Missing woman found safe in Fresno County speaks for first time

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. -- 28-year-old Tiffany Slaton survived 30 days alone in Fresno County's Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Slaton is now out of the hospital and recounting her vacation-turned-near-death experience.

"I was coming to try and do a camping trip. So, I had two sleeping bags and a basic tent, but at the end, after fighting nature for such a long time, I lost my tent," Slaton explained.

"I lost my vestibule, and I did eventually lose both sleeping bags, so I was outside with nothing but a lighter in a knife."

Slaton embarked on a solo camping trip back on April 14th to visit the Mono Hot Springs.

On her electric bike, she navigated through the Shaver and Huntington Lake areas.

She even made it over Kaiser Pass, a peak more than 9,000 feet high.

Her journey took a tragic turn when she took a significant fall off a mountain.

"When I fell off of this cliff, I was unconscious for two hours and did indeed have to splint one of my legs and popped the other knee into place," Slaton recalled.

Slaton tried calling 911 five times, but had no luck.

Injured, she began to fend for herself, but after about five days, she ran out of food.

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Her athletic and healthcare background kicked into high gear, enabling her to forage and survive on leeks and boiled snow.

"The worst thing you could do in an emergency situation is panic. I am a traveling dialysis technician and an archery coach by trade," said Slaton.

"I didn't want to panic in the first five days. I was still ready for my vacation."

Her family reported her missing on April 29th, sparking a search that spanned nearly 600 square miles.

Alone in the middle of snow and worn out, Slaton stumbled upon shelter.

When I first came across it, it was a resort Christmas tree and a tiny house, and I had markers like Santa sleigh, and I could not understand," Slaton said.

"I actually thought I was losing my mind at that time, that I somehow managed to make it to the North Pole."

That shelter was the Vermillion Valley Resort.

Owner Christopher Gutierrez keeps the doors unlocked in case of moments just like these.

"That was the 13th heavy snowstorm I had been in, and it was going to be the last one," Slaton said.

Two thumbs up and a smile

A photo taken by rescue teams of Slaton showed her posing with two thumbs up and a smile.

She was found the day before her birthday.

Hand and hand, her parents, Fredrina and Bobby, flew in from Georgia to be by her side.

They were inside a Goodwill store shopping for snow clothes, preparing to come to California, when they received a call from their daughter.

"I asked her, 'Who is this?' And she said, 'It's me, Dad. I'm sorry, I'm not dead.' That was the best feeling. That was the best gift I could've ever gotten," said Slaton.

"This is just the best community of people I've ever met. I just wanna say I'm grateful and thank you, God, for everything."

Slaton tells Action News this journey restored her belief in humanity.

"Make sure to pass on your Goodwill. It takes a lot to be able to survive a negative situation, but it doesn't take very much to be positive," Slaton explained.

Through it all, she never lost her hope or sense of humor.

"I may never do a vacation longer than three days ever again," said Slaton.

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