somebody and said, ‘Can I hug you?’” she said. “And I did. I was crying and hugging.”
More information about Slaton’s incredible story of survival was not immediately known, including when or where her adventure began and how she ended up at Vermilion Valley Resort.
The sheriff’s office plans to eventually interview her for more details.
“Three weeks, it’s unheard of,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Tony Botti said. “It speaks to the tenacity that Tiffany has, that she’s a fighter.”
Slaton was rescued the day before her 28th birthday, People reported.
With Post wires
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
click to expand photos
Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada’s jobless rate is holding steady, but the state is still adding jobs.
A new report from DETR shows February’s unemployment rate unchanged at 5.3 percent, with the labor force growing by nearly 3,800 people.
MORE ON FOX5: Nevada unemployment rate rises to 5.3% in January
Nevada now has about 1.6 million nonfarm jobs, up 2.2 percent over the past year and 1,500 more jobs than in January.
“This month’s report shows a strengthening labor market,” said David Schmidt, Chief Economist. ”Compared to the report for January, the pace of job gains in the past year increased from 1.9% to 2.2%, building on what was already the fastest pace of job growth in the country. While the unemployment rate remained stable, the labor force participation rate rose to 63.7%, 1.7 percentage points higher than the national level.”
In Las Vegas, employment ticked up by 1,100 jobs in February, about 0.1 percent, and is up more than 25,000 jobs compared to last year.
Reno added 1,000 jobs on the month, while Carson City shed about 200 but is still slightly above where it was a year ago.
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