Stranded Joshua Tree Hiker Survived Off Urine

JOSHUA TREE, CA -- A New Zealand woman who shattered her pelvis when she fell 15 feet from a boulder in Joshua Tree National Park, and survived four days amid brutal heat before being rescued, was recovering Tuesday after undergoing surgery at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.

The incident happened May 22 when 36-year-old Claire Nelson went hiking at the popular park while house-sitting in the area, according to a GoFundMe page created for her.

After the fall, Nelson was unable to call for help as she didn't have cell phone reception. She ran out of water the next day and began drinking her urine to survive, the fundraising page said.

"On Friday 25 May - four days and three nights of being splayed, broken, on the desert floor - Claire’s travelling friend sensed something was up," the GoFundMe page said. "They called neighbours to check in on her, and eventually her car was located at the trailhead. A few hours later Claire was rescued by helicopter search crew and taken to hospital."

"I decided I just needed to stay alive long enough (to) be found," Nelson wrote on Instagram. "I tried not to lose hope. Admittedly, that was challenging at times."

On a GoFundMe page created to assist with her medical costs, Nelson wrote Tuesday morning that she underwent surgery to reconstruct her pelvis and can sit upright for the first time since her injury.
Her next steps include physiotherapy on Wednesday.

"Progress will be slow, but it's still progress," Nelson wrote.

--Photo via GoFundMe/GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner

--City News Service contributed to this report