A Georgia woman missing for weeks in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains said she endured an avalanche and survived by eating wild leeks and drinking snowmelt before rescuers found her this week inside a snow-covered cabin.
Tiffany Slaton shared her intense survival story during a Friday press conference, standing alongside her parents and law enforcement. She also described being immobilized after a severe fall.
“When I fell off of this cliff, I was unconscious for about two hours and did indeed need to splint one of my legs and popped the other knee back into place,” Slaton said. “From there, I couldn’t actually get back onto the road, the main road was blocked because of the avalanche that I had been in.”
Slaton said she attempted to call 911 multiple times but couldn’t get through. Although she had GPS access, the only directions she received were to the nearest Starbucks—a path she described as a “long, arduous journey.”
By the fifth day, she had run out of food. A trained nutritionist, Slaton said she curbed her hunger by foraging wild leeks and boiling snowmelt. She also brewed tea using manzanita and pine needles.
“The [Sierra] has a large selection of leeks that is hard to find in other places,” Slaton said. “I managed to survive off of these leeks and boiling the snowmelt for a very long period of time.”
Originally setting out on a camping trip, she packed two sleeping bags and a tent. At some point, she lost both sleeping bags and the tent, leaving her with only a lighter and a knife.
“I’m pretty good at forging, and nature is quite terrifying, so usually once you start finding things that are scary for you, you do your best to keep moving and get over it,” she said.
The owner of Vermilion Valley Resort discovered her inside a cabin on Wednesday. The next day, she turned 28.
“That was the 13th heavy snowstorm I had been in,” Slaton said, adding that she’s also an archery teacher and athlete. “If he hadn’t come that day, they would’ve found my body there.”
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