California man who survived 20 days in snowy wilderness says it was walk or die | California

A hunter who spent nearly three weeks lost in the snowy California wilderness said he managed to be rescued after discerning “you’re either going to try to get out or you’re going to sit here and die.”

The remarkable story of survival centers on Ron Dailey, who authorities say disappeared in the Sierra National Forest in Fresno County after taking a solo hunting trip there on October 13.

Investigators say Dailey, a resident of the California town of Selma, intended to return home that evening. But, in comments reported by KTLA, KFSN and CBS Los Angeles, he later recalled losing his bearings in his truck and ending up in a place where off-road vehicles are required to navigate.

Dailey’s van then broke down while he was at an altitude of more than 10,000 feet, leaving him there with what he estimated was about two weeks’ worth of food and water. Additionally, an intense snowstorm hit the area the first night he got lost, prompting Dailey to conclude, “Oh man, I’m in trouble.” »

Rescue teams from several California counties began searching for Dailey when his family realized he had not returned home and reported him missing to authorities. He took refuge in his truck, not knowing if he would live long enough for rescuers to find him.

Dailey said he relied on his religious faith to support him in times of doubt, especially when he ran out of food.

“It was me and God every night,” Dailey would later say on CBS.

As KFSN reported, Dailey said it finally occurred to him that “you either try to get out or you’re going to sit here and die.”

His subsequent walk towards what he hoped would be salvation saw him lose his phone and fall several times. Dailey also remembers having to sit down every 20 to 100 yards, given how thin the air was at that altitude.

After hiking a dozen miles, on November 1, a group of fellow hunters encountered Dailey on the trail they were taking. They brought him to safety and informed authorities that they had found the man who had been missing for 20 days.

Members of a search team located Dailey’s truck – with the rear window broken – the next day. KTLA reported that the group did not believe Dailey could survive as long as he did in the van.

In a statement confirming Dailey’s rescue, the local sheriff’s office said it could not release additional details about his ordeal until it had interviewed him.

Yet in a statement recorded by his daughter while he was in the hospital and later shared with KFSN, Dailey said the walk he was taking when he was rescued turned out to be “the hardest … of my life.”

“I’m still overwhelmed,” Dailey said on CBS. “Without the Lord, I wouldn’t be here. »