Talk about a fight for survival. A California woman survived for days out in the wilderness. Yet, miraculously, she survived her ordeal.
No one had seen the woman since the end of August. She disappeared from a campground. According to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, in a news release, authorities found the woman "severely dehydrated and emaciated." But she was alive!
24-year-old Esmeralda Marie Pineda disappeared from a mining camp on August 26. It was located in a remote area near Nevada City, which is 60 miles northeast of Sacramento. Upon realizing the woman was missing, the authorities were alerted. Search and rescue crews started combing the area looking for the woman.
However, their search was hampered by the terrain. Authorities described the area as "treacherous." Search and rescue volunteers had to "repel into and out of the canyon to look for her." The area was remote with many hills, rocks, and a rocky canyon. Authorities started using off-road vehicles to comb the area for the missing woman as well.
Woman Survives In Wilderness
All this made finding the woman difficult. As the days went by, the chance of finding Pineda alive started to dwindle. After all, the wilderness can be unforgiven. Temperatures this summer have also been sweltering. So it makes the woman's survival all that more miraculous. Authorities found her on Friday. She had been missing for two weeks. The woman was on the top of the river canyon. She was in the area near where she went missing.
Ultimately, authorities had to airlift the woman to a hospital. They described her as dehydrated and emaciated from being outside. They didn't reveal if she had any other injuries.
"The Sheriff's Office and our search and rescue volunteers covered extensive ground throughout our search, and we are thankful today to find her alive," said Sgt. Dustin Moe. Additionally, the officer said that they were unsure how she survived for so long in the wilderness. But he attributed it to her being good at survival.
"Who knows? I mean, maybe she had good survival instincts," Moe said.
