A woman walked through a blizzard for more than a day to save her family

What to do during New Year’s holidays? Travel, of course. The Kleins of Pennsylvania decided so too – well, why not? Eric, Karen and their 10-year-old son Isaac went to Las Vegas in their car. On the way, we decided to turn into the Grand Canyon National Park for an excursion. And they regretted it.

The main highway was covered with snow – it was snowing, a strong wind was blowing. The Kleins decided to take a detour. We asked Google for advice and drove off. But Google let them down. The detour turned out to be too dangerous.

Snow began to cover the road. The Kleins decided to get out of harm’s way. They began to turn around, and the car sat down tightly in a snowdrift. There was no cellular connection in the area. It was necessary to call for help and follow her on foot. It would be logical to send a man for help. But Eric recently had an accident and is still not quite recovering from his injuries. Karen, an experienced marathon runner, had a better chance of reaching the goal.

Since the highway was closed, there was no point in going back. Therefore, Karen decided to go to the entrance to the national park. It was almost 23 kilometers away.

The woman was sure that she could handle it: she took training in survival in the wild. Marathon skills, again. And she was dressed like warmly – a parka, a knitted hat, hiking boots. But walking on loose snow almost a meter deep was too difficult. And without a compass and a navigator, Karen lost her way.

Meanwhile, the snowstorm was getting worse. Like Karen then told reporters, she tried to rest, sitting under a giant tree. To warm herself a little, she wrapped her arms around herself and swayed from side to side; if Karen stopped moving, an eerie drowsiness rolled over her immediately. It was impossible to fall asleep, despite the terrible fatigue.

In the end, Karen became so weak that she could take no more than ten steps without stopping. There was nothing to strengthen her strength with – she only had a small bag of oatmeal with her. When they were over, Karen nibbled on twigs and washed them down with water from the melted snow. And then she fell, falling into a snowdrift, pulled a muscle in her thigh and lost her boot. In addition, the exhausted woman began hallucinations.

Karen was saved by the fact that she stumbled upon a forest hut. She broke the window, climbed inside and fell asleep – completely exhausted. By that time, Karen had been walking for 30 hours, covering almost 42 kilometers. Rescuers found her six hours later.

“It’s a real Christmas miracle that she survived,” said search team leader Jim Driscoll. – This story could easily end very badly.

Eric and Isaac slept in the car while Karen struggled through the night and the blizzard. In the morning, Eric realized that something had happened to his wife. It was impossible to wait any longer. He got out of the car and began to climb the mountain in the hope that there he will be able to pick up the signal and call the rescue service. And he did it. They were taken to the hospital, examined and released – everything was all right with them. And Karen had to stay there. The woman froze several fingers and was severely emaciated.

According to Karen, her maternal instinct helped her escape.

– I could not leave my son without a mother. I will not let it happen that my parents had to bury me, – said Karen.

The brave woman hopes her story can inspire people to be strong no matter what.

“I think people need to understand that they have more strength than they think, be it mental or physical,” Karen said. – Remember this and never lose hope.