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Lost, Thirsty, & Starving | A Hike Goes Horribly Wrong in The Grand Canyon

Outdoor Disasters

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In 1975, 25-year-old Linda Skavarna left Pittsburgh to drive across America with her loyal dog, Koko, at her side, before ending the journey with one final stop at a place she had seen only in photographs. The Grand Canyon. At a small store, she spotted a postcard of Havasu Falls near Supai Village and decided to hike to it. But Linda started late, and the hike stretched longer than expected. Then she reached a fork in the trail. Linda chose the wrong path. Within hours, her road trip would become a desperate fight for survival in one of the most unforgiving landscapes on Earth.

0:00 Introduction
1:05 The Road Trip To The Grand Canyon
6:13 The Ill-Fated Hike to Havasu Falls
13:20 Lost in the Grand Canyon
20:49 Survival
28:18 Renewed Hope
32:34 Despair
35:47 Found
40:06 Conclusion/Survival Tips

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Music by Scott Buckley "Omega"

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20 Comments

@LilaFowler1982 3 months ago

The fact that she’s a nurse and made the decision to not only leave her backpack, but not even take her water with her is staggeringly scary. She is lucky that the experienced natives in the area knew exactly how to track people like her. She owes them her life.

@Rephidim-e9w 6 months ago

‘It humbles you aesthetically before it humiliates you physically’……what a brilliant sentence! It’s almost like listening to poetry!

@jeskeepinitreal 6 months ago

I'm not an experienced hiker but I do it a bunch and I gotta say there was never a minute when I considered leaving my water, food and shelter behind along the trail. I mean, lighten your load... drop some few non-essentials, sure. But leaving your water in the desert and walking away from it is pure stupidity.

@Ally5325 6 months ago

My heart felt so happy to hear that the dog survived ☺

@tamisullivan8548 6 months ago

Miracle they found her in time🤦‍♀️miracle.

@mybigcountrylife 6 months ago

dog was like 'if you're gonna be hateful, i'll just wait for you at the village.'

@KathleenMcNe 5 months ago

I've done a lot of solo hiking in remote/isolated destinations. I've never become lost. Had I been in this situation, rather than abandon critical supplies, I would have stopped for the night -- having water, food and a sleeping bag -- and hiked out the next day the way I hiked in. The heck with reaching the village.

@curtyzzz 6 months ago

she didn't plan to fail. She failed to plan.

@FrederickTheGrt 6 months ago

I'm so glad the dog had a plan and saved himself.

@MoniAreUOKay 6 months ago

One questionable choice after another. Who abandons their supplies while lost in the wild?! It's like watching a horror movie and yelling at the TV, "Noooo!"

@Maggie-tr2kd 6 months ago

As she, herself, later admitted, she made many mistakes. However, she had a strong will to survive and I'm glad that she and her dog, Cocoa, made it.

@ZebaKnight 6 months ago

I remember this story... It's amazing that Linda was able to stay alive. She made some big beginner mistakes, but as her ordeal went on, she rallied and did things that were smart.

@ralphalvarez5465 6 months ago (edited)

If the members of the Supai tribe were regular hikers, chances are she wouldn't have been found alive. They know the trails and were able to track her. Thank God for people like the Supai.

@natiflores8654 5 months ago

Thank God for those men’s may God bless them for finding her 👍🏼🤗🙏🏼❤️

@rickylee4228 6 months ago

Linda: “coco no!”
Coco: “yeah, Imma go ahead and head on out.”

@hollyhefner8184 6 months ago

So many mistakes. It is a miracle she survived. People really need to be smarter

@saundrajohnson1571 6 months ago

I cannot imagine a worse possible experience. I don’t know how they survived, but thank God they did.

@77confusedzombie77 6 months ago

3:45 "because the canyon often begins by humbling you aesthetically, before it humiliates you physically"

Ugh. Love everything about this. It's true to a T.

@Kayrunningandcoffeeaddict 6 months ago

I’m SO glad her they both survived!!!

@Coaster_rider-se4vg 6 months ago (edited)

I knew this story from the dog comments before the video even started. It’s exactly what I thought the first time I read about this. Lol This story is featured in the great book: “Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon.” I’ve camped in Havasu and the sun exposure there is no joke. She was very lucky. Funny enough her dog helped saved her. Once she was reported missing the village locals noticed a strange dog hanging around and knew she must be inside the canyon.