Actually her medical history might be relevant. She spent her time in the "wilderness"(actually just barely within the Blue Range Primitive Area) all of a mile from the trail head, so for whatever reason, may not have been thinking all that logically. This was compounded by lack of coordination among the authorities, who spotted her car days earlier, didn't connect the dots, and towed her car from the scene before the search operation began.
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Geezer in Chief