Lost in Death Valley

Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth. The intense heat sucks the air out of your lungs and scorches the bottoms of your feet. The human body is not made to survive in such an extreme place. Every year at least one person dies here.

It was in this blistering hot desert that three women became stranded on July 22, 2010. Seventeen-year-old Gina Cooper, her mother, Donna, and their friend Jenny Leung, 19, were lost with no phone service and very little water. 

Their chances of survival were slim . . . and getting slimmer by the moment.

Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth. The heat dries the air and scorches your feet. People are not made to live in such a hot place. Every year at least one person dies here.

In July 2010, three women became stranded in this place. Gina Cooper, 17, her mother, Donna, and their friend Jenny Leung, 19, were lost. They had no phone service and little water. 

How could they survive? 

Like so many disaster stories, this one begins in an ordinary way: with a plan for a fun day trip. 

Jenny was a student from Hong Kong, China. She was spending the summer with Donna, who lived in Pahrump, Nevada. Donna was excited to show Jenny the spectacular sights of the West. Already they’d seen the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Now Donna wanted to show her Death Valley. Gina decided to come along. 

Death Valley National Park, in California and Nevada, is a place of amazing beauty and danger. Rocky snowcapped mountains tower thousands of feet into the sky. Huge sand dunes sizzle in the sun on the valley floor below. Summer temperatures soar well above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. (The record is 134.) 

These extremes are brutal—but also fascinating. And that’s why more than 1 million people visit Death Valley each year. Most come during the cool winter months. 

Donna, Gina, and Jenny knew that visiting in July meant extreme heat. But it would be a short trip, mostly in Donna’s air-conditioned car. The three women planned to visit Scotty’s Castle, a famous home and museum from the 1920s.

Donna packed food and water for the day. She also stocked the car with maps, tools, blankets, phone chargers, and a first-aid kit. 

Little did she know that those tools would become critical. The women would soon be fighting for their lives. 

The women had started out on a fun day trip. 

Jenny was a student from China. She was spending the summer with Donna, who lived in Nevada. Donna was excited to show Jenny the amazing sights of the West. They’d seen the Grand Canyon. Now Donna wanted to show her Death Valley. Gina decided to come along. 

Death Valley National Park, in California and Nevada, is a place of great beauty and danger. Mountains topped with snow rise into the sky. Huge sand dunes cover the valley floor. Summer temperatures often reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. 

These extremes are brutal—but they make the place very interesting. That’s why more than 1 million people visit Death Valley each year. Most come during the cool winter months. 

Donna, Gina, and Jenny knew that visiting in July meant high heat. But it would be a short trip. They’d be mostly in Donna’s air-conditioned car. The three women planned to visit Scotty’s Castle, a famous house from the 1920s.

Donna took food and water for the day. She also packed the car with maps, tools, blankets, phone chargers, and a first-aid kit. 

She had no idea that those tools would become critical. Soon the women would be fighting for their lives. 

After spending a few hours at Scotty’s Castle, the women left for home around 3 p.m. On their way out, they passed a sign for the Racetrack—one of Death Valley’s star attractions. It’s a large dried-up lake bed scattered with rocks that seem to move on their own, leaving tracks in the dirt behind them. The women decided they shouldn’t miss the chance to see it. 

They drove.  

And drove. 

And drove. 

They came to a crossroads called Teakettle Junction. That must have been where they took a wrong turn, because they began driving up into the mountains. They tried to head back the way they’d come, but with each passing mile, they became more lost. 

“Everything looked the same,” Donna says. “It was awful.” 

Only the park’s main roads were shown on their map. So they turned on the car’s GPS. Similar to a smartphone’s map app, this device can track a car’s location and deliver directions: Turn right in 500 yards. Continue straight for 1 mile. 

But in remote places like Death Valley, GPS sometimes doesn’t work properly. It soon became clear that the GPS was useless. The device was giving Donna wrong directions. 

Hours went by. The women had driven hundreds of miles. The fuel tank was almost empty. Their drinking water was running low. As darkness fell, stars lit up the night sky. Then, around 10 p.m., the car sputtered to a stop. 

They were out of gas. 

By now, their friends and families were starting to worry. Among them was Donna’s 21-year-old daughter, Sky, who lived in Florida. Sky had just had surgery. When her mother didn’t call to check in, Sky knew something was terribly wrong. 

The women spent time at Scotty’s Castle. Then they left for home around 3 p.m. They passed a sign for the Racetrack—one of Death Valley’s big attractions. It’s a dry lake bed full of rocks that seem to move on their own. The women wanted to see it. 

They drove.  

And drove. 

And drove. 

They came to a crossroads and took a wrong turn. They began driving up into the mountains. With each passing mile, they became more lost. 

“Everything looked the same,” Donna says. “It was awful.” 

Only the park’s main roads were shown on their map. So they turned on the car’s GPS. This device can track a car’s location and give directions like “Go straight for 1 mile.” 

But in remote places like Death Valley, it sometimes doesn’t work. The GPS turned out to be useless. The device was sending Donna the wrong way. 

Hours went by. The women had driven hundreds of miles. The fuel tank was almost empty. Their drinking water was running low. It was getting dark. The sky filled with stars. Then, around 10 p.m., the car rolled to a stop. 

They were out of gas. 

By now, their friends and families were starting to worry. Donna’s daughter Sky, who lived in Florida, had just had surgery. When her mother didn’t call to check in, Sky knew something was very wrong. 

