Three sisters are safe and sound after being lost on a Wyoming camping trip for about a week.
CNN reports that on Thursday, July 9th, Megan, Erin, and Kelsie Andrews-Sharer (25, 22, and 16, respectively) were rescued after a helicopter crew spotted them at about 10 in the morning. The sisters, having been away from their Ohio home since the previous weekend, were picked up from the helicopter and taken to safety.
The search began two days before after their family members reported them missing. The sisters, who left the Milwaukee area on June 28th, were planning on camping for only a few days. Family members state they had five days’ worth of food as well a tent and sleeping supplies.
Their family became concerned when they failed to meet up with their mother in Chicago on Tuesday to board a plane to Switzerland. They were last heard from on July 4th, according to a Facebook post by the United Methodist Church in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, where Megan worked.
Search teams worked around the clock from the 7th to the 9th looking for the trio in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in northwestern Wyoming. Authorities found their car parked near a trailhead in Bridger-Teton’s Gros Ventre Wilderness region. They eventually were found about seven miles away from their car.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Lori Iverson said the women were in rough shape when they found them.
“They’re tired, cold and hungry, but otherwise healthy and happy to be on their way out,” Iverson said during a press conference that day.
The women were quickly united with their father.
In a written statement, the Teton County Sheriff’s Office said that a guide had reported seeing a person walking in the forest in a part with no trails. The helicopter crew was quickly able to find the sisters after searching the reported area. The statement also commended the sisters for being so prepared for an “unexpected situation.”
Camping is one of the most popular outdoor activities in the United States. In 2013, Americans went camping for more than 516 million days collectively.
