Lost Snowshoer Survives a Night in a Snowstorm
In February of 2022, an experienced outdoorswoman, left Badger Pass planning to snowshoe to Dewey Point and return home that evening. This post will share her story and how her day trip evolved into a fight for survival against the cold and the creative actions she took to survive. Then Friends of YOSAR will discuss the lessons we can learn from this experience
This story is based on an interview of the snowshoer, Chelsea, who’s name has been changed to protect her identity and the authors familiarity with the Badger Pass area. FOYOSAR hopes this story can be a learning aid to future adventurers. We hope readers will better understand the circumstances and decisions that lead to the need for a rescue, be inspired to look closely at the 10 essentials they carry and always enter the wilderness prepared.
About the trail:
Snowshoeing from Badger Pass to Dewey Point in the winter is an accessible adventure for experienced outdoor enthusiasts willing to brave the cold. Dewey Point offers absolutely incredible views of El Capitan and Yosemite Valley. The distance to Dewey Point is 3.5 miles on Trail #18 making for a 7 mile out and back trip meandering through beautiful forest and snow covered meadows. The trail has little elevation gain until the final, small drop down to Dewey Point. Winter trails at Badger Pass are marked by reflective markers in the trees. Snow conditions on the trail can dramatically change the effort and time required to complete this trek. Snowshoes are required, skis are even better. The Nordic center at Badger Pass offers ski and snowshoe rentals. There is a Ranger Station at Badger pass, it is staffed everyday that the road to Badger Pass is open and is a resource for wilderness users leaving from Badger Pass.
Foyosar does not recommend this map be used for navigational purposes and is for reference only
The Adventure Begins
Chelsea parked her car at the Badger Pass Parking lot around noon. She planned to hike to Dewey Point, stop to enjoy the view, eat some snacks, and then come back- “just a quick out and back”. She had checked the forecast and was aware that snow was expected for that evening, but she figured she had plenty of time.
Early on in her hike Chelsea met another snowshoer returning from Dewey point. They chatted about trail conditions and the other hiker suggested that she didn’t need her snowshoes. Chelsea headed back to her car to drop her snowshoes off but ultimately decided to keep them with her.
En Route to Dewey Point, Chelsea was quickly absorbed in the beauty of the red firs draped in moss, the subtle sting of the cool air and the sparkle of the snow. Around 2:30 Chelsea reached Dewey Point and allowed herself 30 minutes to soak in the inspiration of Yosemite Valley and the imposing granite peaks of Yosemite’s High Country. Wispy clouds over Mt. Conness reminded her of the forecast.
The incredible view from Dewey Point
About 40 minutes into her return to Badger Pass, Chelsea suddenly realized she hadn’t seen a trail marker for quite a while and was lost. Weighing her options she thought about turning around, hoping she could return to Dewey Point and find the correct trail home. She checked the time, and realized it was already around 4:30. She recalls thinking, “‘If I get back to Dewey, it's going to be dark. And the snow's coming”. Without a great option Chelsea says “there was this 20 or 30-minute period where I just kinda looped in this panic, like, Do I go back? Do I go, what do I do? And then finally I just committed to the tree. I just knew I had to stay.”
Once Chelsea calmed down she began plotting, she knew it was going to be a rough night with the incoming snow and knew she needed to prioritize her actions while she still had daylight. Luckily, Chelsea was not your average day hiker and had taken a survival course. With her knowledge from the course she decided her first priority was to find shelter to get her through the night. She realized the interesting hollow tree that she had seen a just a while back was her solution. Chelsea forgot her headlamp and was aware of the danger if she tried to navigate with just a cell phone, so her goal was to get to the tree quickly and begin fortifying her shelter as soon as possible. After committing to the tree and spending the night out, she could focus and begin making the necessary preparations to get her through the night.
A skier follows markers on the trees to Dewey Point
The tree had a hollow that was just big enough for Chelsea to get inside and turn around. There was a bit of snow and soft bark on the ground inside. Chelsea’s first goal was to build a barrier over the opening of the tree. She started by pulling off a combination of young and dead tree branches to form a skeletal structure of a door. She was amazed that she was able to so easily pull off young branches even without a knife, another essential she forgot. Chelsea also worked on covering the ground inside the tree with fir branches hoping to create a barrier for warmth. Chelsea recalls that these efforts really helped insulate her from the cold ground that night. She noticed that the sun was down, and darkness was approaching rapidly. Chelsea was able to start a small fire (fires built on snow are illegal in Yosemite’s winter wilderness) with the firestarter she had with her. The fire was little and just enough to warm her hands and feet. Her feet were particularly cold because her shoes and socks had become soaked from walking in snow. Sitting by the fire Chelsea remembered that she had an extra pair of socks and a couple of little baggies. Grateful, she put the fresh socks on and warmed her feet by the fire. After this, she put the bags over the socks to create a barrier from her wet shoes. “If I could keep my feet warm and my core warm, I'd be in the best shape,” Chelsea recalls.
As the fire's warmth dissipated she sang a song and said a prayer to the ancestors, the trees, and the ground to protect her. Her fire died and Chelsea got inside the tree weaving the branches behind her to create a barrier over the opening of the tree. She added her emergency blanket to the branches hoping it would help block the wind. Thankfully the tree was sheltered from the worst winds but by the middle of the night the emergency blanket was shredded. She eventually tucked the torn up blanket under herself adding to the insulation between her and the cold ground. Throughout the night she was in and out of sleep, dozing off only to be woken by the cold. She began the night crouched down in a fetal position, with her hiking poles between her knees. Due to the way the hollow of the tree was shaped, it was difficult to move to a standing position. With the poles between her knees, she could utilize them to help herself stand up and try to move a little to get warm. The whole night was spent this way: up,down; sleep, cold; move around to warm up, get too tired and try to sleep; she repeated this cycle through the night, with temperatures dipping to 10°.
