Following 24 days trapped in California’s harsh Sierra Nevada wilderness, Tiffany Slaton’s voice overcame the telephone line with four concise words that relieved her anxious family of all their fears:
“Dad, I’m alive.”
The 28-year-old Jeffersonville, Georgia native survived an unimaginable nightmare, riding out 13 snowstorms and sustaining severe injuries after losing all of her equipment. Her story is a testament to human determination and the desire to survive.
Experienced outdoorswoman Tiffany Slaton, who is pursuing medical school soon, embarked on April 14th 2025 for a three-day solo camping excursion to Mono Hot Springs in Sierra Nevada. With an electric bike and two sleeping bags, as well as a tent, she set out to complete an item on her bucket list prior to embarking on her studies. Her family’s last communication with Tiffany took place on April 20th and after nine days without hearing from her, her parents Bobby and Fredrina Slaton reported her missing on April 29th.
Early in her journey, disaster struck. Slaton fell off a cliff, losing consciousness for two hours. Upon waking, she faced injuries to both legs, requiring her to splint one and realign her dislocated knee. An avalanche blocked her return path, and with no cell service, her five attempts to call 911 failed. Her GPS, in a cruel twist, could only direct her to a Starbucks 18 miles away.
For the next 24 days, Slaton endured temperatures as low as 20°F and traversed elevations up to 11,000 feet. She survived 13 snowstorms, which battered the Sierra Nevada during an unusually stormy spring. Having lost her tent as well as her sleeping bags and her bicycle, she survived on a lighter and a blade. Utilizing her horticultural training, she foraged for wild leeks, melted snow for water, and brewed tea using pine needles and manzanita. To maintain her mental fortitude, she kept a daily journal, driven by her desire to reunite with her family before her May 15 birthday.
On May 14, 2025, Christopher Gutierrez, owner of Vermilion Valley Resort near Lake Edison, checked his property and found Slaton in a cabin he had left unlocked for emergencies. Dehydrated and with minor eye damage from snow glare, she ran to Gutierrez, asking for a hug.
“When the door opened, I saw the best sleeping bag in the world,”
Slaton said. She was found 45 miles from her last known location, having traveled through treacherous terrain. Medics treated her, and her bloodwork, remarkably, showed good health due to her foraged diet.
The phone call she made to her father, “Dad, I’m alive,” signaled an end to weeks of anguish for her family. The rescue operation over more than 600 square miles and 4,300 miles on foot, by car and by plane, had been one of the largest in recent memory. Rescuers faced harsh weather and rugged terrain, making her discovery all the more miraculous. Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni called her a “fighter,” describing her survival as “an incredible story of perseverance” at a May 16 press conference.
Slaton’s story captured widespread attention, with X posts praising her resilience. One user, @SyedRafi_SR, wrote,
“Tiffany Slaton’s survival skills are amazing. Three weeks in the Fresno mountains is no joke”
Another, @DetroitBabalawo, called it “incredible,” highlighting her fight against nature’s challenges.
