The CRUX: True Survival Stories

Lost in Sierra Nevada: Tiffany Slaton Survives 24 Days Alone | E 168

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Picture this: You're a medical professional on a routine work trip when suddenly you're playing a real-life game of survival that makes Bear Grylls look like a weekend camper. Meet Tiffany Slaton, the dialysis tech from Georgia who accidentally became the Sierra Nevada's most badass temporary resident.

What started as just another day at the office turned into a 24-day masterclass in "how to not die in the mountains." Tiffany didn't just survive—she MacGyvered her way through multiple blizzards, turned her medical training into wilderness wizardry, and basically gave Mother Nature a run for her money while rescue teams played the world's most stressful game of hide-and-seek.

This isn't your typical "lost hiker gets found" story. This is about a woman who stared down hypothermia, outsmarted starvation, and somehow kept her sanity while trapped in America's most unforgiving mountain range. Spoiler alert: the mountains blinked first.

Episode Timeline

00:00 - Sponsor: Case Knives

00:30 - Welcome and podcast introduction
00:54 - The Sierra Nevada: America's deadliest mountain range
03:33 - Meet Tiffany Slaton: from Georgia to the mountains
06:48 - The catastrophic fall that changed everything
10:44 - Survival tactics: how medical training saved her life
14:03 - When the mind becomes your greatest enemy
19:48 - Sponsor: Rough Greens pet nutrition
20:56 - Understanding the Sierra Nevada's deadly reputation
22:01 - Weathering nature's worst: surviving multiple blizzards
23:03 - Permaculture knowledge becomes survival gold
23:52 - The breaking point: physical and mental limits tested
28:19 - The final storm and miraculous rescue
32:06 - Recovery, reflection, and lessons learned

Email us! [email protected]

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

References and Sources

Primary News Sources:

  • ABC News. "Woman found alive after being missing 3 weeks in California mountains speaks out." May 16, 2025. https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-found-alive-after-missing-3-weeks-california/story?id=121888546
  • Forrester, Megan. "Woman found alive after being missing 3 weeks in California mountains speaks out." ABC News, May 16, 2025.
  • Sundel, Jenna. "Who Is Tiffany Slaton? Woman Vanished Two Weeks Ago on 'Bucket List' Trip." Newsweek, May 8, 2025. https://www.newsweek.com/who-tiffany-slaton-woman-vanished-two-weeks-ago-bucket-list-trip-2069686
  • "Missing woman was 'miraculously' found in California's mountains. Then came the chorus of skeptics." MSN/Los Angeles Times, 2025. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/missing-woman-was-miraculously-found-in-californias-mountains-then-came-the-chorus-of-skeptics/ar-AA1FhYVx?ocid=BingNewsSerp
  • Gariano, Francesca. "How a missing hiker survived for 3 weeks in the California wilderness." Today.com, May 2025. https://www.today.com/news/news/missing-hiker-california-tiffany-slaton-found-alive-rcna207456
  • Lavietes, Matt. "'Dad, I'm alive': Missing camper found after surviving weeks in the California mountains." NBC News, May 15, 2025.
  • Cull, Ian. "Missing hiker survived for weeks in California wilderness by foraging and drinking melted snow." NBC Bay Area, May 16, 2025.
  • Bridge, Liv. "Woman, 27, found alive after 3 weeks missing in mountains details how she survived." UNILAD, May 20, 2025.
  • Kaonga, Gerrard. "70-year-old hiker found alive after 5 days lost in the wilderness details how he survived." UNILAD, July 26, 2024.

    • Sierra Nevada Geographic and Geological Sources:

    • "Sierra Nevada." Wikipedia. Accessed 2025.
    • Heap, Cole. "Natural Hazards of the Sierra Nevada." LibreTexts Geology of California, 2025.
    • "Dangers on the Trail." Backpack the Sierra (High Sierra Topix), 2023.

      • Search and Rescue Statistics:

      • "Gone Missing In The National Parks." National Parks Traveler, November 2018.
      • "Missing Persons Statistics." California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, January 29, 2025.
      • "How many people have disappeared in America's National Parks." StrangeOutdoors.com, November 23, 2024.
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        The CRUX: True Survival StoriesBy Kaycee McIntosh, Julie Henningsen, Bleav
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