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Grandma survived getting lost in the Alps for 5 days with rainwater and talking to a fox
An 89-year-old Italian Grandmother has been rescued after getting lost in the Alps for five days, surviving on rainwater, covering herself with vegetation, and even befriending a fox.
The wise woman’s smart thinking saved her life. During a mushroom hunt with her son, she fell down the side of a verge and felt dizzy. When she got back up after resting, she ended up walking in the wrong direction and became lost. But she managed to stay alive for the five days she was on her own, despite the incredible search and rescue efforts that were mobilized to track her down.
Italian woman survived after getting lost in the Alps
An 89-year-old woman named Giuseppina Bardelli got lost on August 21 while searching for mushrooms with her son, in the Forcora woods of Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca, near Switzerland, Corriere Milano reports.
Bardelli had taken a familiar path but became disoriented after losing sight of her son, Sergio. She then slipped and fell around 6 meters (20 feet) – tragically breaking some of her ribs and slightly perforating a lung. A perforated lung occurs when air builds up, causing the lung to partially or fully collapse.
Her son, Sergio, screamed his grandmother’s name multiple times but when he couldn’t find her, the search teams were called at around 8.00 p.m.
After four days of searching, the grandmother was thankfully found on the morning of August 25.
The day Giuseppina went missing, there was a storm in the Forcora woods, and her smart thinking survival techniques enabled her to drink “rainwater that she found in puddles,” as her other son Roberto explained.
She slept under trees at night, cutting vegetation that she found to cover herself. To ease her loneliness, the grandmother befriended a wild fox: “The fox approached her several times. They sort of became friends.”
When the animal approached her with curiosity, Giuseppina reportedly spoke to the fox and calmly said: “Dont do anything to me, Im good, be calm.”
Giuseppina recited the rosary – a Scripture-based prayer – every evening because “she knew that every day could be her last.”
A member of the Alpine Rescue team, who coordinated the search, reported: “She was fine. She was lucid and oriented. A little dehydrated but all in all in good condition.”
Handy tips if you ever get lost
If you find yourself lost in any kind of territory, think like Giuseppina Bardelli – stay calm, have hope that you will be found, use any resources you can find, and maybe even make friends with the wildlife! Although foxes are generally not aggressive or dangerous to humans, try to be aware and cautious of any animals that may approach you.
To avoid getting lost while hiking Barefoot Theory suggests that you should always let someone know where and when youre going and when you will return.
Rescuers will therefore have an idea of where to search if you do get lost. Some hikers like to leave a note on the dashboard of their car as an extra safety measure.
Stay on the trail and avoid wandering into territory that is not familiar to you. Try and keep your bearings as much as possible. It’s a good idea to learn how to read a map and use a compass, as an extra safety precaution. Any form of GPS is extremely useful for helping you find your way out of the wild.
If you find yourself disoriented and think you might be lost, the STOP acronym could help you calm down and plan your way out:
- Stop: Stop moving, dont panic. Stay where you are and stay calm.
- Think: Think about where you are and what should be the next step.
- Observe: Look around for any clues about your direction and location, such as trail blazes and signs.
- Plan: Create a sensible plan of action. If you don’t feel confident about your plan then you should stay where you are, especially if people are aware of your location.
If you need to move to find help, West Virginia DNR advises you to stay in open areas and make yourself visible. Avoid dense vegetation or steep terrain that might hinder your movement.
