Tiffany Slaton, a 28-year-old from Georgia, survived 24 days in the Sierra Nevada mountains after a solo camping trip went awry. Enduring snowstorms, an avalanche, and injuries, she foraged for food and maintained her mental health through journaling.

When the Vermilion Valley Resort in California’s eastern Sierra shut down for the winter, the staff left cabin doors unlocked just in case a wayward hiker needed shelter during the frequent mountain snowstorms.