Surviving the night wasn’t just a physical accomplishment. The mental and emotional challenges of fearing for your life and fighting for survival in the dark are immense. While Chelsea was well aware of the dangers of the situation she says she didn’t let her mind wander until morning. She maintained her focus on her goal- staying alive and warm through the night so that she could go back to Dewey Point the next morning. Before her hike Chelsea had wisely told a friend where she was going and when she planned to return. She was confident that her friend would have already contacted dispatch and that someone would be looking for her. Her biggest concern was that rescuers may have trouble finding her when she wasn't where she was supposed to be. She knew returning to Dewey Point the next morning would improve her chances of being found.
As morning finally dawned the sky was cloudy and snow was coming down. Chelsea woke before the sunrise feeling panicked, she worried the falling snow would cover her tracks. The sun was still not fully up, so she made another little fire and ate some snacks. She realized that her water was frozen so she made a little trek to look for the creek that she had seen the day before it was thankfully running and she refilled her water bottle.
Chelsea had survived the night but was still terrified, with many questions racing through her mind: “I don't know what to do. Do I stay here? Do I go, how are they going to find me if I'm not at Dewey point?” With the falling snow and deteriorating weather she felt the tree was a safer place for her to stay, but she didn't have confidence that anybody was going to find her there. In this confused state, she made three or four attempts to leave the tree, each time she returned unable to give up the safety of the tree. Finally, she mustered enough courage and began marching towards Dewey point, she started blowing the whistle she brought hoping to alert anyone searching for her. With confidence building she took her compass and map and managed to get oriented enough to decide she needed to head NW to find the rim of Yosemite Valley and hopefully find Dewey point or intersect the trail. Being mentally and physically exhausted she was afraid that she would get disoriented and get lost again. In her compromised physical and mental state, being caught away from her tree shelter for another night was a dire situation. In a desperate moment Chelsea made a video on her phone in case she didn’t make it home.
Once in a while Chelsea would find her tracks from the previous day confirming she was heading in the right direction. She continued to blow her whistle as she walked hoping that a rescuer would hear her.
Chelsea continued walking, persistently blowing her whistle and checking her compass. “And then, I don't know exactly when this was, but I met these tracks that had come towards me and turned around and gone back and they were fresh. I didn’t know how fresh they were. I didn’t know who it was, but I followed those tracks and then I saw the trail marker, and then I got up to Dewey Point and I'm blowing my whistle and doing all that, and by the time I get up to Dewey blowing my whistle, then I hear them calling my name and they were to me in five or 10 minutes at that point. And I was so relieved because now the snow was really, really coming down and I know where I am, but I'm really exhausted and I'm just kind of, you know, strung out emotionally.”
While Chelsea had been fighting off hypothermia in the tree, her trusted friend had contacted Yosemite National Park Dispatch and the gears of a rescue began turning. Likely a Ranger from Wawona was asked to see if her car was still parked at the Badger Pass Trailhead. Once her car was found YOSAR was called, an Incident Commander was assigned and rescuers from Wawona, Yosemite Valley and El Portal were rallied for a mission. These rescuers met the Incident Commander early the next morning prepared for a long cold day in the snow and were divided and given search assignments focused on and along the Dewey Point Trail. Thankfully Chelsea was found relatively quickly and in fairly good spirits. Chelsea declined the rescuer’s offer for a carry out, opting to hike out on her own but this time joined by some new YOSAR friends.
What actions and decisions did Chelsea make that we can learn from?
Chelsea is an experienced outdoorswoman who has participated in outdoor survival classes and this obviously made a difference in how she prepared for her hike and acted when she knew she was in a precarious situation.
Two important things Chelsea did happened before she ever left her house.
First, she let someone know where she was going and when she would return. Always let someone know where you are going and when you’ll return so they can call for help if you encounter an unexpected issue. (FOYOSAR is currently developing a downloadable resource that will help you with this important safety step.)
Second, Chelsea carried many of the 10 essentials but not all. She used her fire starter, emergency blanket, extra socks, extra food, map, compass and a whistle, each of these items are one of the 10 essentials and contributed to her warmth overnight or to being found. Chelsea had 7 of the 10 essentials, she lacked a flashlight, knife and first aid kit to complete the 10. If she had remembered a headlamp with extra batteries perhaps she could have avoided a night out or used the light to gather firewood to have a fire the entire night. It is important to note Chelsea made a wise decision to not rely on her Cell Phone light for navigation. Chelsea said that after her survival experience she would invest in a better emergency blanket. The blanket she had fell apart very quickly.
In the midst of panic Chelsea’s awareness of approaching darkness and weather conditions helped her recognize the need to take action quickly and proactively. Active personal awareness allowed Chelsea to realize when she was panicked and she found ways to stay calm and centered. Praying, singing, and asking for help from ancestors and nature helped her stay grounded and focused on her goals.
Leaving the Trailhead at noon on a February day allowed Chelsea only about 5 hours of daylight to complete her trip. 5 hours for a 7 mile snowshoe trip is ambitious and doesn’t allow much room for errors, like getting lost. Perhaps, an earlier start could have been achieved with a better plan for getting to the trailhead on time.