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Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
California hiker who fell off cliff and survived three weeks in wilderness hit by shocking claim
A hiker who was found after falling off a cliff and surviving for three weeks in the California wilderness has been called out by skeptics who are questioning if she's telling the truth about her journey. Tiffany Slaton, 28, was reported missing by her family on April 29 after not hearing from her for nine days, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said. The department then sent out several alerts about her disappearance and called on the public to look out for her, as one tip confirmed she was last seen at Huntington Lake on April 20. Slaton, of Jeffersonville, Georgia was on a solo trip through the Sierra Nevada when she said she suddenly became lost after falling off a cliff. After her fall, Slaton said she endured a treacherous three weeks before she was finally found on May 14. She was located inside a cabin at the Vermilion Valley Resort near Lake Edison, the sheriff's office said. Despite making it out of the situation alive, many are now wondering if Slaton's shocking survival journey is truthful and if her family's fundraising motives were created with the right intentions. 'I'm glad to see that other people don't believe this story. So many things don't add up, I hope this office investigates fully since resources were used,' one commenter said. 'Something's very off about the story. I don't believe her at all. I think she's just looking for fame or money,' wrote another. 'It's embarrassing to think people believe someone fell off a cliff, survived 2 hours unconscious (guess she was timing it), popped her knee back into place, and traveled 20 miles after splinting her leg,' another wrote. While many are unsure if the story is factual or fictional, a lot of people stood up for Slaton after she returned home. 'The kid went on an adventure with no reception. It's not her fault search and rescue crews didn't listen to the family and found her weeks later,' someone said. Another stated: 'Tiffany is a true survivor and fighter to the end. Sounds like a movie in the making.' After falling from a cliff, Slaton said she was unable to return to the main road because she was then hit by an avalanche, causing her to fall unconscious for two hours. When she finally woke up, she realized she injured herself and went on to splint one of her legs and pop her knee back into place, she recalled. She then proceeded on her journey, where she made it through 13 snowstorms, two landslides, had to eat wild leeks, boil snow melt for drinking water, and also got her tent, electric bike, phone and two sleeping bags stolen, according to the hiker. She also recalled being unable to contact 911 but was somehow able to get GPS information from a Starbucks location, leaving skeptics even more confused. 'I eventually got mad at my GPS and decided to ask, "Well, where is the nearest Starbucks?",' she said at the news conference. 'It was like, "Oh, well, we can answer that question. It's 18 miles from here".' A GoFundMe page set up by her parents was officially shut down on Monday after an influx of speculation crowded the family. 'The donations feature is closed but kind words are welcomed,' the page read. Her parents still noted that the family is 'in need of financial help for any and all expenses while we are in California.' Slaton's father, Bobby Slaton, previously called out the skeptics on the donation page, writing: 'Believe it or not, we even thank those who have questioned the merit of the events — That is what makes miracles so unbelievable.' Online users aren't the only ones who don't quite understand Slaton's story, as Howie Schwartz, an experienced Sierra mountain guide, shared the same concerns. Schwartz told the Los Angeles Times he understands her getting lost in the wilderness, but the rest isn't quite adding up. 'It doesn't seem like a story you can really wrap your head around,' he said. 'Falling off a cliff, having to splint her leg. You don't splint your leg unless your leg is broken and if your leg is broken, you're not walking miles on it.' Schwartz was actually in the area guiding a five-day ski trip in the Mono Recesses in the Sierra while Slaton was missing. He told the outlet he recalled seeing helicopters searching for her at the time. The expert said the area still experienced late-season snow storms around this time of year, but the elevation near Huntington and Edison lakes is low enough that only rain would come down. Tony Botti, a spokesperson for the sheriff's department, told the outlet they still don't have a full understanding of what exactly happened to Slaton out in the wilderness. 'We can only work with the information she told us because there are no other independent witnesses,' Botti said. 'If there are inaccuracies or embellishments, we really can't do anything about it.' Meanwhile, Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni praised Slaton for her 'incredible story of perseverance, determination and survival,' adding that it resembles 'something that you may see on TV that they would make movies about.' Christopher Gutierrez, the resort owner who found her taking refuge in the cabin, echoes Zanoni's response. 'She has stories, she could write a book. It's just unbelievable,' he said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Missing camper explains how she survived 3 weeks lost in Sierra Nevada
