Trapped Wash. Couple Survives Four Days on Snow and Jelly Beans
- Posted on February 27, 2011 at 10:53pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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SEATTLE (AP) — John and Patricia Norvell kept thinking someone would come help them as they sat trapped for four days on a secluded, forest road near Mount St. Helens with only jelly beans to eat and snow for water.
But as the third and fourth days approached, John said he felt dark at times, even as his wife’s spirits remained high.
The 63-year-olds from Vancouver, Wash., played cribbage, spooned snow into water bottles, and ran the engine just a few minutes at a time to stay warm and save gas. Sometimes, they turned the ignition just enough to run their heated seats off the battery.
Their ordeal, which began when the couple’s Jeep Grand Cherokee slid into a waist-deep ditch, ended Friday when they were spotted by campers.
“‘Good Samaritan’ doesn’t even begin to cover these guys, what they did,” John Norvell said in a phone interview Saturday. “They shoveled us out and they pulled us out, they gave me five gallons of gas and they didn’t want nothing in return. I’ll never forget these guys.”
The couple was 30 miles from the nearest town when their SUV slid into the ditch Monday during a drive amid the snow-freighted evergreens. They wanted to try a new camera that John received from the Frito-Lay plant in Vancouver, where he worked for 38 years before retiring in January.
During their ordeal, about 2 feet of snow fell and the temperature dipped into the teens at night.
By the middle of the week, their family was worried. They went to the couple’s home to find their cats unfed and called authorities. Their granddaughter’s husband, Leland Foster, said relatives frantically tried to figure out where they might have gone. They hadn’t used their credit card since Saturday.
“No one had any clue,” Foster said. “Normally they tell you, ‘Hey we’re going to drive to the beach today,‘ or ’We’re going to go here.’ They had talked about maybe going to the seaside or Port Angeles. We called every hotel in Port Angeles. It was a dead end everywhere we went.”
The couple said they had tried to call their family earlier Monday while having lunch in Cougar, to tell relatives they would be driving into the mountains. But they couldn’t get cell phone reception.
They drove up a single-lane Forest Service road and finally decided they had gone too far. Norvell said he backed the vehicle down the road, hit a rut and slid into the ditch.
They made a list of what kind of supplies they wished they had – shovel, food, more water – so they’d remember to pack that in the future.
“We talked about what we were going to do if things got worse. I was having anxiety attacks. I had to take such deep breaths. She kept trying to tell me she wanted to walk out,” John Norvell said, referring to his wife. “My gut was to stay in the vehicle. It was warm. It had gas. It was sheltered.”
John, who had grown tired of the jelly beans by the second day, said the snow helped them endure the ordeal: “Every time my tummy growled, I just drank more water.”
The couple, who are diabetic, tested their blood-sugar a few times a day. Their readings had never been so good.
John said their rescuers came Friday afternoon as he got out of his SUV. A woman walked over to check on them, accompanied by three men with Toyota trucks. They had dropped off some gear at a nearby cabin when they came across the stranded vehicle covered in snow.
On the way home, the Norvells pulled into a gas station, where they ran into an EMT. They talked to him for a few minutes; he told them they seemed fine.
Norvell said despite the stress, one good has come out of it.
The couple will celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary early next month, and “I tell you what, we are closer now than ever,” John Norvell said.
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Grandpa Harley
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 10:43pmPair of mental migets. No offense to migets. Although, we now know that jellybeans are a life saver and should be included in your food storage supply, it’s all you need.
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 2:36pmSo glad they are ok. We used to live in the mountains in Utah & learned what to keep in our vehicle at all times from our kids’ Public School (weird huh). They also taught us how to be prepared for Earthquakes. Even though we now live in Illinois, we still follow those rules. Emergency Kits are under our beds. We even keep ski attire in our trunks. No jelly beans though… must get jelly beans.
Report Post »macpappy
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 11:49amI know this is an interesting story and most new worthy…but check out this link and tell me why it is not the subject we are talking about.
Report Post »http://republicbroadcasting.org/?p=13806
Please pass the link on if you think it is important.
beckisnutsisnuts
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 1:54pmThis can’t be for real
MidwestMomof3
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 2:31pmFalse
Report Post »http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/domain.asp
macpappy
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 6:13pmI hope so, but this guy has always been upstanding in his writings. This also made Ron Pauls daily page. All I am sure of is that any responsible creditor would need viable assets to back up the loan. What is China backing the loans with, knowing the the Fed is monitizing the dollar?
