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Subscribe to RSSA woman was rescued from the Utah wilderness after spending four days lost. KSL's John Daley reports.
A hiker who returned to the trail where she took a survival course 40 years ago almost didn't make it out alive. Victoria Grover, 59, nearly died of hypothermia in the high desert of southern Utah over the weekend.
Grover told reporters from her hospital bed on Sunday that while she didn't have food she did have water, and figured that could keep her going for days. "The thing I was worried about was hypothermia -- that that was going to kill me," she said.
A physician's assistant from Wade, Maine, Grover had gone to the trail in Dixie National Forest where she took a survival course at Brigham Young University 40 years ago.
What was supposed to be a six-mile day hike turned into a four-day, three-night ordeal that began when it got too dark for Grover to find her way back.
The next day she broke her leg after jumping a four-foot ledge.
"I really wasn't scared until I stopped shivering," she said, "because that was the point where I thought, 'If somebody doesn't find me pretty soon I'm going to die of hypothermia.'"
The lodge where she was staying alerted the local sheriff when she didn't check out as planned, and a search team found her two days later -- suffering from hypothermia.
So what went through her mind during those cold nights where the temperature dipped into the low 30s and the only warmth she had came from a light poncho?
Besides praying, she also "was dreaming of oranges, which is one of my favorite foods," the Associated Press quoted her as saying. "But there are people who can go for weeks and weeks without food in this world. We have it easy in America."
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Nice work using your head! Must have been hard trying to stay awake during those nights.
I think not using her head is what got her into the mess. Local reports were that she had a flashlight with her and knew and heard people looking for her but didn't think to turn on her flashlight to alert the search parties.
Of course this is msnbc so they won't give the whole story because it might skew the readership.
I can't imagine a flashlight would be of much use unless the search parties mounted airborne units to help look for her. You could be 20 yards away from someone in that terrain and not see their flashlight.
I guess she really didn't learn much at her original survival course! You should always tell sopmeone where you are going(just in case you don't return on time). Don't be stupid or try to prove something and go out alone( if all possible). Bring food and water. DRESS ACCORDINGLY, it does get chilly in the desert at night. I'm glad that there is a happy ending here, but...she gets an "F" on being prepared for what she might have encountered.
now if she had a 134 luminen LED flash light that would be a different story. I got one by Maglight, that sucker is bright!! mini spotlight.
Using your head isn't starting a hike ALONE, where you might not be able to get back before it gets dark and not having the proper clothing for emergencies. A good day hiker will always bring a backpack with warmer clothes, emergency food, and dress in layers.
She is VERY lucky she lived.
I've been to Wade Maine and the people who live there are survivors. This is one rugged woman.Bravo !!!
Did she eat scorpions?
I saw the movie. It was the spouse's fault.
I guess she forgot the part of the survival course where they talked about the buddy system.
The buddy system is NOT a part of a survival course... at least not either of the ones I've done. But you SHOULD tell someone where you're going and when you plan to return if you are going alone. Even when I hike with my wife and kids I still tell someone where I'm going and how long I anticipate being gone.
I'm pretty sure the BYU survival course in the 60-70's didn't look like a DoD survival training course. It probably looked a lot more like BSA wilderness survival training
she learned that either she didn't remember her survival course 40 yrs ago or it was very inadequate compared to those offered now...
seriously, the article makes out as if she hadn't hiked since then. She must have, but seemingly she was pretty unskillful not to manage the time to get back before dark if it were a short day hike. IF it were longer she should have had food and as others say FIRE STARTING tools, matches. I didnt' see why she didn't have a fire.
ANd what's with breaking a leg on a four foot jump? osteoporosis or poor balance or poor judgement to jump in the dark not able to see where you land?
she did tell people she was going because she had to check back in, seems to me.
She knew enough to survive. That's all she really needed right?
Well, good for her for making it out, but let it be a lesson that no matter what the expectations are (six mile day hike, for example), at the very least bring extra water and matches/lighter with you when hiking in the desert. Food is fairly incidental; the two things you really, REALLY want with you if you're stuck in the desert are water and fire. It gets damn cold at night in the desert.
And if you're a 60-year-old woman, question the wisdom of taking a hike alone in an extremely hostile environment. A little common sense goes a long way.
Well, I don't think Maine is in the desert, but I get your point !
M-481~~What are you saying? She got lost in the desert in Southern Nevada. She's from Maine. Perhaps you really didn't get the point Chris was saying.
Chris~~Spot on.
