Missing Orangevale Hiker Drank From Creek With Water Filter To Stay Alive
FRESNO (CBS13) – Miyuki Harwood only carried enough for a day trip before she went missing during a hike.
A recording of the search and rescue dispatch captured the moment she was found nine days later, and new pictures reveal just how hard rescuers had to look. They finally spotted the 62-year-old Orangevale resident Harwood in the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains after she blew a whistle to alert them.
"She was injured, she does have some broken bones," said Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims.
RELATED: Orangevale Hiker Missing In Sierra Found Alive After 9 Days
Crews were on the ground in minutes to carry out the weak, injured hiker and airlift her to safety. But how Harwood survived surprised even the patrol flight officer who searched long and hard for her.
"She was able to drink from the creek with the water filter that she had to stay alive," said flight officer Rusty Hotchkiss from the California Highway Patrol Central Division.
Harwood hadn't eaten in nine days and suffered from broken bones in her legs. Yet she managed to crawl for two days to a creek, where she scooped out water into a bottle with a filter inside.
Jakob Hillock is an outdoor camping expert with R.E.I. where he says Harwood's hiking group, the Sierra Club, often stocks up on essentials. The most tried and true: pump filters, Hillock says.
"You can actually mount it onto a water bottle and pump water into your bottle," Hillock said.
In the movie "Wild," Reese Witherspoon's character uses a filter system on her ten-day adventure. But even the most experienced hikers say they don't always think of going "all out" on a day-trip.
"A day, just one day, not really. I mean, we'll bring some water but not really a filtration system," said hiker Tahanh Tran.
If Harwood's story is any lesson, the pure basics could save a life.
Harwood's family released a statement Sunday, thanking everyone involved in the search and asking for privacy to let her get some much-need rest. She is still recovering from surgery to set the broken bones in her leg.
