A missing hiker from Maine was found alive just yards from her deceased husband, likely surviving the freezing nights with the help of their loyal dog.
On Sunday, October 13, 82-year-old John Helmstadter and his wife, 72-year-old Pamela, set out with their dogs for a walk in the woods near their home in Alexander, Maine.
During the hike, they wandered off the trail, and John took a fall. Lost and unable to find her way back, Pamela attempted to seek help but became disoriented, according to the Maine Game Wardens.
The search began after a neighbor noticed something amiss and contacted authorities. After enduring four freezing nights in the woods, Maine Game Wardens and their canine team discovered the couple just over a mile from their home. Sadly, John had passed away, while Pamela was found alive but severely hypothermic, lying just 200 yards away from her husband. Her dog remained by her side, appearing to have kept her warm as temperatures dropped to 26 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Pamela was hypothermic but conscious, with her dog beside her,” reported the Game Wardens. “Her body temperature was recorded at 90.7 degrees, but she was able to describe the ordeal.” Mark Latti, Communications Director for Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, noted that the dog might have saved her life by lying protectively on her chest at night.
Sergeant Josh Beal of the Maine Warden Service added, “It sounds like the dog helped keep her warm, likely contributing to her survival.” Pamela was taken to the hospital for observation and shared that she had lost hope until she heard the Warden Service’s plane circling overhead. The alarm had been raised by a neighbor who noticed an untouched package on the couple’s porch and saw only one of their dogs return home.
Pamela is now said to be recovering after the traumatic experience.