Ann Rogers – 9 days stranded in the Arizona desert
Time stranded: 9 days
Distance traveled: Under 15 miles
Terrain types: Desert
Deaths: 0
Situation ended: Found by rescue party
Location: Arizona, United States
On March 31, Ann Rogers decided to take the back roads to make a surprise visit to her daughter and grandson for his birthday. After going the long way to do some sightseeing she didn’t realize how low on gas she was and stopped to ask someone for directions to the nearest station.
After trying to follow the directions she ended up driving down a very quiet back road without a single building in sight, and as luck dictates this is exactly where she ran out of gas.
Fortunately, she had packed plenty of food and water and had the company of her dog Queenie and Nike the cat. She was also texting a friend about her low gas situation before losing her phone signal, so was confident that at least one person knew of her troubles.
Being 72 years old, Rogers was a bit more sensible than most and knew exactly what to do in such a situation. She stayed in her car that night and snuggled up in some blankets with her furry friends. The next day was spent at the car as she knew the best chance of being found would be to stay with her vehicle, but after the day passed and not a single person came down the road she spent the second night the same as the first.
On the third day the water she had brought was running low, and being in the desert this is something you can’t risk going without. She walked to the top of a nearby hill with her binoculars and spotted a small canyon that looked like it would have water.
Rogers later told the Washington Post: “I knew very well that you’re never supposed to abandon your vehicle, But the choice was either leave it or go without water. And how long can you do that in the desert?”
After making it to the canyon she found a small creek that had a flowing stream in it and used an empty Nutella jar to store some water for her and Queenie. Meanwhile Nike the cat was left in the car with a window open so he could go and forage for himself.
Since Rogers kept her cool and thought rationally, she took some vital supplies from the car before leaving, such as paper and pens from her art supplies along with a knife, some matches, and a lighter. She wrote the word help on the ground with sticks and old elk bones next to the creek and left a note for anyone who found it. The note read: “Am lost, trying to find people or ranch – hiking on downstream. No food for 3 days! Ann.”
(The “help” sign Ann made by the creek)
The friend that she was texting about her car troubles before getting cut off was now starting to get very worried as he couldn’t reach her and none of her relatives had heard anything. He managed to convince the authorities to launch a search party and 3 days after she first went missing rescuers were dispatched.
No one found her car or any sign of Ann, and 8 days after she first disappeared the police brought in dogs trained to detect dead bodies as they feared the worst. A few hours later they found her car, along with a hungry but very much alive Nike the cat doing some sunbathing.
The helicopter involved in the operation searched the nearby area and saw the help sign she had made, and ground teams quickly moved in. They found the note but to their horror it was dated from one week ago, leading them all to fear the worst.
The rescue teams began to move downstream and soon came across Queenie splashing about on the bank. Since Queenie was on her own they thought Rogers had definitely perished, but 15 minutes later she came walking along following Queenie’s trail.
She had lost 5 pounds in body weight and was dehydrated and badly sunburnt, but otherwise in remarkably good shape considering her situation. She was airlifted to the hospital where her son and daughter were waiting for her. After a short stay in a ward, she was discharged and even commented on how she’d like to go for a hike to get over it.
This story is an excellent example of all the right things to do in a survival situation. She didn’t panic and knew she had to leave her vehicle due to the water situation, but took the correct gear when she did and stayed close to the creek at all times.
She decided to stay as close to the car as she could instead of walking downstream until she found something, which led rescuers to be able to find her sooner after seeing her help signal. Rogers stayed in high spirits about her ordeal and later on told the Washington Post: “I could definitely paint for the next 20 years all the incredibly beautiful canyons, trees, rivers and rocks that I saw. It’s like being in Sedona, Ariz., only multilayered, over and over again. Those incredibly wonderful geological scenes all around me.”