What I found so fascinating is that she basically FASTED for nearly the entire time, as the trail mix could not have last more than a few days. Normally we work on the assumption that you can last 30-40 days without food (i.e. fasting) if you consume 3-4 L of water. If you weight more (i.e. more fat), you can last longer in a survival situation. Colder weather will lessen survival times along with poor weather, but staying in a vehicle and drinking water every day saved her life. She last 49 days which is fantastic to see. She most likely suffered muscle loss and perhaps organ damage as she was out longer that the 30 or so days which is safe on our body.

The biggest psychological barrier to survival she faced is that the first 4 to 5 days when she was hungry and her energy levels were low would have been hard. Hunger subsides in time and energy levels come back up as well. After that she just need to keep mentally busy and not worry about her husband who wander off into the desert.

Staying put and waiting rescue normally is the best thing to do. In this case despite having no real search in the area she was still found by passers-by before she starved to death.
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Bruce Zawalsky
Chief Instructor
Boreal Wilderness Institute
boreal.net