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Sierra Nevada snowstorm: Woman survives 3 weeks by foraging and melting snow

Updated on: 18 May,2025 10:07 AM IST  |  Los Angeles
Agencies |

“If he hadn’t come that day, I think they would have found my body there,” Slaton said, referring to Gutierrez. When she saw Gutierrez, she ran up to him to give him a hug. “I really do have a new faith in humanity,” Slaton said

Sierra Nevada snowstorm: Woman survives 3 weeks by foraging and melting snow

Tiffany Slaton survived for weeks in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada after a solo camping trip went wrong during harsh winter weather. Pic/X@FresnoSheriff

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A 28-year-old woman, Tiffany Slaton, survived for three weeks in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada by foraging for food and drinking melted snow after a solo camping trip went wrong during harsh snowstorm. Slaton described her ordeal at a news conference with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, two days after being found in an unlocked cabin left by the owner for hikers in need. She had been there only eight hours before the owner arrived. She was caught in an avalanche at one point, injuring her leg. Although she had a bicycle, tent, two sleeping bags, and food, she lost all her equipment except a lighter, knife, and some snacks. After falling, she tried calling 911 five times without success but maintained a GPS signal on her phone.

Slaton journalled throughout her arduous journey to keep sane and eventually managed to reach civilisation. “I ended up on this very long, arduous journey that I journalled to try and keep sane and eventually managed to get to civilisation,” she said. The cabin was more than 32 km from where she was last seen, with up to 12 feet of snow in the mountains. The owner of Vermilion Valley Resort, Christopher Gutierrez, said his staff left cabin doors unlocked during the winter in case someone needed shelter during the frequent mountain snowstorms. 


Authorities called her survival stunning. “I would have never anticipated her in my wildest dreams being able to get back as far as she did,” Sheriff John Zanoni said. 
Slaton was last seen April 20 near Huntington Lake on a security camera riding a bicycle. Her parents reported her missing April 29. Slaton’s athleticism and foraging skills helped her survive until found in the cabin. 


“If he hadn’t come that day, I think they would have found my body there,” Slaton said, referring to Gutierrez. When she saw Gutierrez, she ran up to him to give him a hug. “I really do have a new faith in humanity,” Slaton said.

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