Ants for food and a tree-branch shelter: How a woman, 71, survived 6 days in the wild

It was supposed to be a quick jaunt into the wilderness, a chance to say goodbye to her dead husband and the start of a new chapter in her life.

It turned into a six-day survival tale in Olympic National Park.

That’s where Sajean Geer chose to spend her 71st birthday as she scattered her husband’s ashes near Obstruction Point, one of Jack’s favorite places.

The Port Angeles woman set out July 18 with only the urn, her cellphone, car keys, sunglasses and her dog, Yoda.

Geer spread the ashes but soon realized she’d strayed too far from the trail and didn’t know how to make her way back. She tried hiking up a hill for a better vantage point, hoping to spot the road or a landmark, but slipped and dropped the urn.

Realizing she was stuck in the woods for at least a night, Geer made a bed beneath a log and snuggled Yoda, wishing she had a jacket to put over her Hawaiian shirt.

In the morning, she decided it was time to get moving and think about survival in case it took a long time before somebody realized she was missing.

Geer hadn’t told anyone where she was going. She’d spoken to her brother on the phone the morning of her birthday, but didn’t mention her plans to visit the park.

“I did this to myself,” she told The Seattle Times. “I’m in a dire situation. I have a Hawaiian shirt, no jacket. I had no water bottle, no knife, nothing to start a fire.”

Geer spent some time walking, trying to find her way, but eventually decided to hunker down and hope that rescuers would come.

On the third day, she settled next to a creek in a steep valley and used two logs, tree branches and moss to build a makeshift shelter.

Geer and Yoda drank from the creek and resorted to eating bugs and pine needles. Temperatures thankfully never dipped below the 40s.

Back at home, Geer’s brother had reported her missing. A ranger on Saturday spotted Geer’s car parked on the shoulder of Obstruction Point Road and searchers took to the air.

It was Sunday when Geer heard the helicopter circling overhead. She dashed into an open, sunny area and began waving her arms.

A notebook fell from the sky instructing her not to move.

Then a rescuer was lowered to Geer.

“I jumped up and hugged him, I was so happy,” she told The Times.

Geer devoured a bagel, Clif bar and Gatorade before she was taken to the hospital. She was released later that night with nothing more than bruises, scrapes and mosquito bites.

She told KIRO her positive attitude and reading survival books years before helped get her through the ordeal.

“I was really encouraged by myself. I didn’t panic. I was calm. I was glad I had the knowledge to figure out what to do,” she told The Times. “I was grateful for everything in my life — my friends, my family.”

This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Ants for food and a tree-branch shelter: How a woman, 71, survived 6 days in the wild."