How a missing hiker survived for 3 weeks in the California wilderness

Tiffany Slaton, a 28-year-old woman originally from Georgia, was found alive after surviving three weeks lost in the wilderness.

Slaton planned to spend three days in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, but after she fell off a cliff and an avalanche disrupted her path back to the main road, she spent three weeks lost in the mountains instead.

She embarked on her solo trip April 20 and was reported missing by her family April 29 after they hadn’t heard from her for nine days. After three weeks with dwindling food and supplies, Slaton was eventually found safe May 14, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office began a search after Slaton was reported missing, and alerted the public to keep an eye out for any sign of her. Several tips from the community were called in, with confirmed sightings of Slaton on April 20 and April 24.

During a May 16 press conference, Slaton detailed her harrowing experience, sharing, “When I fell off of this cliff, I was unconscious for about two hours and did indeed have to splint one of my legs and pop the other knee back into place.”

Slaton initially had food and supplies, but when her rations ran out, she relied on her own skills to survive, revealing during the press conference that she was “pretty good at foraging.”

She primarily ate leeks and drank snow melt, referring to herself as “a trained permaculturalist.” Slaton said, “That means I’m very good at foraging, but at the end after fighting nature for such a long time, I lost my tent, and I did eventually lose both sleeping bags, so I was outside with nothing but a lighter and a knife.”

Between May 6 and May 10, the search and rescue team conducted a search spanning almost 600 square miles, according to authorities. After going off course, Slaton walked for miles for several days before she came across a remote mountain resort, Vermilion Valley Resort, on May 13.

Slaton called the resort as her saving grace, sharing that without Vermilion Valley Resort, she “would not be here.”

The resort’s owner Christopher Gutierrez told reporters during a May 14 press conference that he purposefully leaves cabins open for emergencies should someone need to seek shelter from the elements. After Slaton arrived at the resort, she was there for approximately eight hours before Gutierrez found her and immediately contacted the sheriff’s office.

During the media conference, which included Slaton’s parents, Bobby and Fredrina Slaton, Gutierrez recalled the moment he saw the 28-year-old, explaining, “She pops out, didn’t say a word, just ran up, and all she wanted was a hug.”

“It was a pretty surreal moment,” he added. “And that’s when I knew. That’s when I realized who this was.”

Other than experiencing dehydration, Slaton was in “good condition” when medics arrived at the scene, the Sheriff’s Office noted. Slaton was subsequently transported to a hospital for further evaluation.

Due to exposure to bright light from the snow-covered terrain in the mountains, authorities said Slaton’s eyes were damaged to the point where she had to wear sunglasses for two days after her rescue.

During the press conference Wednesday, Slaton’s parents expressed their joy over their daughter being found. Bobbly Slaton recalled the first thing his daughter said to him after she had been rescued: “‘Dad, I’m alive, and I’m sorry.’”

“This has to be the third or fourth best day of our lives after our children’s birth,” Bobby Slaton said. “We are extremely excited and happy to hear the news that my daughter is now safe.”