The Brief Tiffany Slaton, of Georgia, recounted how she survived three weeks injured and lost in the Sierra. The 27-year-old was located on May 14 after disappearing on a solo camping trip, She endured harsh and snow conditions. FRESNO, Calif. - The survival story of a missing camper who spent nearly three weeks lost in the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains has stunned even the most experienced rescuers. What we know The tale of Tiffany Slaton, which includes battling blizzards, injury, hunger, and isolation, is one reminiscent of the competition game shows Survivor or Alone. Though the 27-year-old's story isn't Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said, it's an "incredible story of perseverance, determination and survival."Slaton, of Jeffersonville, Georgia, had been on a solo camping trip through the Sierra National Forest, part of a "bucket list" adventure before setting off to medical school. Her journey began April 14 in the Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake areas. She traveled by electric bike with basic gear, including two sleeping bags and a tent. She made it as far as Kaiser Pass, at an elevation of about 9,000 feet, and also passed through the Edison Lake and Golden Lake areas. At one point, Slaton fell off the side of a mountain. She later told reporters at a news conference on Friday she was unconscious for nearly two hours. She said she had to splint one leg and pop the other back into place herself. "Thinking of going over Kaiser Pass, and there is somewhere between 10 and 12 feet of snow. The road hadn't even been plowed yet at the time that she went over," Zanoni said. Slaton ultimately had to abandon her electric bike at the trailhead for Hopkins Lake. An avalanche blocked the road, and though she tried calling 911 repeatedly, the calls didn't go through. Her GPS suggested the nearest Starbucks was 18 miles away — closer than the nearest trail entrance. That's when the most intense phase of her survival began. Dig deeper She endured dehydration, hunger, extreme sun exposure that damaged her eyes, and brutal snowstorms — all while suffering from Ballerina Syndrome, a rare condition that prevents her from keeping her heels on the ground. She ran out of most of her food within five days. Her family last heard from her on April 20 and reported her missing on April 29. Search crews began a massive effort, covering 600 square miles between May 6 and 10. What they're saying "I managed to survive off of these leeks and boiling the snowmelt for a very long period of time," Slaton said. A traveling dialysis technician, archery coach, and permaculturist, Slaton attributes her survival to both her physical conditioning and life skills she learned growing up on her family's small farm in Georgia. She was finally found on May 15 by Christopher Gutierrez and his employees at the Vermilion Valley Resort near Mono Hot Springs. The resort had been snowed in, but once roads were cleared that day, Gutierrez visited the property to begin summer preparations. During the check, they noticed a door open at one of the rentals, known as the Boat House. "I see some shoes down there, and I'm like, okay, well, it's just a hiker who decided to hold up in the blizzard that we had that previous night and so as soon as we start making our way there, here comes Tiffany pops out deer in the headlights," Gutierrez shared in a news conference on Wednesday. He recounted the powerful moment she saw him and his workers. "Didn't say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug," the resort owner shared, "And it was a pretty surreal moment." Slaton told reporters that if Gutierrez hadn't found her when he did, she would have been dead after enduring 13 grueling snowstorms. "I would not be here," she said. "It was going to be the last one if he hadn't have come that day. They would have found my body there." Gutierrez drove Slaton to a staging area, where deputies met her. Despite surviving an avalanche, two landslides, and more than a dozen heavy snowstorms, Slaton's injuries were limited to small cuts, burns, and eye damage from sun exposure. "Nothing that I don't think time will be able to heal," she said. At the back of her mind throughout the ordeal was one goal: to get back to her family in time for her birthday. She was found on May 14 — and the next day, her actual birthday, she was reunited with her family in California. The Source Information for this story came from the Fresno County Sheriff's Office and Tiffany Slaton.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- New York Times
She Vanished for 3 Weeks in the Sierra. Then the Phone Rang: ‘Dad, I'm Alive.'
