Woman Found After Spending 8 Days Lost in Texas National Park Says She’s 'Grateful to Be Alive'

Christy Perry, 25, has said she survived in Big Bend with no food — and shared a series of photos documenting the ordeal on social media

A Texas hiker who survived for eight days in Big Bend National Park is sharing snippets of her experience.

“Swipe to watch me get lost in Big Bend for 8 days,” Christy Perry, 25, wrote on TikTok Wednesday, alongside a carousel of images from her harrowing ordeal.

“But seriously im so grateful to be alive and healthy," Perry added.

The Houston resident was reported missing by her family after she picked up a rental car in Midland, Texas and drove it to Big Bend last month, according to the National Park Service.

Perry never showed up for her camping reservation at the Chisos Basin Campground on Nov. 9, per the NPS, and her car was found at the trailhead of the Lost Mine Trail.

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Over the course of a week, search teams made up of NPS employees, the U.S. Border Patrol, Texas Game Wardens with K-9 teams and Los Diablos fire crew combed the rugged area and surrounding canyons and ridges, before they found Perry on Nov. 17 "awake and talking," the NPS said.

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Perry’s ordeal spanned from seemingly happy to nightmarish, according to her social media post, with the first photos showing Perry smiling for the camera.

However, as the gallery of images progressed, Perry looked to be increasingly upset and impacted by the elements.

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In her final image posted to TikTok, she is pictured smiling from a hospital bed in Odessa, Texas, where she was airlifted by a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter, according to the NPS.

Perry has not publicly shared how she survived alone in the remote area which does not have cell service, but she said in a Thanksgiving Day Instagram post that has been viewed by PEOPLE that she did not think she “would survive 8 days lost at Big Bend without food in the cold and rain.”

“This Thanksgiving I am so thankful to be alive and well 🧡” she wrote. “I am so grateful for the National Park Service for everything they have done to find me. The rescue team was extremely welcoming and clearly communicated everything I needed to know. I’m also so grateful for the entire healthcare staff at the Odessa hospital I stayed at."

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She continued, "I felt safe and could trust that they could bring me back to health. Lastly, I am so lucky to have loved ones who care about my well being. I appreciate all who have impacted my life, regardless of how.”

Perry has also appeared to have a sense of humor about the experience. Her bio on TikTok currently reads: "Known for getting lost at national parks."

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