That’s some proper prior planning.
A hiker who had been missing for three weeks in the California mountains managed to survive against the odds when she discovered an unlocked cabin. The cabin, left open by its owner precisely to aid people in such situations, became her haven, allowing her to make it home just in time for her 28th birthday.
Tiffany Slaton, a resident of Georgia, was reported missing on April 29 and found refuge at a closed resort located in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, according to authorities.
A widespread search operation covered an area of over 600 square miles of the Sierra National Forest. In the end, it was Christopher Gutierrez, the owner of the Vermilion Valley resort, who located her first during this week’s search efforts.
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 than 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 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 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,” Fresno County 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
