Lost California hiker survived 9 days with broken leg

FRESNO, Calif. — A 62-year-old hiker missing for nine days in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada with a broken leg endured freezing nighttime temperatures and crawled two days for water before getting the attention of rescuers with a whistle she carried for moments of crisis, authorities said Monday.

Miyuki Harwood slipped and fell about six feet after she left her hiking group and headed back to camp alone because she was low on water.

After two days on the ground, she decided to crawl 150 yards down a rocky, shrub-covered ravine to a spot where she heard running water, Fresno County sheriff’s Deputy Jason Vinogradoff said.

“‘I can die here, or I can at least get to the water and survive,”’ she told Vinogradoff, who talked with her Saturday, just moments after she sounded her whistle to alert rescuers.

She was shivering, pale and crying tears of joy when searchers found her, Vinogradoff said, adding that she asked about her family.

Vinogradoff described Harwood’s survival as a miracle and said the avid hiker is a strong-willed person who did not complain of extreme pain. He believes the whistle saved her life.

Once she was secured in the helicopter, the group of 15 rescuers erupted in applause.

“Everybody was pretty happy that she got the outcome that she did,” California Highway Patrol helicopter pilot Officer Riley Dixon said.

Harwood, a resident of Folsom, was flown to a hospital in Fresno about 100 miles away and underwent surgery to set broken bones. She has declined requests for interviews.

Harwood had been on an extended hiking trip organized by the Sierra Club. The group searched for her after she disappeared and reported her missing, prompting the search led by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

The effort was joined by more than 50 people on foot, horseback and helicopter. Smoke from a massive wildfire several miles away hampered searchers in aircraft.

Harwood ate nothing during the nine days she was missing, but she had a water filter. Vinogradoff said she was wearing hiking pants, a long-sleeved shirt and a down jacket. She sought shelter under a tree.

With each passing day, fears grew among rescuers. After being notified that she was alive, Dixon set out from Fresno in his helicopter.

Wildfire smoke forced him to take a longer route. He landed on a granite slab at an elevation of 9,200 feet and watched rescuers carry Harwood on a stretcher toward him.

Survival instructor Cliff Hodges, founder of Adventure Out LLC, said that without the water from the stream, Harwood would not have survived for nine days. He said the whistle was also a lifesaver, and she was fortunate to be lost in the summer.

She could not have endured frigid winter temperatures without shelter, he said, adding that her will to survive undoubtedly played a role.

“Ms. Harwood is clearly a tenacious and courageous individual,” Hodges said. “Many people, even in the summer, I’m afraid would not have fared as well.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.