Tucson woman survived 9 days in Arizona wilderness

Love stories like this. She was lucky that it was in between seasons. Had the weather been colder or had this happened during the Summer, the outcome may have been different. This woman is a survivor.

72-year-old Tucson woman, dog survived 9 days in Arizona wilderness

 

so the car ran out of gas and she wandered away from it sounds like she is getting senile

 

It is not all that uncommon to wander off from ones vehicle in a desperate attempt to save ones self, even loosing track of where it is, while doing it.
Age is not necessarily a factor.
S&R we have a program for kids called hug a tree , meaning stay put the second you realize your lost .
Being lost is a very exasperating experience, frustrated that you allowed that to happen, and that others will be inconvenienced in the process of finding you . With children afraid mom and dad will be mad , and adults, social embarrassment.
Thus trying to find one's own self out of the situation, and only making it worse usually.
Being prepared means starting before you leave to,,,,,
1. tell some one where you are going, how long you expect to be gone, What you plan to do, and when you intend on being back .
2 do not deviate from that plan, as much as possible .
3. Start with a map and compass and use it through out the trip .It might seem silly but it is an important discipline.
4. If you must deviate from the plan, use trail markers, and note them on your map as well.
5.When you get home, notify your friend you've arrived and rehearse important details if any ASAP .doing so reinforces the memory in your own mind.
Do not depend on the spare gas to get you home, make sure it's fresh and has stabilizer and in a safe place ,well sealed.
bring more water than you need , the vehicle might get thirsty.
Cell phones do not work with out cell sites and little radios only go so far.
Though it's only a day trip ,what if it turns into several days ? 2 flat tires. bogged in sand, down a steep road you can't drive out of,
the list goes on.

 

She found water and without it, one's chances of survival are bleak.

 

Glad this story ended well. Her plan could've went sideways in a real big hurry.

Be prepared folks.

 

Seems like every winter we get at least one who tries to head over Bear Camp Rd. to the coast and ends up in trouble or worse...

 

I can tell you that where she was stranded, was in the middle of F'ing No Where, and she could have lasted for a long time on clover and water, but why did she loose the dog?

He he he, remember the 70's movie, a Boy and his Dog... didn't turn out well for the GF.

Rancher

 

Now, she did better than most normal folks would, but once lost, what could she have done better?
EI: the sun alone would have given her direction. Stick and shadow would have given her NSFW in less than an hour.
What else?

 

It said she left the car to seek higher ground for a cell signal. She was thinking. Plus had she stayed with her car, there may not have been water. She found a pond and that was a life saver. Seems like she may have a bad sense of direction but otherwise she knew what to do.

 

@azrancher I thought I was the only person who liked that 'B' grade sci fi movie. Didn't it star a very young Don Johnson?

 

Yes, yes it did

 

Wow I didn't realize that was Don...
And of course you saw Soylent Green, speaking of "B" movies.

 

A Boy and His Dog (1975)

John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Don Johnson plays a young man in a post nuclear war world who has an interesting friend, a telepathic dog. The dog gives him an advantage in dealing with the barbaric world he lives in. When Johnson finds one place that has escaped the devastation of the war, he also finds some rather odd attitudes.

A Boy and His Dog (1975) - Plot Summary - IMDb

 

It also ran out of its charge. I have been lost out there in Arizona near Native American land. There was nothing for miles. I can see the running out of gas easy.

 

Don't forget your vehicle needs preps too. Off the top of my head...
VS17 panel, flare gun, jerry can of fuel, jerry can of water, map of local area, solar charger for cell phone, an EDC kit or Bugout bag, and other items for vehicle maintenance. Just an example of why to be prepared. Zombies? Haha.. Nuclear war? Yeah right... Still got stuck in middle of nowhere.
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

 

Interestingly, while reading this I realized that, while I have a great "stash" in my Jeep, it is based upon my home area. I just spent about 4 months in desert areas and didn't think to change my "kit" (not really a GHB since it is not backpack based). I had desert preps in the motorhome, but spent quite a bit of time just in the jeep in the desert some miles from camp. My kit is based on being in a wooded area near a river...a far cry from the desert. This is why I have turned "managing" the preps over to my son.

 

As she was out there from 3/31 until 4/3 without water; she was better off to find water. The timing is too close to the 3 days without water is about it for a human.

As everyone knows, she should have been better prepared before "heading out there."

I read the short story.

There is no excuse for her losing the dog.

 

@azrancher As I recall, at the movie end the talking dog acknowledged the girl friend "did have good taste."

AT

 

be careful turning the management of your preps to anyone... they may not keep you informed of changes and then you can get into real trouble... YMMV