E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSA woman who was trapped in the Sierra Mountains for nearly a week survived by seeking shelter inside a hollowed-out tree and eating tomatoes and snow. KCRA-TV's Sharokina Shams reports.
A Nevada woman was found by her brother shivering in a hollow tree this week after having survived for six days on tomatoes and snow in the wintry Sierra Nevada in California, relatives and authorities said. Her boyfriend died during the ordeal.
The woman, Paula Lane, 46, of Gardnerville, Nev., was described Friday as in stable condition with only minor frostbite at Carson-Tahoe Hospital in Carson City, Nev. Her doctor said she could go home as soon as Sunday.
"She was one very lucky person," said Dr. Vijay Maiya, who treated Lane after she was found Wednesday night by her brother, who had set out in the snow to look for her against his family's advice.
Lane and her boyfriend, Roderick Clifton, 44, of Citrus Heights, Calif., had diverted from their trip home to go four-wheeling in Clifton's Jeep on Nov. 29 when they got stuck in a snowdrift in Hope Valley, south of Lake Tahoe, according to Lane's family and Alpine County, Calif., sheriff's deputies.
Clifton left to seek help, they said, while Lane stayed put. But he never returned.
After a few days, Lane decided that she was on her own and set out on foot. As she hiked toward the highway, she found Clifton's body in the snow. She later took shelter in the well of a hollowed-out tree as another snowstorm moved through the area.
Lane's brother, Gary, found her off State Route 88 in Hope Valley. Their sister, Linda Hathaway, said she'd advised him not to risk it, "but he's going to do what he's going to do," she told NBC station KCRA of Sacramento, Calif.
Reunited at the hospital Thursday, "I gave her the biggest kiss I could without hurting her," Hathaway told reporters through tears Thursday.
"It's so hard as a family to sit there at home, waiting to hear news if they're gone or if they went over a cliff or somebody abducted them," Hathaway said. "You don’t know. Your mind plays so many things."
Clifton's daughter, Mariah Clifton, said she still couldn't quite believe her father hadn't made it.
"I kept thinking he was going to call and be like, 'Hey, call off all these news reporters and police officers. We have the car covered in leaves because I don't want another speeding ticket,'" she told NBC station KCRA of Sacramento, Calif.
KCRA: Woman saved by brother; man dies in Sierra
Rescuers said they had to use snowmobiles to get to Clifton's body. When they found the Jeep, it was buried under new snow.
Lane, however, had been remarkably lucky, having gotten out of the vehicle just in time, and with just enough supplies.
Octogenarian survives 5 days on windshield wiper fluid
"Before they went on their excursion, they had stopped by some family members' houses and apparently, they had gotten some tomatoes. She sustained herself on tomatoes and snow," Maiya said Thursday at the news conference at the hospital.
"Her toes were a little on the bluish side for lack of oxygen," but "they've re-warmed nicely, and she's doing well," he said, adding that Lane could be home with her 11-year-old twin children by the end of the weekend.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- 2012 warmest year in US? Odds rise to 99.7 percent
- Buzzkill: Feds fire warning shot over pot legalization
- Abortion mandate costs Planned Parenthood a few affiliates
- Contest to kill Burmese pythons in Everglades includes $1,500 grand prizes
- Video: $45 million worth of cocaine hauled in from sea
Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Leave a Comment:
It is fishy. With all the technology out there...why couldn't the authorities find her?? Her brother goes right to her..
Also, SHE found her boyfriend's body...hmmm
Hey, it was the boyfriend's bright idea to go "4 wheeling"! THEN he leaves the vehicle, which is no no #2. How can all of this be her fault? Sounds to me like it's all his fault!
Yea and just over a few articles all the dopes are talking about man made global warming and how balmy it is outside. All over the country except where this women is lost, kind of unluckey for her that she couldn't get lost where it is nice and warm. What say all you nut jobs that walk among us, never mind I hear your bs everyday.
this story is not over
What u fail to understand and r ignorant of is that we are in a spiritual warfare. It's not about us against them it is Satan against God. Satan goes about to beguile and devour men and women lives to do what is pleasing to the flesh. Mankind will desire all kinds of evils and act upon them by the influence of Satan and his demons. God has given us Jesus Christ who sacrificed himself for our sins and to set us free from the bondage of Satan. Only by repentance and faith in Christ and his atoning work on the cross and being raised the third day can one have victory over the desires of the felsh. Why do u think we have all kinds of evil acts in the world. Child molestion, killing, drugs, gay lifestyle and a host of other sins that we do and enjoy doing it. God loves all people and wants them to be saved. That is why he sent his son Jesus into this world to redeem mankind from the power of spiritual wickedness that has people in bondage to sin. We will never be perfect on this earth but we will have God helping us by the power of His Holy Spirit once we are saved by placing our trust and faith in Christ and reading the Bible to increase in faith and to know right from wrong and by prayer ask God to help us to overcome sin in our lives. Christians are not perfect people and never will be on as long as we r living in this fleshly body. Gay marriage and being gay is sin just like adultery,fornication and other sinful acts we do as people. Only Christ can set u free. Being gay is a choice. Satan is the god of this world and does everything he can to destroy people's lives and do what is contrary to God's word.
