Awesome - Woman Crosses Paths With A Strange Hiker And Immediately Radios 911
Nancy Abell had always loved navigating the nature trails in her home state of Washington. She often passed locals and strangers alike out in the woods, but one encounter left her filled with worry. The hiker she met didn't seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary until Abell noticed a minor detail. The stranger's life was in danger — unless Nancy could intervene.
Local Walk
In October of 2018, Nancy Abell was walking a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. The long-distance hike extended all along the U.S. Pacific Coast, with notable spots in California up to Washington. She was just enjoying a short route in her home state, and although it started out like any other hike, she soon found she wasn't alone.
Feeling Off
There really wasn't anything that unsettled Nancy Abell about the young hiker she met that day. There were many people that she bumped into, so there was no reason to be on alert. But for some reason, Abell felt a suspicion about the hiker. And the feeling didn't go away when they parted.
Other Face
The hiker was a young woman named Katharina Groene. She was from Germany, having traveled over to the U.S. to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail. The 34-year-old had met Nancy while on her last leg and was preparing to finish up her personal odyssey. At first, everything went smoothly between the two women.
Plenty of Worries
When Groene revealed she was finishing up the PCT, Nancy Abell took another look over the hiker. As a veteran of many treks herself, Abell noticed something wrong. Groene may have successfully made her way along the Pacific Crest Trail to this point, but Abell knew what the finishing line had in store — and it could be life-threatening.
Responsible Adventuring
Given the route's vast length and varied terrain, there were many different threats that hikers needed to be wary of. Even professionals had to be constantly on their guard, and the Pacific Crest Trail Association explained, "Your brain provides one of your best weapons." The organization flagged a number of dangers to prospective adventurers, and knowing these risks, Abell had a bad feeling Groene was being risky.
Growing Unease
Katharina Groene didn't appear reckless. But Abell took note of the woman's footwear and figured it could bring about trouble. The last stretch of the trail involved wintry conditions, and the temperature was already beginning to plummet. Abell didn't want to overreach, but something told her to warn Groene.
Obstacles Everywhere
According ABC News, Abell attempted to talk Groene out of continuing, at least until she purchased better footwear. But that didn't work. Groene was adamant about finishing what she started four months earlier down in California. Nancy Abell wasn't going to back down so easily.
Stuck in Her Head
Abell hiked alongside Groene for several miles and tried to plead her case. It was a futile attempt in the long run. Groene wasn't going to quit. With little else to be done, Abell left the hiker and went home. Perhaps everything would be okay — after all, her anxiety was only based on a hunch. As hard as she tried to let it go, Abell couldn't stop thinking about the worst-case scenario.
Deserted
Where the Pacific Crest Trail began in California, the landscape was mostly barren. The deserts that followed that area posed risks of heatstroke and rattlesnakes. The young German hiker had made it all the way to Washington, safely, despite all that. To clear her mind, Abell checked the local weather reports. These did not quell her concerns.
Cinema Take
Accidents were a very real possibility out on the PCT. The intense journey was made popular by Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, Wild, and its film adaptation. Thanks to those popular stories, audiences might have expected the PCT to be an enlightening journey to heal from emotional turmoil. But not everyone has been so lucky.
Past Tragedy
In "The Accident on the Pacific Crest Trail" in Alta, journalist Louise Farr described one journey that turned tragic. Trevor Laher was a young man who set out with two friends to find self-fulfillment on the hike. When they encountered knee-deep snow, they turned off the trail in search of a detour. But hidden ice led to Laher slipping and falling into a gorge. He had done everything right in his preparation, but a split-second decision proved to be fatal.
Time Running Out
No matter how she tried to spin it, Nancy Abell wasn't wrong to fear for Katharina Groene. Weather forecasts showed that temperatures were dropping to dangerous levels, but Nancy still chose to sit still. But she couldn't remain quiet forever. After a few days passed from her encounter with Groene, Abell made a call to the police.
Emergency Alert
The sheriff's office didn't know what to make of the strange call at first. A search and rescue was being demanded for an individual who was never notified in having gone missing. But per ABC News, it helped that Abell gave a huge amount of necessary information to warrant such a rescue mission. And she was very descriptive.
Need to Know
From her one encounter, Nancy was able to learn Groene's pack weight, which she then used to calculate the average walking pace of the younger hiker. Based on Nancy's research on the weather reports, the sheriff's office had enough to figure out Groene's approximate location and prepare a rescue mission. If it wasn't too late, that is.
Lookout
After scanning the area for one hour, a rescue helicopter pilot saw no sight of the hiker. But that changed after another 30 minutes passed. Einar Espeland, the pilot, told ABC News, "I spotted her right in the tall timbers, she had come into a little opening." The search had been successful. But the actual rescue was going to be complicated.
Down Below
The rugged landscape made it difficult for the helicopter to land. More than ten attempts failed. The longer it took, the more danger Katharina Groene was in. Espeland finally resorted to handing over the helicopter controls to his a co-pilot and creating a makeshift landing from fallen trees.
Airlift
His quick thinking did the trick. As Abell had suspected, Groene was in danger. The weather had destroyed her shelter, leaving her cold and wet. The hiker's food supply was becoming scarce. She had a phone, but poor service didn't let her calls for help through. Her device was filled with unsent messages to loved ones. If Nancy Abell hadn't contacted the authorities, those words might have never been read.
Reunion
Once Groene was brought to the hospital, Abell visited. Nancy confided that she had a daughter who was about the young hiker's age, and she couldn't help but see her little girl in Katharina. In fact, thoughts about the dangerous conditions and improper footwear made her lose sleep. As she recovered, the German booked a flight back home, but her guardian angel had one more surprise in store.
Safety Measures
Not wanting her to blow through her savings on a hotel room, Abell offered a bed in her home for Groene to stay in until her flight. Though she declined the woman's help once before, Groene didn't make the same mistake again. She happily accepted. When CBS interviewed the two, Groene revealed she undertook the PCT because she was "losing faith in humanity." That view certainly changed.
Eternally Grateful
Nancy Abell had done much to reassure Groene that she could believe in the kindness of strangers. Thankfully, she wouldn't follow the path of Trevor Laher, becoming a cautionary tale to keep hikers on their guard. Because the truth is that the most scenic trails can be more dangerous than most people realize. Heroes like Nancy can be the difference between life and death, and she's not alone in that regard.
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