Hiker survives nine days in wild

A woman who was stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California for nine days survived by using a water filter to drink from a creek, authorities said.

Miyuki Harwood, 62, was found in a remote area of the Sierra National Forest after she used a whistle to get the attention of a search and rescue team who were looking for her, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said.

Harwood was airlifted to a hospital to treat an unspecified injury sustained on August 20 when she got separated from a group of hikers near Horsehead Lake, northwest of Fresno.

She was listed in stable condition, the sheriff said after meeting Harwood at her hospital bed.

“Her voice was strong. She was extremely thankful that people were looking for her,” Mims said.

Harwood, of Folsom, California, was the focus of an intense search after she got lost in the mountains.

She broke some bones and couldn’t hike back to her base camp, Mims said. She also had very little food and supplies because she was carrying just enough for a day trip.

To survive, Harwood crawled for about two days from where she was injured to a creek where she could scoop water into a bottle with a filter inside.