NewSur stands for NewbeginingSurvivalist. I am prepared for just about anything from loss of income to nuclear warfare. I keep a GetHomeBag in my Jeep at all times and am prepared to get home if I have to abandon my Jeep. Even the most prepared can be blindsided. I believe survival is not only determined by how prepared you are but your determination/mindset. They were obviously not prepared. She sounds like a strong willed lady. I admire her determination.
Umm Realtalk: What does being white have to do with anything..And I suppose if you are not white, you CAN survive the Sierras? This is a good lesson for all...at the cost of someones son, brother, Uncle, or whatever. No one deserves any ill befall them. That's the trouble with this world..people like you with so much hatred; racism..get some LOVE..Thank God she made it for her twins at home. My condolences to the family of this man, may he RIP; he went out to try and save her. Hindsight is 20/20..not everyone is educated in survival skills and even the best professionals have had freak accidents like skiers who have fallen into a "tree well"...if you know backcountry snow. Grow up and get a life and say something intelligent..We don't want to hear your ugliness.
Getting off the beaten path is a huge temptation, even though people know it is dangerous. The air is sweet and clean, sweeter and cleaner than any other place or any other time. It's quite easy to find yourself much farther off the path than you intended to ever go, simply because of the grandeur of the surroundings.
Since I was not with them, just as none of you were, my first assumption was that the man though he could get out and bring help, and that his girlfriend would be safer with the vehicle, just in case. Appear to be pretty sound judgement, even looking in retrospect.
The second storm was most likely the killing blow, as it were. Once you have a substantial snow pack, even a few more inches in the high country even for the professionals can be deadly. The slightest misstep is all it takes.
My heart goes out to these two and their friends and family. I've never lived in the Sierras, but spent years in the California mountains, where mountains with names like Devil's Backbone were common, and for good reason. Nature can be, and frequently is, capricious and completely unforgiving of even the slightest error in judgement.
In closing, I saw many good suggestions regarding preparedness, but would add a small backpacker's tent, with a tarp for cover and another for a base, a set of nesting camping cooking gear, a small pocket stove, and the chemical firestarter tabs that are easily available at most military surplus stores. They're good for heating food, starting a fire even in a snowstorm, and just handy to have around. The heater bags from MRE's can also be used as a heat source, and they're compact, easy to use, and last for years. Small envelopes of soups, instant tea and coffee, cocoa, all kinds of things can be rolled up and tucked into a coffee can and be completely forgotten until you need them to save your life. Small packs of powdered milk, instant potatoes, and powdered butter substitute can make a pretty satisfying meal, if you're really hungry, and again they pack well and stay good for long periods.
Of course, extra clothes and such are a given, but one thing that people seem to overlook is a flare gun. Whistles are good, flare guns can be epic LOL....and they can direct searchers right to you.
Good suggestions at the end of your post for things to carry. Even if you don't live in the mountains, if you are traveling over a mountain pass anyplace, you could find trouble fast. Pack some essentials in your car for survival and don't go off the beaten path without maps, telling someone where you going, and gps. Remember you will need warm clothes, shelter, food, water, and heat. While it may sound like an adventure, you may be leaving your spouse as a widow, your children as orphans, and your parents broken hearted. Don't do it.
Once again, a stupid man who thinks because he has 4 wheel drive can go off into lala land and dies.....oh, and with absolutely no survival gear or food in their possession....except tomatoes. How many times does this have to happen before you guys will get a clue?
A higher power at work here as I see it. God Bless her brother for not giving up on her when everyone else did.
lp......
You sound like someone who has been on far too many Search & Rescue missions and helped retrieve too many bodies. My first week in the CA High Country, Forest Service, state LEOs, county LEOs, and tribal police along with several other groups had to drag some guy out of an area so dense and so deep that even with them knowing the entire area like the back of their hands, still tied up hundreds of people for more than ten days of looking for him. On about the sixth or seventh day I talked to one of the S&R guys who had just made it back into the town for the first time since being deployed the first day, and I asked him if he thought the guy would walk out or if they were going to bring him out. He wiped some of the grime off his face, looked at me and said, "Oh, we'll bring him out. After all this, if he walks out I'll drag him back in and carry him out myself." Having seen the shape these professional search and rescue people were in themselves, I had no problem understanding his reasoning. This guy was, according to the news sources, "a well experienced hiker".
Despite that, he took off for Devil's Backbone with at most a day's worth of food and one change of clothes.
In spite of, I'm sure, wanting to throttle the guy they were jubilant when they did find him because they were bringing him out alive rather than in pieces, which we both know can literally happen. I heard the lecture he got though, and it sounded a lot like you, magnified by about ten.....and rightfully so.
what happened 2 her companion ?
He died.
I have to say - those emergency mylar blankets can be a lifesaver in times like this. They cost about a dollar & change (you can get a 10 pack for about $12 online) and they are small enough when folded to keep several in your glove box. I'm not saying this poor man wouldn't have died if they had these but this woman would have had an easier go of it.