Surviving life-threatening situations requires bravery, determination, and plenty of luck. Life can change in an instant, as was the case for a hiker who fell off a cliff, an expert skier caught in an avalanche, and four individuals whose lives were forever altered by the following events. They survived being swallowed by a whale, swept away in a mudslide, and more. Perhaps it was quick thinking, an unbreakable survival instinct, or simply fate, but their tales of survival are nothing short of miraculous.
4) I survived being swallowed by a whale
Julie McSorley, 56, physical therapist
My husband, Tyrone McSorley, and I reside in San Luis Obispo, California, which is located about three miles from the beach. Every few years, humpback whales make their way into the bay during their migration period, and November 2020 was one such occasion. Excited at the prospect of witnessing this natural phenomenon, we set out in our yellow double kayak to observe the wildlife. As we paddled out to the length of the pier, we were thrilled to spot seals, dolphins, and around 20 whales feeding on silverfish. The sight of these majestic creatures, each measuring about 50 feet in length, breaching and spraying water through their blowholes was a truly awe-inspiring experience. We couldn’t help but laugh as they playfully turned their side fins, appearing to wave at us.
My friend Liz Cottriel, who was staying with us at the time, was initially hesitant to join us due to her lack of experience and fear of being overturned by the whales. However, I convinced her to come along, as I didn’t want her to miss out on this unforgettable experience.
On the morning of our kayak adventure, Liz and I set out at 8:30, along with around 15 other kayakers and paddleboarders already in the bay. It was a warm November day, so we wore T-shirts and leggings. Soon enough, we spotted two humpbacks swimming towards us just past the pier. We were awestruck at how close we were to these massive creatures as they gracefully dipped under the waterline.
As we followed the whales, we noticed a bait ball of fish jumping out of the water, trying to escape from the whales. We thought it was safe to paddle towards the area, assuming that the whales had moved on. However, we were mistaken, and suddenly we were being pelted with fish. Our kayak was then lifted out of the water, and we found ourselves inside the whale’s mouth, slipping out of the kayak.
While the whale’s mouth closed, Liz thrust her arm up to block it from crushing her, and I focused on staying calm and breathing. Fortunately, whales have tiny throats and spit out anything they can’t swallow, including us. Within seconds, we were ejected from the whale’s mouth and popped back up onto the surface about a foot apart.
Several kayakers paddled over, relieved to see us alive and unharmed. Liz was understandably shaken and likened the experience to a near-death encounter, and we both came away with a newfound respect for the power of nature and the ocean.
Despite the ordeal, Liz couldn’t help but laugh when she realized she had brought back a souvenir of six silverfish that had found their way into her shirt. As for Liz’s whale-watching days, they are over, but the memory of that day will stay with us forever.
3) I survived falling in quicksand
Ryan Osmun, 37, photographer
On February 16, 2019, my girlfriend Jessika McNeill and I arrived at Utah’s Zion National Park at 8 a.m. We had traveled from our home in Mesa, Arizona to hike the nine-mile-long Subway Trail, named after its tunnel-shaped canyon. Midway through our trek, we encountered a light snowfall and eventually arrived at the rust-colored walls of the Subway Trail, which had a small pond in our path. Despite the pond appearing shallow, as Jessika waded in, her front foot sank into the sandy bottom, causing her to fall forward and begin sinking. I quickly lunged forward, grabbed her under the shoulders, and pulled her to safety. However, as I attempted to free myself, my right thigh and left calf became submerged in quicksand.
After attempting to free me, Jessika realized that she had to hike back to the trailhead, which was five hours away over rough terrain, to call for help. Despite being scared and having only ever hiked with me, she had no other options. Thirty minutes after she left, it began to snow heavily, and I was left sinking in quicksand. I managed to stop my upper body from slipping backward into the quicksand by planting my stick into the dry ground.
Hours later, I saw a light shining over the canyon walls and prayed it was a helicopter, but it turned out to be the moonlight. At that point, I was soaking wet and believed that I wouldn’t survive. An hour later, a man named Tim found me, and I learned that Jessika had gotten through to rescuers. Tim’s crew set up a pulley system and successfully freed me from the quicksand.
