14-Year-Old Survives Night in Utah Canyon After Getting Separated from Family: 'I Was So Scared'
"I was trying to stay put because that's what I had been told," said Aloha Joy Lunceford
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The Narrows in Zion National ParkA 14-year-old girl is opening up about the terror she felt after becoming separated from her family at a national park in Utah — and having to spend the night alone.
Last week, Aloha Joy Lunceford and her family went hiking and tubing in The Narrows at Zion National Park, according to Fox affiliate KSTU-TV.
At some point, the group split in half and the girl ended up making a wrong turn towards Orderville Canyon while trying to catch up with the faster group, reported NBC affiliate KSL-TV.
"I thought I saw my uncle's footprint," she told KSTU-TV. "So I assumed that was the right way."
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Her mother said that each group initially assumed she was with the others until they met and realized she wasn't with either of them.
"I was horrified," she told KSTU-TV.
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The National Park Service was notified, according to Aurelia, but they couldn't begin a search until the following morning.
"It was getting dark and nobody was coming. So I just kind of, I got my blanket out my little poncho and I kind of hunkered down," the teen told the outlet. "I ended up just sleeping on a little mud bank. The driest I could find."
"I was trying to stay put because that's what I had been told," she added. "But I was so scared."
While trying to fall asleep that night, Aurelia's mind kept wandering to the worst-case scenario, she told the local radio station KSL NewsRadio. But she said her husband was confident that their daughter would be found safe.
Jonathan Shafer, public affairs specialist at Zion National Park, told KSL-TV that "two teams of responders" had found the 14-year-old "near Orderville Canyon" by the next morning.
"We were very glad that our search and rescue team was able to make contact with them this morning and escort them the rest of the way down that route," Shafer added.
The 14-year-old was reportedly discovered after another couple took the same wrong turn she made and spotted her on a mud bank. She told KSTU-TV that the couple helped her walk three miles until they found rescue crews.
Now safe, she told KSTU-TV that being back home is "such a good sensation."
Speaking with KSL-TV, Aurelia expressed gratitude to the rescuers as well as those who prayed for her daughter's return. "I’m so very grateful for your help in this nightmare," she said.
The National Park Service did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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