Surviving in the wilderness can be an exciting adventure – if you’ve planned for it. But imagine getting stranded because of a simple mistake, and not having any idea if anyone will ever find you.
Not to mention, you didn’t plan for it. No food, no water, no shelter or communication – it can be a terrifying experience.
Lillian Ip, a 48-year-old woman from Melbourne, Australia, got first-hand look at what surviving in the wild would be like, after taking a wrong turn. Lillian was headed to Dartmouth Dam for a day trip, when she got off path. Her car got stuck in the mud in the Mitta Mitta bushland, and she had no cell service to call for help. With health issues that made it difficult for her to walk, she had no choice, she said, but to stay in one spot, and hope desperately for help to arrive.
The car belonging to Lillian, a 48-year-old Australian woman, who was rescued after going missing. NPR/Victoria Police
But, after being lost for five days, Lillian said she found herself scared she might not make it out alive.
I thought I was going to die out there,” she said to 9News reporters. “My whole body shut down on Friday.”
The previous day, she said she was so sure she wouldn’t make it home, that she found herself writing a letter to her family, telling them not to cry over her, and that she loved them.
But then, she said, she heard the helicopter. “I’m just sitting there thinking, what am I going to do, how am I going to survive this?” Lillian said. “I was about to give up.”
The moment Lillian, a 48-year-old Australian woman, was rescued after going missing. NPR/Victoria Police
Lillian is being praised for her ingenuity. She had only taken a couple of small snacks with her, and had a bottle of wine that was to be a gift for her mother, as well as some lollipops. She rationed those items out, and despite not being a fan of alcohol, she drank the wine to stay hydrated. At night, police said, she used the heater in her car to stay warm.
Lillian’s family had notified police that she was missing, after she didn’t make her regular daily phone call to them. But bad weather made locating her difficult at first.
“The area is so vast. If you can imagine, we’re talking about hundreds of (miles) that Lillian might be in,” police spokesperson Chris Parr told News 7 on the fourth day of searching.
But finally, through the dense woods, police spotted Lillian, on a dirt road, waving her arms frantically at the helicopter. She was nearly 40 miles away from the closest town. Video shows the sheer relief Lillian experienced as police arrive to where she was at.
Lilian Ip and her mother. Photo by 9 News
“After being lost in the bush for five days, she was extremely relieved and grateful to see us, and we were just as happy to see her,” said Martin Torpey, a sergeant with the police department in Wodonga, Australia.
Lillian told 9News that as soon as the policewoman rescued her, “The first thing that came to mind was water and a cigarette.” She was treated for dehydration in a nearby hospital, but otherwise made it out of her adventure with no side effects.
With her impromptu survival kit, Lillian used quick thinking and what was on hand to make it through. But, it does show the importance of making sure to always have an emergency kit in your vehicle, that includes water – though wine could be helpful, too.
“I’m an adventure person, but next time I’ll be better prepared,” she said.
Watch Lillian recount her wilderness adventure below.
