A 28-year-old Georgia woman recounted on Friday how she survived for weeks in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada by foraging for food and drinking melted snow after a solo camping trip was derailed by harsh winter conditions.
Tiffany Slaton shared her harrowing experience during a press briefing held with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, just two days after she was located in an unlocked cabin where she sought refuge.
The back story: Slaton had been on an extended biking and backpacking trip that included time in Oregon, according to Fresno County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Botti.
- Her journey took her to the Sierra, where she planned to travel to the Mono Hot Springs before meeting a friend in mid-April. The last sighting of her was on April 20 near Huntington Lake captured by a security camera showing her riding a bicycle and sitting with a backpack.
- Her parents, residing in Georgia, raised the alarm on April 29 when they had not heard from her in a week.
Driving the news: Fresno County authorities revealed Slaton had only been in the cabin for eight hours before the owner arrived and found her.
- Slaton described being caught in an avalanche at one point, leading to an injury to her leg. She mentioned having a bicycle, a tent, two sleeping bags, and food initially, but lost all of her gear, leaving her with only a lighter, a knife, and some snacks.
- Following the fall, Slaton attempted to call 911 five times without success but did manage to obtain a GPS signal on her phone.
- Christopher Gutierrez, the owner of Vermilion Valley Resort, said that his staff left cabin doors unlocked during winter in case someone needed shelter during snowstorms. The resort, nestled in the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, is a popular stop for hikers on the John Muir and Pacific Crest trails.
- Slaton sought sanctuary in one of these cabins during a severe snowstorm where visibility was limited. Gutierrez arrived to open the cabin for the season just eight hours later, potentially saving Slaton’s life.
What they’re saying: “I ended up on this very long, arduous journey that I journaled to try and keep sane and eventually managed to get to civilization,” she said.
- Authorities expressed amazement at her survival considering the conditions. The cabin was more than 20 miles from where she was last seen, with areas covered in up to 12 feet of snow.
- “I would have never anticipated her in my wildest dreams being able to get back as far as she did,” Sheriff John Zanoni remarked.
