Woman reportedly survives three nights lost in brutal Colorado terrain

"I believe in mind over body. If you let yourself start to panic, it all goes down hill from there," said 50-year-old Jiji Oh, a woman who spent three nights lost in the unforgiving Colorado wilderness. 

Oh traveled from her home in Houston, Texas to Steamboat Springs on a whim earlier this month, after an opportunity arose for her to take some time off for a self-care trip.

"I'm from South Korea and I have also lived in New Zealand and Australia. I had never been to Colorado before at all, but I was really wanting to see the leaves and I was missing crisp mountain air," she said. 

Oh planned to stay in Steamboat and explore the surrounding area for five days. When she arrived in town on October 9, she visited a lake near where she was staying and did a short hike. 

"I felt like it was the time of my life. Looking back on the photos I took from that day, everything was just so beautiful." 

That night, she made plans to hike the Devil's Causeway trail, at which point Oh made her first big mistake – she didn't tell anyone where she was going or how long she would be gone. 

Devil's Causeway is considered a moderately challenging trail that is located deep in the Flat Tops Wilderness area. 

"The 'causeway' is a narrow land bridge, no wider than four feet in some areas. Crossing it can be extremely dangerous depending on the weather and the experience level of a hiker, with state tourism board writers warning those adventurous enough to seek it out that it's 'not for those prone to vertigo.' Flanking each side of the causeway are cliff drops of 60 to 80 feet that lead to steep slopes that drop several hundred more feet," according to OutThere Colorado Director of Content and Operations Spencer McKee. 

The following day, Oh woke up before sunrise and drove to Stillwater Reservoir, where the trailhead for the route that leads to the Devil's Causeway formation is located. 

"I am a very independent person and by the time I thought 'maybe I should give my family a call,' I was already out of service on my phone," she said.

She met a pair of hikers at the trailhead at about 5:30 AM. She walked with them for roughly three and a half miles, when one of them started to complain of a hip ache. The two other hikers decided to turn back, leaving Oh continued on alone. 

After traveling an estimated two miles solo, the trail started getting tougher and Oh made the decision to turn back, as well.

"The path was very slippery and muddy, because of melting snow. On the side of the trail I saw a sign that said #1119. I assumed that it was another trail that would get me back to the car. That is where I went wrong," said Oh.

Oh had actually turned onto East Fork Trail #1119, that goes 15.7 miles along the north side of Stillwater Reservoir. According to the U.S. Forest Service, this trail is considered moderate to challenging. 

"The trail climbs among talus slopes to the Bear River/Williams Fork watersheds divide at mile 2.3, where breathtaking views await you. The trail becomes steep while elevation change is over 1500 feet, making this hike moderate to difficult through series of switchbacks to the Devil's Causeway," the service said. 

Oh estimates that she traveled four miles before reaching a dead end. 

"It was not a flat trail all the way through and it started to get very challenging. I had to climb over big logs and I even crossed a creek. It looked like the trail would continue on the other side."

At around 7 PM it was starting to get dark, Oh recalled.

"I remember thinking, 'this is for real.' I called out for help, but everything was so big and wide open that I didn't even hear myself echo back." 

In Colorado, especially during this time of year, temperature can drop quickly and drastically after nightfall. According to Time and Date, lows were in the 40s while Oh was lost.

"I only had my sneakers, thin exercise leggings, a light jacket, gloves, a hat, and a fanny pack."

At that point, Oh knew that she was not going to make it back to her car that night and decide to take shelter against a small hill.

"I felt like that was the safest place for me to be, so I did not really have to protect my back and could just see what was in front of me. I could hear animals at night and I think I saw a black bear peaking around a bush at one point. I was very grateful for the full moon that night," said Oh. 

Oh curled up into a ball and dozed in and out of sleep. 

"I just kept telling myself, 'The sun will come up. The sun will rise again.' I couldn't let my mind go to bad places. I believe in mind over body. If you let yourself start to panic, it all goes down hill from there. I had to be mentally strong." 

The next morning, she woke up sore, hungry, and still in a very dangerous situation. 

"I knew that I couldn't just wait here for something to happen. I had to get up and move."

She spent the whole next day trying to make it back the trail, a task that was beginning to feel more impossible by the hour. 

"I didn't want to think about how hungry I was. I was a lot more worried about staying hydrated," she said.

Even though she had no equipment to properly filter it, Oh began drinking handfuls of water from the creek every few hours. Unfortunately, when nightfall returned she was still lost. 

"I kept thinking, 'How did I get in this situation?' The last night had been so freezing and my shoes and socks were still wet. I did decided to take my socks off and the bottoms of my feet were blistering. I put my gloves on my feet." 

Oh found three logs that were stacked over one another to sleep under. She says she dug a hole to sleep in. 

"I was so physically tired. I slept on and off, but I was still trying to be aware of my surroundings. My feet were very cold and I was just counting the hours until morning. Time was so long." 

"Daylight came, but it wasn't sunny. The sun did not warm me up. My tummy was starting to rumble and I was starting to have self-doubt. At that point, my phone was just an extra weight in my fanny pack." 

Oh was beginning to reach her physical and mental limits, she said. 

"I thought of my girls. I can't leave my girls with no mom. I screamed for help, but no one came. I started to think, 'How long will it take people to find me here? When will my funeral be? Who will be crying out loud when they realize that I am gone?'" she remembered. 

Every few hours, Oh would find a sunny spot where she laid for a while to warm up. She had lost her gloves and her hands were freezing, she said. As the hours went on she began to realize that she would be spending a third night in the wilderness.

"My flight is leaving tomorow," she thought. 

"Maybe that is when people will notice that I am lost. How long can I survive with only liquid in my belly? All night I said, 'I am going to make it out.'"

On Thursday morning, Oh was determined. She decided to follow the creek hoping it would lead her down the mountain, though at the time she was not sure if she was headed toward safety or deeper into difficult terrain. 

"It was not a clear path. I was going up hills and climbing over logs, but I noticed that the creek was getting wider and stronger. It was also moving faster. At one point I thought 'who is going to win, me or the creek?'"

At around 1 PM, Oh found her saving grace – two men fishing in the creek. 

"I screamed for help and waved my arms at them. Still, it took me 10-15 minutes to reach them. I was crying when I finally got to them. They seemed confused, at first."

"They offered me food and water. It was such a relief. I finally knew that I was going to be alright. Empathy does not always come naturally to people, but these two men kept asking me if I was okay. They were just so kind." 

After it was all said and done, Oh was safely taken back to where she was supposed to be staying. She visited an urgent care and had only suffered minor frost bite to her feet. 

"It happened, but I am glad that I survived, and am so grateful to these two men. I have learned to never go out alone and to always let someone know where I will be," said Oh. "Even if you know the trail, nature can change quickly, so you should always be prepared with extra food, water, and flashlights."

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