87-Year-Old’s Remarkable Bushwalk Survival: Daughter Shares Her Emotional Story

The daughter of an 87-year-old hiker who survived a chilly night lost in the bushland of south-western Western Australia is sharing her mother’s ordeal, hoping it will serve as a cautionary tale for others.

The elderly adventurer embarked on her journey last Friday on a trail near Donnelly River Village, located 280 kilometers south of Perth, but unfortunately, she took an incorrect path.

“My mom, who’s unstoppable and recently got new hips, was determined to go on a walk,” her daughter Jo shared today.

Alone in the thick wilderness, the 87-year-old spent the night braving temperatures that dipped to 6 degrees.

“I was terrified I might never see my mom again,” Jo confessed.

“I really didn’t think she was coming back.”

The alarm was raised by 8pm on Friday. Family and emergency services combed the tracks, helicopters and drones searched overhead but the thick canopy was hiding her. 

“We did all the trails and forestry tracks on our bikes and walking for the whole night, and didn’t find her,” Jo said.

Finally she was found – exhausted, dehydrated but unhurt – 2 kilometres from where she started, after her phone managed to call Triple Zero.

“She was sitting on a jarra log, waiting here obediently, eating her little packet of raisins,” Jo said.

Police warn more people are heading into remote areas unprepared, sparking major rescue operations. Experts urging walkers to always tell loved ones their plans. 

“Take extra water, take a little bit of extra food, extra clothing, maybe some form of shelter,” bush survival expert Terry Hewett said.

” … a four to six or maybe eight-hour walk could end up being an overnight event.”

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