LOS ANGELES – When Vermillion Valley Resort in California’s East Sierra closed in the winter, staff unleashed cabin doors in case whimpered hikers needed shelter during frequent mountain snowstorms. The decision may have saved the life of Tiffany Slaton, a 27-year-old Georgia woman who went missing for nearly three weeks in the far-flung wilderness.
Owner Christopher Gutierrez found ajar at the cabin door and shoes nearby to arrive Wednesday morning to begin the spring resort’s reopening. Suddenly a young woman appeared in the doorway.
“She had just jumped out, she had just run without saying a word, and all she wanted was a hug,” Gutierrez said at a press conference Wednesday evening. “It was a pretty surreal moment, when I realized who this was.”
It was a slaton. The parents reported that she went missing on April 29 after not hearing from her for more than a week. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office began a search, and deputies and volunteers washed away more than 600 square miles of Sierra National Forest, with no luck. Searchers were hampered by heavy snow blocking many roads.
On Monday, the Sheriff’s Office announced it would be reducing its search efforts. Two days later she emerged from the cabin.
Gutierrez gave Slaton peanut butter and a jelly sandwich, called authorities, and she brought her to the hospital for an assessment. She was hungry and dehydrated, but otherwise in good condition, sheriff’s officials said.
Related Stories
Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botty said it was the longest time he saw someone disappear and survived in the wilderness.
“Three weeks, that’s unprecedented,” he said. “It talks about the tenacity that Tiffany has, that she is a fighter.”
Thanks to inspiration from the public, investigators determined that Slaton had arrived more than 20 miles southwest around April 20th near Lake Huntington, through rough terrain. However, authorities did not provide details about when and where the trekking in Slaton began, what her plans were, or the route she took to Vermillion Valley Resort, sitting in Sierra Nevada, halfway between Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park.
Botti said sheriff’s officials are planning to interview Slaton to learn more about her experience and how she survived in ice at an altitude of 6,500 feet above sea level.
All over the country in Jeffersonville, Georgia, her parents were shopping when they got the word that their daughter had been found.
“I just grabbed someone and said, ‘Can I hold you close?” And I did,” said her mother, Fredrina Slaton. “I was crying and hugging you.”
Tiffany’s father, Bobby Slaton, said “a lot of weight has been lifted.” He thanked the search and rescue team and all community members for helping him find her.
Sheriff’s officials said Snowpruise cleared Key Mountain Pass on Wednesday, giving Gutierrez access to the Lake Edison resort for the first time this year. Gutierrez said he must break the ice for about an hour and a half before he enters the property.
Slaton’s parents say Tiffany was raised with a love of the outdoors, and they stressed the importance of being able to protect themselves in tough situations at all times.
“So, as parents, I’m happy to know that everything we taught her actually did,” her mother said. “We believe life is an adventure.”
By Christopher Weber
