TV will often tell you that teenagers are too preoccupied with cell phones and social media.
And like most things, it’s only a version of what is real. And while maybe teens do like spending their time posting pictures and sharing videos, it’s not the only thing they like to do.
Recently, one Canadian teenager showed how a love of the outdoors and a commitment to service helped guide her to safety when she found herself stranded alone on a mountain side.
Sixteen-year-old Esther Wang loves hiking and service to others. So much so that she was part of a hiking group, as well as a cadet for the Regional Cadet Support Unit of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Her group was spending two days following a mountain path in Golden Ears Park in British Columbia.
Esther was behind the other teens and one adult on a difficult trail. She said she suddenly realized she had veered away from the others.
Esther Wang in a photo provided by her family.
“Once I realized that the rest of my group was no longer in front of me, I tried to turn around,” Wang wrote in a letter to CBC News. “But I tripped and fell down … I tried to stay as calm as possible.”
Once her group realized Esther was missing, they rushed back to where they could find cell service and called for help. For the next two days, more than 40 rescuers, including officers from the Royal Mounted Canadian Police and Esther’s parents, joined in a search to find her.
Esther said that her first night alone, she could hear what she thought was whistles and noises from rescuers. But, unable to locate where the sounds were coming from, she kept walking.
The missing poster placed around where Esther Wang went missing. Photo courtesy of CBC News.
She climbed down the mountain, finding water in a nearby river. Esther had packed food for the trip, which she rationed to keep herself fed. She used the cold rocks by the water to sleep on.
I was filled with hopelessness and fear,” she said, “but I knew I could not give up.”
On the second morning, Esther said she was determined to climb back up the mountain in search of the trail she had strayed from. There were so many moments where she tried to flag down help, from whistles to helicopters searching overhead.
“Everything I tried failed,” Esther said.
It was on her second morning, Esther said, when she remembered she had taken photos with her digital camera of where the hiking group had been walking. Using those images, she was able to match the mountain top in the photos to one she could see in the distance.
She began to follow a river, and eventually found her first real sign of civilization.
“I noticed pink tape on some trees around me and my hopes soared high,” Esther said.
Eventually, the river led her down to a beach, which had a sign directing her to a parking lot.
A little after the sun had set on her second full day in the mountains, Esther walked herself out of danger and straight to the rescuers, including her parents, who were waiting for an update when their daughter appeared.
My body and mind are still recovering and processing what happened,” she wrote.
The teenager had scratches and bruises. Her feet were bleeding, but otherwise, she was fine. She said mentally, however, it would take her some time to deal with what had happened.
But through it all, she said, her faith and her training helped her remain calm and find her way down the mountain.
“I believe God led me home to my safety,” she said. “The sheer willpower to keep moving forward is the reason I am still alive.”
Watch below for a look at the brave teenager.