It's kind of a dumb article tbh. I grew up in Southern Utah and having been hiking in Dixie National Forest many times. It is not a desert by any means. Sure, if you drive 40 miles you will be in the desert, but DNF is more high, temperate forest terrain. Also, I have been on hikes that were into more remote and rugged places and were much longer than six miles and managed to survive while carrying more beer than water. Then again, I was young, dumb, thought nothing of drinking spring/river water, and always had a gun, cigarette lighter, and a buddy :) So not really the same thing.
Precisely, Chris. Forty years ago, when she took the survival course, the woman was 20 years old. There really IS a difference.
Please NO MORE MOVIES from Darwin Award nominees.
People .....Please if you are going on a solo hike ....Have the good sense to at the very least let someone know where ......and also tell them when you expect to be back. Sometimes a person needs to get out alone. Been there, done that.....But you gotta let someone know.
It is also a good idea to let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back. If she was staying at the hotel for a week instead of a few days a search for her may have started too late.
Maps, compass, GPS, satellite phone, night vision devices, thermal blanket, energy bars, these are a few of my favorite things.
And the flashlight she had with her was functional - she "forgot" to use it to signal the people looking for her when they were near.
Hyporthermia will do that to you. Mental processes slow down and skip a beat here and there.
Night vision? Really? Do you plan on storming an enemy compound?
My husband taught me many things when it comes to being smart while hiking in the country. Always bring food, water, an extra layer of clothing, and a lighter. We ALWAYS bring rain gear also, whether rain is in the forecast or not. That's what backpacks are for, and we always each carry one on any hike, even if its for a few hours. You never know what will happen! And yes, always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.
OMG. While I am very glad this turned out okay, perhaps she should have taken a refresher course prior to going. Where's the GPS and the topo maps to navigate (and the ability to use them) if she gets off trail? Where's the knowledge of the trail length and characteristics and understanding how much ground she can cover in a given amount of time? Where's the extra clothes? Maybe she wanted to starve herself, but if you ask me, it is better to bring some high quality snacks. The more tired and nutritionally deficient you are, the more mistakes you can make. A recipe for disaster! Again, I am so glad she is okay, but really?
Lucky she is a bigin. Had plenty of isulation, plus she got to lose a few well needed lbs.
She will go back to Maine, meet up with Stephen King, and another boring mini-series will be produced.
No big deal...just a few bucks for the taxpayers to fund....
Jello heads!
Oh, when, when, when, when, WHEN are people going to start packing a Spot satellite Messenger with them?!? http://www.findmespot.com/en/
It's about $150 for the device, and $100 a year for the service, but, you break a leg in the middle of nowhere? Press the 911 button and wait for the rescue choppers to swoop in. Problem solved. They will know EXACTLY where you are.
As for day hikes, besides the Spot Messenger which you should be carrying, you need a day pack with various ways of keeping warm and dry, extra water, and food as well as 1st aid items. You can buy an emergency sleeping bag that is the size of a pop can when folded up. It's not that hard to be prepared.
Too technical for this woman. She doesn't even remember how to use a flashlight to signal people when they are near. When reminded that it could have been used she admitted knowing that but just forgot to use it.
Prepared is one thing. Know how to use the "tools" at her disposal is her challenge.
Hmm... spend $250 on a fancy-pants satellite beacon, or bring a $2.49 cigarette lighter with you?
There's no need to be a survival yuppie. If you've really been convinced that you need an expensive beacon like that when a simple signal fire built from locally available smoky brush like creosote could easily be seen for dozens of miles in every direction, then the advertising gurus truly saw you coming.
Spending $150 will not fix STUPID!
I totally agree! I have no sympathy for ignorance. All the resources and money that are required to rescue people like this is wasteful. Just like the people who climb mountains without a rescue alert device should not be allowed to climb or she forfeit the expensive rescue attempts. It may sound hard-hearted but I would make a few of these idiots to stop and think. I'm sick of these stories.
She's a physician's assistant, which is basically equivalent to a master's degree, so she's not exactly an uninformed ignoramus. Now, a lack of common sense is an entirely separate thing altogether :)
Hahaha, no, no it really isn't.
Maybe 20 years ago it wasn't but try getting into a decent PA program today with less than a bachelor's degree. You better be a minority, or very smart.
Great attitude! I like the fact that she dreampt of oranges.
It would have been considerably better if she had taken some oranges with her.
