The hunger and pain weren't the worst of Victoria Grover's ordeal as
she shivered alone for four days with a broken leg and no food in
Utah's rugged wilderness.The toughest challenge was facing the "incredible" boredom and severe
cold that came as nighttime temperatures dropped to the low 30s in the
high desert, she said.A veteran outdoor enthusiast, the 59-year-old had set out on a
6-mile-long day hike Tuesday in the Dixie National Forest, but became
stranded after breaking her leg during a jump from a 4-foot ledge.
By the time rescuers located her Saturday, she was holed up along a creek suffering from hypothermia.
"The hunger is something that comes in waves. You get hungry and want
to eat everything and then it goes away," Grover said. "The worst thing
is the cold. It never warmed up except for a few hours in the
afternoon."
Grover, a physician assistant from Wade, Maine, was recovering Sunday
at a southern Utah hospital where doctors expect her to make a full
recovery.
"I'm sure she'll be hiking again," said Dr. Daniel Allen of Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City.
Grover has diabetes, but the doctor said it had no impact whatsoever on her blood sugar or accident.
Grover told reporters at a news conference Sunday that she survived by
sleeping in shade during the day when highs were in the 50s and low
60s. She stayed awake at night while curled up in a poncho that she
said helped save her life by serving as a wind breaker
"The last night I stopped shivering and that's one of the early signs
of hypothermia. The last night was the worst," Grover said.
She relied on her faith, played mind games and recited poetry to help pass the time until rescuers arrived, she said.
"I prayed a lot and derived comfort from it," said Grover, who is
Mormon. "I thought God would do everything possible to help me overcome
my stupidity. I learned from my mother that things can always be worse."
Authorities were able to locate Grover through a rental car agreement
found in her room at a guest ranch where she was staying. The
establishment notified the sheriff's office when she failed to check
out Thursday as scheduled. Grover didn't leave an itinerary of her hike
behind.
The unmarked, unmaintained trail Grover hiked took her over terrain featuring slot canyons and pine- and juniper-covered ridges.
Ironically, Grover was revisiting country she first saw while taking a
Brigham Young University survival course 40 years ago. "I knew what I
had to do to survive," she said, because of her outdoors and medical
experience.
She finally enjoyed her first meal Saturday night.
"Before that, I was dreaming of oranges, which is one of my favorite
foods," she said. "But there are people who can go for weeks and weeks
without food in this world. We have it easy in America."