Details of how a woman survived 48 days in the Wilderness.

[Feuer Frei!]

TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- "Never give up. Never lose your faith. Miracles happen. Never underestimate that," said Raymond Chretien. His mother was found alive after 48 days in the wilderness. She was taken to a Twin Falls hospital where she is in surprisingly fair condition.
Family members say Rita Chretien and her husband, Albert, wanted to take the scenic route as they were on their way from Canada to Las Vegas. But after getting lost and stuck, that scenic route turned into a life-changing ordeal that lasted 48 days for Rita.
"The map led them to believe, rightly or wrongly, that the road was a much safer road than it was," said Raymond Chretien.
That road turned out to be not much more than some tire tracks in the mountains of northern Nevada. Rita and Albert Chretien got stuck miles from civilization. After three days, Albert set out for help.
"They were clearly out in the middle of nowhere," said Raymond Chretien. "I know my father. He wanted to get help, and he had about 27 miles to go, maybe a three-day trek to find help."
Albert didn't find help, and the search for him continues.

Rita never left the area around the van. For 48 days, she waited and made due with limited supplies.
"She had a small amount of trail mix that lasted a week, a tablespoon a day," said Raymond Chretien. "A couple fish oil pills a day, and a hard candy a day, and the melted snow and water she got from the stream or mud puddle or whatever it was; that's what kept her going. She's a Christian, she reads her Bible every day. She had books she was reading, she had time to think and pray."
Rita tried to start a fire a few times, but everything was just too wet.
While waiting for rescue, she said a favorite scripture of hers was Psalm 86. The 2nd verse reads, "Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you -- you are my God."
"She definitely had hope, but of course, just like with us, every day that goes by, you start preparing yourself for both options," said Raymond Chretien.
Her doctor, James Westberry, said she didn't have much time left.

"Maybe a few days, maybe not much more than that," Westberry said. "She was definitely getting somewhat toward the end."


SOURCE

[CCIP]

It's really remarkable how she's made it through this. You gotta admit that though she was out of options, staying put and rationing what she had left took a lot of strength on her part. Amazing what the human mind and body can do to keep it together sometimes in such circumstances.

I really fear the worst for her husband though

[Torplexed]

Tragic story proving that you can still get yourself hopelessly lost in this modern era. Maps and GPS devices often fail to indicate that a road is seasonal or unpaved, leading drivers to get in over their heads since the temptation is to keep going rather than admit to defeat by turning around. Once they are in trouble, they are often out of cellular coverage as well. Not all access roads or logging roads get mapped and so if you're navigating by counting side roads, you can be misled. I've done it myself on a road that looked well-maintained for as far as I could see from the highway -- and then it abruptly petered out.

I'm glad Mrs. Chretien is okay, but I don't have much hope for her husband at this point. He set with the GPS device, but an old fashioned compass might have been better.

[Gerald]

Like, I have often noted that GPS is not always up to scratch, so to have, an ordinary decent compass is never wrong,

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by CCIP

I really fear the worst for her husband though

It would take a bigger miracle than she got for him to turn up alive.

The temperatures have been quite low there - still in the 30s and 40s during night even in mid May.

He has likely succumbed to the cold conditions.

Even someone with the proper equipment, food and water would consider it to be a daunting task to hike out of that on foot.

This poor guy probably had on a decent pair of shoes, slacks and perhaps a sweater... thats it. And without a compass, he likely walked in large circles depending on the condition of the road he had to follow.

I've been on some of those mountainous dirt roads a few times but wouldn't dare attempt it alone if i didnt have to, if you dont watch it you will be following a dry creek bed or a stretch of land that appears to be a rutted out dirt road but isn't - for miles you might follow it before you realize your error.

I hate to say it, but he probably walked in desperation as far as he could stand to carry himself on day one (possibly day two as well) stopped in exhaustion around nightfall, and died of exposure in the best possible "sheltered" location he could find.

often thats what people do, they huddle up somewhere under a ledge, in a small closet sized "cave", in a grove of bushes etc and as a result it makes them incredibly difficult to find.

when in doubt... stick to those paved roads. They are paved because they are frequented; that way if you have trouble, it is unlikely that it will be very long before someone comes along.

[Growler]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

when in doubt... stick to those paved roads. They are paved because they are frequented; that way if you have trouble, it is unlikely that it will be very long before someone comes along.

Best rule.

As my wife likes to say, "Shortcuts - aren't."

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

"The map led them to believe, rightly or wrongly, that the road was a much safer road than it was," said Raymond Chretien.

I suppose the moral of the story is: If you're going way off the beaten path, never rely on just a map but also stop and ask a local.

Wonderful survival story for the wife. Shame about the husband though.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Vendor

Like, I have often noted that GPS is not always up to scratch, so to have, an ordinary decent compass is never wrong,

Actually the Earth's magnetic field is constantly shifting and can be subject to local variances. GPS birds are on constant orbits, its the programmer of the GPS that is wrong.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Actually the Earth's magnetic field is constantly shifting and can be subject to local variances. GPS birds are on constant orbits, its the programmer of the GPS that is wrong.

It's also important to remember that GPS is reliable only if it has good signal to four or more satellites. With just three error propability is large. With one or two it's same as if those satellites does not exist at all.

In mountainous terrain good signal is far from guaranteed.