A California woman is making headlines for her resourcefulness amid being stranded for nearly a week in a remote, wooded area.
Lassen County Sheriff's Office says that early April 18 they received a report of a person "possibly stranded" in a remote area of Lassen County near Little Valley.
According to authorities, the reporting party was 48-year-old Justin Lonich who told them that he and his friend, Sheena Gullett, were attempting to drive to Little Valley on dirt roads off of Highway 44 on April 14.
After driving for several miles, their vehicle became stuck in the snow and they ended up spending the night in their vehicle. In the morning, the vehicle's battery was dead.
Both Justin and Sheena attempted to walk back to Highway 44 together, but became ultimately became separated.
That evening, Justin sought shelter and built a campfire. The next morning, which was Saturday, Justin continued walking until he came to a gravel road. He again sought shelter for the night and the next day, Sunday, Justin was able to reach Highway 44 where he hitched a ride from a passerby into Susanville.
At this point, Justin was able to report to authorities what happened and that Sheena was stranded in the forest. However, due to his unfamiliarity with the area it was difficult for the Sheriff's Office to narrow down a search area.
From the Sunday when Justin was able to report the incident, Sheriff's deputies, sergeants, detectives, and US Forest Service personnel conducted ground searches daily for Sheena.
According to authorities, on one day when the weather was clear, the California Highway Patrol flew the search area in conjunction with the ground team but was unable to locate the vehicle or Sheena.
Authorities added that further searchers from the air were unable to be conducted due to "inclement weather."
In the late morning of Wednesday, April 20, Justin rode along with a Sheriff’s deputy in the search area to possibly help provide a better location of where he and Sheena became stuck in the snow.
A Sheriff’s sergeant, along with two US Forest Service personnel, were also in the search area looking for Sheena.
The Sheriff’s sergeant and US Forest Service personnel split up and searched along several different dirt roads.
At around 3:00 p.m., after searching for several hours, the Sheriff’s sergeant located the vehicle. Immediately upon his arrival, Sheena came out of the vehicle.
Officials say Sheena was very emotional, but physically okay in spite of her nearly week-long ordeal.
The Sheriff’s sergeant transported Sheena to the Bogard Ranger Station to be evaluated by medical personnel. There, Sheena was able to relate the same details as Justin did as to how they became separated.
During the six days Sheena was stranded, she rationed a six-pack of yogurt, eating one per day. She did not have any water and had been eating snow in an effort to remain hydrated.
She saw the helicopter fly over a few days earlier, but because she was in a heavily wooded area, they were unable to see her.
The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office Command Staff commended the efforts of all personnel involved in searching for and locating Sheena.
Photo: Getty Images