The resort, nestled in the wilds of the Sierra in California, caters to guests looking for an 'off-grid getaway.' For several months of the year, it is virtually inaccessible, the roads cut off by snow and ice, just like they were during a blizzard this week. It's not unusual for bears to invite themselves into the tents at the Vermilion Valley Resort, but one of the cabins was unexpectedly occupied on Wednesday when the resort's owner, Christopher Gutierrez, went to check on the property. 'We see the door open,' Mr. Gutierrez recalled. 'And I see some shoes down there. I'm like OK, well, it's just a hiker who just decided to' take shelter from the blizzard the night before. The person who emerged was Tiffany Slaton, a camper from Georgia who had been missing for more than three weeks and had been the focus of an intense search of roughly 600 square miles of the Sierra. 'She pops out,' he said at a news conference on Wednesday announcing that Ms. Slaton had been found. 'Didn't say a word. Just ran up, and all she wanted was a hug.' Ms. Slaton, who turned 28 on Thursday, was dehydrated but in otherwise good condition, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Department, which said that she had been taken to a hospital for treatment and observation. Efforts to reach Ms. Slaton, who told rescuers that she had survived by eating leeks, were not immediately successful. It had been 24 days since Ms. Slaton had gone camping alone more than 40 miles southwest of the resort, setting out on an electric bike and towing a cargo trailer in the Sierra National Forest, the authorities said. Her family reported her missing several days later, prompting a lengthy search effort. Her parents, Bobby and Fredrina Slaton, who live in Jeffersonville, Ga., said during the news conference that they had feared that they would never be reunited with their daughter. But then, as they were shopping for warmer clothes to travel to California while the search was continuing, Mr. Slaton's phone rang. 'She said, 'Dad, I'm alive, and I'm sorry,' ' Mr. Slaton said. 'I asked who was this. And she says, 'This is Tiffany,' and that was it. I just thank God for that moment. Those prayers were answered.' Mr. Slaton added that he began to cry and that a weight had been lifted. 'This has to be the third or fourth best day of our lives after our children's birth,' he said. Ms. Slaton said she was so elated that she approached a stranger in the store. 'I just grabbed somebody and said, 'Can I hug you?' ' she said. 'I needed to hug somebody.' The Slatons, who have a small farm, said that their daughter had spent a lot of time outdoors growing up and had experience foraging. She has a degree in nutrition sciences and worked as a dialysis technician, according to her LinkedIn profile. Tony Botti, a spokesman for the Fresno County Sheriff's Department, said during the news conference that it was rare for someone to survive so long alone in the Sierra. In the past decade, he said, one woman who was missing for nine days with a broken leg used a water bottle to fetch water from a creek before being found. Another woman, he added, hunkered down in a restroom until she was rescued. 'You just don't see these survivalist stories,' Mr. Botti said. 'She's a fighter. She's not going to give up. She's going to live off the land.' Mr. Gutierrez, who found Tiffany Slaton at the cabin, described her demeanor as a 'deer in headlights.' 'One of the first questions was, 'What day is it?' ' he said. Ms. Slaton was not aware of the extensive search that had been going on and was worried about upsetting her father. 'She says she's going to be in trouble,' Mr. Gutierrez said. The cabin where Ms. Slaton waited out the blizzard is described on the resort's website as a 'cozy getaway' on the edge of a lake. It rents for about $190 a night in season. Although the resort was still closed, Mr. Gutierrez said, the cabin was kept unlocked — just for this sort of situation. 'She pushed through that blizzard, and the first thing she saw was a cabin,' he said, adding that Ms. Slaton had abandoned most of her belongings, save for a sleeping bag. And she had hunger pangs. Not for leeks. 'All she wanted,' he said, 'was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.'