Report Post »macpappy
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 6:22pmreadyfornov
Report Post »Thank you I learned something new today.
MidwestMomof3
Really, you give me Snopes as a reference. If Snopes say it is not so, I would tend to believe it is. This guy dis-proves everything with his own opinion. And he dis-proves anything that is not Obama friendly.
But, I find this really hard to believe. It would be an impeachable offense, would it not?
MaggieRose
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 11:01amI, too, am glad they’re ok… but duh! You don’t go anywhere out here on the backroads in Washington state without full emergency gear… I’ve been on some of those 1-lane forestry roads and for heaven’s sake people… be prepared! Especially around Mt. St. Helens… ummm… remember it IS an active volcano!
Report Post »xm-1774u
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 10:19ami hope they learned a lesson im amazed folks do not prepare for anything . i keep 3 days worth of gear
Report Post »in my lbe plus a rifle and 40 rounds it stayes in my pickup year round
Libertyluvnmomma
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 10:13amI don’t want to be mean. Being a survivor is a state of mind.
Report Post »sadly, too few share that trait. Reality is a harsh place. Expect the unexpected. Cheesy, I know.
MaggieRose
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 11:12amnot cheesy at all… smart! I never leave home without a bug-out-bag, boots, water… better to be prepared and not need it, than not be prepared and wish you had it! It only takes moments to stash a few items in a bag and keep them in your car… it could save your life, or the lives of others.
Report Post »piper60
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 8:48amIf I were doing a long trip this time of year, I’d pack a few apples and bananas as well as my personal favorite, yogurt covered raisins. These generally last a few days to a week, and having a variety of goodies helps to keep from getting sick of a particular flavor. Handwarmers, feet warmers, and perhaps a battery operated lamp for reading/attention getting would help as well. Maybe even a spare set of mittens in case the first set gets too soaking wet as you are shovelling yourself out. Just a thought.
Report Post »LoveYah
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 8:47amAwww. I am so happy that these people made it. Survival happens, be prepared for it!!
Report Post »Karron
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 6:55amIn the back of my car I carry an emergency back pack with all the above mentioned things, but also a knife, a compass, a map, waterproof matches, flashlights, first aid kit ( good one not a cheap one) flairs, space blankets, and and feet warmers, dried food, (ramen goes a long way) and a hand held CB. Paranoid, you bet.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 12:18pmYou must live where the weather gets really bad! Stay safe. Hope you don’t need all that gear, but it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. My grandmother taught me that.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 6:41amAdding to their list, always travel with a couple of blankes, canned food, of course a can opener. If not for yourself, you may help others.
Report Post »Marylou7
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 5:20amThe couple, who are diabetic, tested their blood-sugar a few times a day. Their readings had never been so good.
The Lord works in mysterious ways. Praise the Lord they are okay, wonder if they thanked him.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 7:23amThey were very fortunate, indeed. I imagine next time, besides all the extra supplies, they will find a land phone to let family know where they will be. God bless them.
Report Post »Libertyluvnmomma
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 10:09amI’m sorry but what a couple of idiots. Glad they are alright. But seriously….No disaster prep? No thoughts for the future? When TEOTWAWKI happens millions of people just like them are gonna die. And the prepared just won’t have enough to save them.
Report Post »MaggieRose
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 11:05am@Momma… so true… I know soooo many people that cannot even walk down a hallway without getting winded, much less walk miles for their own rescue… I shudder to think how many will perish without “someone coming to help them”
Get prepared people… the perfect storm is here, and it HAS started to rain… pray up, stock up, and look up
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 12:15pmThank the Lord for this happy ending!
I talked to a friend of mine last night who lives in Virginia. He’s in a wheelchair, and he got snowed in during all that snow this winter. The snow came half way up the door to his van, and it’s a NICE van. He has a long driveway which he has no way of clearing. THE MAIL CARRIER tromped all the way up through the snow to his house to check on him!!! The main road was cleared, but his driveway was not. He said she also WENT TO THE STORE FOR HIM a couple of times! You can’t get that kind of service with a 44-cent stamp! You get that kind of service because of God’s love being shared.
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