Nancy Abell tried to get Katharina Groene to turn back. But with 150 miles to go on her solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, Groene wanted to see her adventure through. Abell met Groene last month in Washington, after Groene had walked 2,500 miles northward from the Mexican border. It was late in the season, and Abell was concerned because Groene didn't have snowshoes.

She couldn't stop thinking about the German hiker all alone in the mountains. A few days later when forecasters said to expect two feet of snow in the mountains, Abell called the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, explaining that Groene might be in trouble.

On the mountain, Groene was dehydrated and disoriented and thought she might have frostbite. She kept falling down and having to will herself to get back up, a sign of hypothermia. Surrounded by evergreens that were sinking under the weight of the snow, she screamed for help. No one heard her. She got out her phone and began recording messages for the friends and family she hadn’t seen for months, apologizing for dying on the trail.

Officers launched a search, and soon found her. Rescuers said it's likely she would have died within a day. Groene told reporters one reason she went on the hike alone is because she had lost her "faith in humanity." Thanks to Abell, it's back in "a really big way."

Possible Preaching Angle:

1) Advent; Christmas; Savior – When we were hopelessly lost and in great need, God sent his son to be our savior (Matthew 1:21); 2) Helplessness; Lostness; Loving others – Christians should also feel the same concern for the lost, whom they meet every day, and do all they can to help rescue those who are perishing.

Source:

Antonia Noori Farzan, “A hiker in the Cascades thought she would die in a snowstorm. But a stranger was looking out for her.” The Washington Post (11-2-18)