However, my leg had swollen to the size of my thigh, and I couldn’t walk. Due to the snowy weather, we had to settle in for the night before a helicopter could be called the next day. Despite my leg being swollen, X-rays revealed that I had no fractures or breaks. Even though I had sat in the quicksand for 12 hours, I miraculously survived.
2) I survived falling off a mountain
Gurbaz Singh, 18, student
At the age of 13, I conquered my first mountain, a gentle 3,900-foot peak near my hometown in Surrey, British Columbia. Despite being overweight and out of breath, I loved the challenge of overcoming something bigger than myself. This newfound hobby delighted my parents, and soon, I climbed almost 100 peaks. Two years ago, at the age of 16, I traveled to Oregon with my friend Mel Olsen, whom I met on a Facebook group, to climb the 11,240-foot Mount Hood.
Starting at 3 a.m., we followed the paths alongside the ski runs and met two other climbers along the way. We wore layers we could remove as we exerted ourselves, as it was about 14 degrees. We reached Devil’s Kitchen, a plateau at about 10,000 feet, and continued on to the top. As we climbed, the wind conditions worsened, and my exposed skin felt as though it was burning.
The other climbers decided to turn back, but Mel and I persisted, well-equipped with ice axes, helmets, and crampons. We encountered a patch of ice called an ice step, and I volunteered to go first. As I put my full weight on the step, a whole slab of ice broke off, and I fell backward, tumbling down the mountain for 600 feet. I ended up on a shallow incline above Devil’s Kitchen, my clothes shredded, my helmet broken, and my face bloodied. I checked that my brain wasn’t scrambled and surveyed my body for injuries. I had a sharp, agonizing pain in my left leg, which I later found out had fractured my femur, slicing into my skin and muscle. I tried wiggling my toes and was relieved that I wasn’t paralyzed.
Mel called for help, and other climbers assisted me. Some were trained EMTs who splinted my leg and called Portland Mountain Rescue. I screamed with each bounce as they pulled me down the mountain. At the hospital, the doctors told me it would take a year before I could climb again, but I was back on the trails within six months.
The fall made me more cautious, and I realized that one slip on a mountain could change everything. Despite some negative media attention and hurtful comments, I’ve climbed another 60 mountains since then. I won’t let one fall and its aftermath stop me from doing what I love.
1) I survived being caught in a mudslide
Sheri Niemegeers, 47, investment administrator
In May 2018, my partner, Gabe Rosescu, and I embarked on a road trip from my hometown of Weyburn, Saskatchewan to visit friends in Nelson, British Columbia. As our first trip together after dating for six months, it promised to be an adventure. While driving along the Crowsnest Highway at around 5:30 p.m., a winding road through the Canadian Rockies, I glanced up from texting my mother to see an enormous tree being pushed along by a mudslide. Unaware of the recent flooding in the area, we were suddenly caught in the thick of it. Our car tumbled 900 feet down the cliffside, leaving us unconscious.
Upon regaining consciousness, I heard Gabe moaning and saw that he was covered in bl*od, with multiple injuries to his face and head. I had a broken sternum and a crushed ankle, making escape from the crushed car nearly impossible. With no phone signal and no other way out, we were forced to yell for help. Fortunately, four bystanders heard our calls and waded through the mud to rescue us.
They carried us through the treacherous terrain for over an hour, passing us off between pairs as they sank into the mud. By the time we reached the highway, it was 7 p.m., and Gabe was in shock. We were transported separately to hospitals, with Gabe airlifted to a trauma center 260 miles away.
He required surgery to reattach his scalp and was hospitalized for six weeks, while I was released after 10 days with a permanent limp and a reconnected artery in my left foot. Gabe lost the vision in his left eye, but we both survived the ordeal. Despite the trauma of the accident, it brought us even closer together as a couple. We remain grateful for our survival and have continued to take road trips, even returning to the site of the accident a year later to give the mudslide a defiant gesture.