Sisters rescued from wilderness relied on their faith, experience

Associated Press

CHEYENNE, Wyo.

Three Midwestern sisters said Friday faith helped them survive for more than four days while lost in a Wyoming wilderness area, and they were grateful searchers didn’t give up.

The sisters spoke at a news conference in the resort town of Jackson in their first public appearance after being airlifted to safety Thursday. The women and their parents thanked search-and-rescue personnel, volunteers and friends for their support and work in finding them.

“Glad to be out safe,” said Megan Margaret Andrews-Sharer, 25, of Milwaukee.

“When I saw the sight as we landed in the helicopter, I realized that there is no way people were going to give up on the search,” added Erin Andrews-Sharer, 22, of Columbus, Ohio. “That was something that crossed my mind a couple of times, but I saw this army of people ready to come out for us, and I knew there was no giving up.”

They were joined by their sister Kelsi Andrews-Sharer, 16, also of Columbus.

Their father, Eric Andrews-Sharer, cited the girls’ previous camping experience, saying the family went camping when they were younger. On one trip, they had to wait out a snowstorm that collapsed one of their tents.

He choked up briefly while thanking the teams, the local community and others who came out to “help us find our girls.”

The father added the family is “kind of shy” and eager to return to their normal lives.

Erin said faith helped the girls survive – “just trusting in God and knowing that he was going to carry us through.”

Megan added the girls had fuel, a water filter, a tent and good sleeping bags. She only wished they had brought more food.

The sisters rationed their food and set up their tent in an open area so search aircraft would have a better chance of spotting them, Teton County Sheriff James Whalen said.

The three left July 1 for their backpacking trip in a remote part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. They planned to hike back out July Fourth, Whalen said.

But they got lost in an area about 15 miles southeast of Jackson that has mountains about 10,000 feet high and many confusing trails created by wildlife.

Searchers didn’t know where to look for the girls when their parents reported them overdue Tuesday, Whalen said.

Whalen said search-and-rescue team members were confident of finding the girls because they knew the sisters were well-provisioned and it wasn’t too cold.