As a long time avid bushwhacking hiker, NEVER hike in the back country without knowing your exit strategy. You never hike after dark without a really good headlight. You ALWAYS investigate the temperature range and be prepared for the lowest and highest temps. You always tell people where you are going and when you expect to return. I suggest always being a GPS and setting it for breadcrumb tracking to find your way back to the trail, unless you are on one of those well marked, well worn trails that are simple to follow. You always bring adequate water and a few energy bars (they take up so little space), extra batteries, fire-starter, and a cell phone, and a LOUD rescue whistle.
ive gone on day hikes in almost suburban type areas (state parks in the Northeast) and honestly, I am minimally prepared but always seemingly MORE prepared than other people. You can still hike for 2 hrs and not see any signs of civilization, sometimes.
I always have minimal rain protection, bug and sun protection, firestarter and matches, a knife, a small flashilight, tiny first aid kit and more water than other people and a few water purification tablets. Often a granola bar or some small snack. And my cell phone...which actually usually has reception in the woods because of my location and the company I choose to pay for. My waist pack with those items resides in my trunk and goes with me even on a quick walk in the woods.
Even if I lost the phone and broke my leg, I wouldn't get dehydrated or hypothermic. So, I am pleased with myself to see this since occasionally in the past have taken flack for my "over" preparedness.
You are a human with some good sense JP1000.
Hiking alone is problematic period but the more so for the aging baby boomers (whom I dare say are the ones who really got the backpacking craze off the ground in terms of recognition and participation by and of the popular culture) trying to relive or revitalize their youth.
The woman in question was lacking in some good sense.
I have worked in remote areas the better part of my life, often alone. When alone I continuously stayed in touch with base using a two-way radio, checking in at sunrise and sunset. More recently the two-way radio was supplemented with a cell phone. Both are subject to "holes" or "blind spots" in the backcountry, and they are not always the same. So both if you can. But when hiking recreationally, nowadays ALWAYS a cell phone. Different carriers are better in the backcountry in different regions so if you plan to carry a cell phone for hiking, get the best carrier for your area, carry extra oversized cell phone batteries. For summer backpacking break out your winter polyester long johns and squirrel them away in the daypack. If you have to stay out overnight you can put them on, and they are not that heavy. A waterproof poncho is better than a blanket, even in the desert country. It gets cold at night in the desert country. In a pinch you can roll up in your poncho in your long johns and you'll be pretty good for most summer desert nights, even in the northern desert. The ordinary US military ones are about the best. Get a magnesium fire starter. Get the best headlamp you can get and get a flasher....they can be seen from quite a distance depending upon the terrain. Signal mirrors are fun.
She is going to be 60 years old, I am glad she is going to recover and I am glad she was smart enough to know how to do things right while lost in the desert or wilderness.
Exactly what did she do right?
Got lost.
Survived.
It's easy to second guess anyone. Personally, I'm happy she's alive and safe. This is a much better story, being she's okay. Her story educate us on a 6 mile hike in Utah.
All the lights were on, but no one was home.
ur 100 % correct nobody home but the lights and they weno out
Glad she's back home safe with her family. Nature can be so awe-inspiring at times that you loose track of time.
No matter how old or smart you think you are, always be prepared. Snacks, water, matches or lighter, appropriate clothing. Oh, and don't forget that ever important whistle. Loud, annoying and definitely will get someone's attention. You just never know.
Ditto everyone's comment about letting someone know where you are going and when you will be back when heading into the back country.
If you are traveling in this type of terrain always be prepared for the worse case scenario. Usually doesn't happen but good to know you are prepared in case it does.
. . .she didn't have food she did have water, and figured that could keep her going for days. "The thing I was worried about was hypothermia -- that that was going to kill me," she said.
Water only keeps you hydrated. Food provides calories for your body to burn, helping you survive cold temperatures and can help your body resist hypothermia. Shivering activates muscles, creating heat to warm the body. You need calories to fuel the muscles when they shiver. When you run out of calories (stored carbs, fat only burns efficiently under aerobic conditions), you can no longer maintain your body temperature.
the point is that you can survive only 3days without water, but go up to 3wks without food if hypothermia isn't the issue.
in usual circumstances, the order of things would be to have water before food. Particularly in a desert, so you can understand her comment surely.
it doesn't say why she didn't start a fire to keep warm...nothing at all to burn? or did she not even take matches, a lighter etc?
You can live for three days w/o food. FFS, talk to half of Africa.
Is this really a survival story? I mean, if you're gonna report this, you gotta report on "man nearly starves to death because he forgot to buy groceries" or "teen forgets house key and doesn't think to use cell phone to call mom, freezes to death on doorstep..."