Missing Georgia hiker found safe after surviving weeks in California mountains

Missing Georgia hiker found alive in cabin

A Georgia woman who went missing while on a hike in California was found safe nearly three weeks after her disappearance.

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. - A Georgia woman who vanished while on a hike in California has been found alive after nearly three weeks.

Tiffany Slaton's family calls it a miracle that she was able to find shelter and survive in the remote wilderness.

The backstory:

Slaton's parents reported her missing on April 29 after not hearing from her for nine days. The Fresno County Sheriff’s office launched a search, and deputies and volunteers scoured more than 600 square miles of the Sierra National Forest, with no luck. Searchers were hampered by heavy snow blocking many roads.

On Monday, the sheriff’s office announced it was scaling back the search effort. Two days later, she was found.

Tiffany Slaton was missing for nearly three weeks in the remote California wilderness. (Fresno County Sheriff's Office)

What we know:

It was an intentional act by someone Slaton didn't even know that possibly saved her life.

When the Vermilion Valley Resort in California’s eastern Sierra shut down for the winter, the staff left the resort's cabin doors unlocked just in case a wayward hiker needed shelter during the frequent mountain snowstorms. 

Owner Christopher Gutierrez spotted a cabin door ajar and a pair of shoes nearby when he arrived Wednesday morning to begin reopening the resort for spring. Suddenly, he saw a young woman appear in the doorway.

"She pops out, didn’t say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug," Gutierrez said during a Wednesday evening news conference. "It was a pretty surreal moment, and that’s when I realized who this was."

Gutierrez gave Slaton a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and called authorities, who brought her to a hospital for evaluation. She was hungry and dehydrated, but otherwise in good condition, sheriff’s officials said.

What they're saying:

Sheriff’s spokesperson Tony Botti said it was the longest period of time he’s seen someone be missing in the wilderness and survive.

"Three weeks, it’s unheard of," he said. "It speaks to the tenacity that Tiffany has, that she’s a fighter."

Authorities say that Slaton was spotted around April 20 near Huntington Lake, more than 20 miles to the southwest of the cabin. Botti said sheriff’s officials planned to interview Slaton to learn the details of her experience, and how she survived in icy conditions at elevations topping 6,500 feet.

The other side:

Across the country in Jeffersonville, Georgia, Slaton's parents were out shopping when they got word that their daughter had been found.

"I just grabbed somebody and I said, ‘Can I hug you?’ And I did," said her mother, Fredrina Slaton. "I was crying and hugging."

Tiffany’s father, Bobby Slaton, said "a ton of weight has been lifted." He thanked the search-and-rescue team and all the community members who helped in the effort to find her.

Slaton’s parents said Tiffany was raised with a love of the outdoors, and they always stressed the importance of being able to fend for yourself in a tough situation.

"So it’s nice to know, as parents, that all the things that we’ve taught her, she actually did," her mother said. "We believe that life is an adventure."