2 hikers were on their way to the Bridal Veil Falls in Washington state. They noticed what appeared to be blood. It's not uncommon to see blood on the trails as lots of bobcats hunt around there, but something told them this was different. They started looking for drops and followed them to a steep slope. They made the decision to actually climb down that slope all on a hunch. Thank God they followed that hunch because when they got to the bottom they found Jacque Tietijen of Saratoga Springs NY.
Jacque is a prolific hiker who has completed thousands of hikes, including hiking Mount Everest! She actually doesn't know what happened to her. The theory is a small rock slide hit her in the the head and she stumbled off the side and fell 20 feet. The hikers found Jacque unconscious but alive. They wrapped her in their coats and called for help and Jacque was airlifted to Utah Valley Hospital, where she’s receiving treatments for brain bleeds, skull and facial fractures, and a small tear in her carotid artery. For several days, she had to be intubated while the medical team monitored swelling in her brain.
Her family tells the NY Post “The fact that they not just noticed that, but had the inclination to follow [Jacque’s blood] and to investigate, and saved her life. Our family is so grateful. There are no words to how grateful we are to those men”.
Photo: sarote pruksachat / Moment / Getty Images