The Californian Hunter who spent nearly three weeks stranded in the cold, mountainous wilderness reportedly survived on the little food he brought to the snow to stay hydrated.
Even before his 1 November rescue, 65-year-old Ron Dailey was not sure if anyone would save him he tried to text for the rest of their lives – while he assured that he would watch them “from heaven”.
A local sheriff’s office that Dailey disappeared after an October 13 hunting trip released more details, with the agency posting lay He recounted his experience in his own words on Friday.
Some online trolls have flooded news coverage and social media posts about Dailey with skeptical comments. However, in the officers’ video, he calmly explained how he stopped at a gas station to fill up his pickup truck for a heavy-duty truck ride in Fresno County’s National Forest.
In the end he makes a mistake, wrecks his truck and gets written off – all before the snow falls to further complicate his predicament.
Dailey said he has a few things he likes in his favor, including gloves and hats that he packs to stay warm. Selma, California, lives in his truck, where he has a solar charger for his phone — even though he lacks a strong cell signal.
He said he eventually started a fire using magnesium, a flint, toilet paper, old maps and wood from his neighborhood. He focuses on the 900 calories of food he has made in a two-week supply, limiting himself to 50, 60 or 70 calories per day during that time. Fresno News Outlet KFSN reported that he kept hydrated by drinking melted snow.
Meanwhile, rescue teams from several California counties are searching for him after his family learns he didn’t make it home from a hunting trip. Dailey’s family reported him missing to officials, who released his identity and put the public on the lookout for him.
Dailey explained that he walked himself to death at one point and texted goodbyes to his family who didn’t make it.
“I apologize to them for… [I] Probably won’t go for the rest of their lives, “said Dailey.” But I will look at you from heaven. “
Dailey called that moment the “sadest” part of his elimination. He said he finally decided to try to find someone in that area because he knew it was the end of the season to hunt someone with “a ton of people here” for that.
“I said: ‘We have to walk … Or I have to sit here and die,'” Dailey said.
Dailey explained that he then marched what he first estimated to be 10 miles – but later found out to be less than half. He fell and lost his phone during that walk; Fortunately for him, three fellow hunters in a car saw him.
“These guys were looking at me with binoculars and I literally jumped up and started to give up and the guys were looking at me and the guy up front leans out the window and goes: ‘Ron Dailey?'” he reported. “And I go: ‘Oh my God, they know my name. How do these guys know me?’ And it’s just… amazing. “
The team quickly got Daviley to first responders, who took him to a hospital. Dailey was released after receiving treatment and returned home, the Fresno Sheriff’s office said.
DAILEY previously shared some details about his time stranded in the woods with various media outlets. But the sheriff’s office said it would not discuss the details of his disappearance until he has been interviewed.
After Post In its video of Dailey on Social Media, the sheriff’s office expressed displeasure at the “negative comments” in response to the interview.
Dailey thanked the people who searched for him while he was missing. The Sheriff’s office also asked Dailey if he had any advice for the public after his survivor’s story.
He replied: “Always, always take more than you need because you never know what’s going to happen.”