Missing hikers found safety after surviving snowy California mountains for weeks
LOS ANGELES (AP) – When Vermilion Valley Resort in the Sierra Mountains in eastern California closed in winter, staff left the cabin door in case hikers need shelter during frequent mountain snowstorms. The decision may have saved the life of Tiffany Slaton, the 27-year-old Georgia woman who has been missing in the remote wilderness for nearly three weeks.
When the owner, Christopher Gutierrez arrived on Wednesday morning, found a cottage Ajar and a pair of shoes and began reopening the spring resort. Suddenly, a young woman appeared at the door.
“She came out suddenly, didn't say a word, just ran away, all she wanted was a hug,” Gutierrez said at a press conference Wednesday night. “It was a very surreal moment, and that was when I realized who it was.”
It was Slaton, whose parents disappeared after reporting on April 29 that she had not heard of her for more than a week. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office conducted a search, and deputies and volunteers searched over 600 square miles (1,550 square kilometers) in the Sierra National Forest without luck. Searchers were blocked by heavy snow, which had many roads blocked.
On Monday, the sheriff's office announced that it was expanding its search efforts. Two days later, she came out of the cabin.
Gutierrez gave Slaton peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and called authorities, who took her to the hospital for evaluation. Sheriff's officials said she was hungry and dehydrated but in good condition.
Sheriff's spokesman Tony Botti said it was the longest time he had seen someone missing and survive in the wilderness.
“Three weeks, it's unheard of,” he said. “It shows Tiffany's tenacity, she's a fighter.”
Thanks to public tips, investigators determined that Slaton was found near Lake Huntington around April 20, more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest along rough terrain. However, authorities did not provide details on when and when the trek of Slaton began, what her plans were, and the route she finally took at Vermilion Valley Resort.
Botti said sheriff’s officials plan to interview Slaton to learn the details of her experience and how she survived in icy conditions as high as 6,500 feet (1,981 meters).
Across the country in Jeffersonville, Georgia, her parents said her parents were shopping when their daughter was found.
“I just grabbed one person and I said, 'Can I hug you?' I did,'” said her mother, Fredrina Slaton. “I’m crying and hugging.”
“The weight has been lifted,” said Tiffany's father, Bobby Slaton, who thanked the search and rescue team and all the members of the community who helped find her.
Sheriff’s officials said the snow basin cleared mountain passes earlier Wednesday, which gave Gutierrez the first visit to the resort of Lake Edison this year. Gutierrez said he had to take about an hour and a half before breaking down the ice to enter the property.
Slaton's parents said Tiffany loves the outdoors and they always emphasize the importance of being able to raise themselves in difficult situations.
“It's nice to know that as parents, she actually did everything we taught her,” her mother said. “We believe life is an adventure.”
