Tiffany Slaton, 28, said she has always had a love of foraging, gardening and outdoor adventures.
But her survival instincts and knowledge of nature were put to the test when she was lost in the mountains of Fresno, California, for nearly three weeks and was finally found alive on Wednesday.
Slaton spoke to reporters during a press conference on Friday about her experience that started out as a three-day solo camping trip and ended as a survival mission.
“I may never do a vacation longer than three days ever again,” she said on Friday.
Tiffany Slaton speaks out after surviving in the mountains of Fresno, California, for nearly three weeks.
Pool via ABC News
Slaton, from Jeffersonville, Georgia, was first reported missing by her parents on April 29 after they had not heard from her for nine days, officials said.
At the start of her camping trip, she recounted to reporters how she had fallen off a cliff and became unconscious for two hours, injuring both of her legs in the process. Slaton, who is a trained horticulturist and “pre-Olympian” in archery, then proceeded to splint one of her legs and “pop another knee back into place,” she said.
Due to a recent avalanche, she was unable to get back onto the main road and was unsuccessful in reaching 911 due to a lack of cell service.
Thus, she began her “long arduous journey” of attempting to get back to civilization, which included fighting off animals, surviving on leeks and boiled snow, hiking peaks up to 11,000 feet high and suffering through 13 heavy snow storms, she said.
“Nature is quite terrifying. Once you start finding things that are scary for you, you do your best to keep moving and get over it.” Slaton said.
Although she began her “vacation” with a tent, two sleeping bags and her bicycle, she was only able to hold onto a lighter and a knife for most of her journey.
Throughout her time alone in the wilderness, she kept thinking she would rather “live than have to deal with my parents seeing that I failed in such a dumb way” and that she was determined to be reunited with her family before her birthday, which was on Thursday.
Tiffany Slaton was found alive after being missing for three weeks in Fresno, California, according to police.
Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
From May 6 to May 10, officials conducted search and rescue efforts looking for the 28-year-old, police said. But with a search spanning nearly 600 square miles and no confirmed sightings of her since April 24, police said they had decided on Tuesday to scale back their efforts.
Then on Wednesday, her parents, Bobby and Fredrina Slaton, received a phone call from none other than their daughter Tiffany, saying, “Dad, I’m alive.”
The missing camper had fought through a blizzard and found shelter in an unlocked cabin at a resort near Lake Edison, officials said.
Officials said resort owner Christopher Gutierrez had “left a cabin unlocked as a precaution for this exact situation where someone who is lost could seek shelter and increase their chances of surviving the outdoor elements and harsh weather.”
When she came across this cabin, Slaton said she thought she was hallucinating and that she had “managed to make it to the North Pole.”
“When the door opened, I saw the best sleeping bag in the world,” Slaton said.
Gutierrez discovered Slaton when he arrived at the resort to open up the place for the summer, he told reporters on Wednesday.
“As soon as I saw her, she didn’t say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug. It was a pretty surreal moment,” Gutierrez said.
Slaton said, “If he hadn’t come that day, they would have found my body there.”
Gutierrez said he knew that there had been a missing hiker in the area and called the sheriff’s office to say he had found Slaton.
Slaton told Gutierrez that “all she wanted was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
Deputies confirmed the woman was Slaton, who was then examined by medics and treated for dehydration, according to officials.
Officials said that Slaton, who they described as a “fighter,” was found approximately 45 miles from where she was last seen.
Slaton, who was wearing sunglasses during the press conference, said she has experienced eye damage due to the snowy conditions along with a few minor cuts and burns. She also said she had lost about 10 pounds after being in the wilderness for 20 days, yet her blood work came back “perfect” due to her foraging skills.
Fredrina Slaton said she is “very proud” of her daughter’s survival, but “will be prouder when she gets a GPS.”
Tiffany Slaton will travel back home to Georgia with her family as she continues to recover. She said she journaled the whole adventure and plans on going through that documentation as she adjusts back to reality.