Fina Kiefer, a resident of Palmer, Alaska, and an avid hiker, is lastly back home after becoming lost for almost two days. The 55-year-old was hiking the 13.6-mile Pioneer Peak Trail alone last Monday, June 14, when she had a run-in with some bears. It took her a day and a half to re-establish make contact with with the outdoors world once more. Fina somehow got in touch with her husband and reported the circumstance she was in. On Tuesday, at 1 AM, Steve Kiefer, Fina’s husband, received a message from her saying that she had been chased by two bears.
She also added that she was left with only half a can of bear spray. When Steve could not get in touch with her once more, he named 911, Alaska News Source reported. Steve mentioned it was frightening not capable to know what she was going via. Later, Fina told her husband that she’d hiked back to the mountain to keep away from bears, but her cell phone had stopped working.
“It really makes you aware of what you have,” Palmer hiker Fina Kiefer mentioned. “I was fighting to see my family again. I was fighting to see my husband and my daughter and my son.”
She described her journey following becoming lost and becoming charged by bears. https://t.co/oIrbnAwvzJ
— Alaska’s News Source (@AKNewsNow) June 18, 2021
Soon following Steve communicated the matter to the authorities, members from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group and MAT+SAR Search & Rescue swung into action. Senior Master Sgt. Evan Budd, superintendent of the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center and complete-time member of the Alaska Air National Guard mentioned that Fina was chased off the trail by bears and she failed to obtain it once more. “She had waterproof matches and was able to start a fire,” he mentioned.
Not just that, Fina could even see helicopters browsing for her in the course of the two days that she could not establish any make contact with with her husband. However, given that she was in the woods, the helicopters could by no means obtain her. She continued walking down and producing it to someone’s yard, but there was no one inside. She after once more stepped out onto the road exactly where at about 5:30 PM on Wednesday volunteer searcher Stephen Dunphy discovered her and took her back to search basecamp. The Alaska Police Department that was publishing all the updates connected to the search operation on its web page in its last dispatch mentioned that the Alaska State Troopers had been notified by a volunteer departing the search region that Fina Kiefer walked out of the woods as they had been driving by on Knik River Road, about a mile from the trailhead. “Kiefer has injuries and EMS is transporting her to a Mat-Su area hospital for evaluation,” it mentioned.
The hiker is now back home and her husband could not be happier. Steve was ecstatic to see her back by his side and surrounded by so lots of family members who flew in from out of state as the search for Fina was on.
Fina, as well, thanked God that she could make it back alive. She also thanked the initial responders and all the people today who prayed for her.
“It makes me be so happy that I’m able to hug them again,” she mentioned of her family. “Because nothing else matters if you don’t have that.”