Early the next morning, Donna, Gina, and Jenny woke up from a long and frightening night in the car. Looking around, they realized how truly desperate their situation was. Yet they remained calm.

Donna had gained important survival skills from a teacher when she was young. Now, she would need to use what she’d learned to keep them all alive.

Gina set out on foot to look for help. Meanwhile, Donna and Jenny searched for food. All they found were some pine needles and some cactuses. Two hours later, Gina returned with grim news: She had seen car tracks but no people—only dry land. 

By now, just a few sips of precious water remained. The heat was growing stronger. Gina begged her mom to try starting the car again. It seemed pointless—the car was out of gas. But why not? 

Donna turned the key.

Vroom!

The car sprang to life. 

Early the next morning, Donna, Gina, and Jenny woke up from a long and scary night in the car. Looking around, they knew they were in big trouble. Yet they remained calm.   

When she was young, Donna had learned survival skills from a teacher. Now she would need those skills to keep them all alive.

Gina set out on foot to look for help. Meanwhile, Donna and Jenny looked for food. All they found were pine needles and cactuses. Two hours later, Gina returned with grim news. She had seen car tracks but no people. 

By now, their water was almost gone. The day was getting hotter. Gina begged her mom to try starting the car again.  Maybe there was a tiny bit of gas left. 

Donna turned the key.

Vroom!

The car came to life. 

Back in Florida, Sky was sick with worry. She logged in to her mom’s bank account online, looking for clues of where she might be. She saw that Donna had used a credit card to buy a T-shirt at Scotty’s Castle the day before. 

Immediately, Sky called the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The state agency launched a search to look for Donna, Gina, and Jenny.  

Scouring all of Death Valley—an area the size of Connecticut—would be a slow process. Already, the women had been missing for 24 hours. Finding them as soon as possible was critical to their survival.

Back in Florida, Sky was sick with worry. Where could her mother be? She checked her mom’s bank account online for clues. She saw that Donna had used a credit card to buy a T-shirt at Scotty’s Castle. 

Quickly, Sky called the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Agents began a search to look for Donna, Gina, and Jenny.  

Scouring all of Death Valley, which is as big as Connecticut, would take a long time. The women had been missing for 24 hours. To survive, they needed to be found as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Donna, Gina, and Jenny found themselves on a road, driving up and down a series of steep hills. Then they saw it: a splash of bright green in a sea of brown. Trees! They knew that where there are trees, there is water.

The three women drove until they ran out of gas, this time for good. Thankfully, the trees were only a short hike from the car. But every step was painful. It was at least 125 degrees Fahrenheit. The superhot rocks on the ground burned their feet through their shoes. 

But Donna, Gina, and Jenny were not about to give up. 

When they reached the trees, they found three trailers and a small covered porch. “The chance of finding that in the middle of Death Valley was one in a million,” Gina says. 

Inside one of the trailers, the women found stale oatmeal, cans of beans, and some dried meat so old it had turned white. It wasn’t much, but Donna was over the moon. “I thought, OK, I can keep us alive for two weeks on this,” she says.

The next morning they found something even better. On the back of one of the trailers was a hose. They turned it on, and to their pure joy, hot water gushed out. 

“It was the worst water I’d ever tasted but also the best,” Gina remembers. 

But Gina was so thirsty she had started to feel sick. She couldn’t eat. Donna encouraged her to swallow a few bites of oatmeal. 

As the day wore on, the women prepared for another night in the wilderness. 

Meanwhile, Donna, Gina, and Jenny were driving up and down hills. Then they saw it: a splash of bright green in a sea of brown. Trees! They knew that trees could only grow near water.

The three women drove until the car’s last drop of gas ran out. The trees were only a short hike from the car. But every step was painful. It was at least 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Even through their shoes, the hot rocks burned their feet. 

But Donna, Gina, and Jenny would not give up. 

When they reached the trees, they found three trailers. “The chance of finding that in the middle of Death Valley was one in a million,” Gina says. 

Inside one of the trailers, the women found old food. There were cans of beans, stale oatmeal, and some dried meat. It wasn’t much, but Donna was over the moon. “I thought, OK, I can keep us alive for two weeks on this,” she says.

The next morning they found something even better. On the back of one of the trailers was a hose. They turned it on, and to their joy, water poured out. 

“It was the worst water I’d ever tasted but also the best,” Gina remembers. 

Gina was so thirsty she had started to feel sick. She couldn’t eat. Donna told her to try a few bites of oatmeal. 

As the day wore on, the women got ready for another night in the wilderness. 

On July 25, two CHP pilots, Tyler Johns and Scott Steele, were searching the area from their helicopter. By now, they had little hope of finding the women alive. 

The pilots were about to give up when they decided to fly over one of the most remote parts of the park one last time. That’s when they spotted it: Donna’s car. 

Down on the ground, Donna and Gina were inside a trailer when they heard Jenny screaming. They ran out to see Jenny wildly waving a yellow blanket.

In the sky, a helicopter was flying straight toward them. They were saved.

When Johns and Steele landed, they were overjoyed to find the women alive. After their car was refilled with gas, Donna, Gina, and Jenny raced out of the park—happy and relieved. Soon they pulled into a gas station. Gina and Jenny grabbed nachos, hot dogs, chips, ice cream, soda—anything they could get their hands on. They quickly shoveled the food into their mouths. 

It was as though they’d arrived at the finest restaurant in the world.

Three days after the women went missing, two CHP pilots were searching the area from a helicopter. Their names were Tyler Johns and Scott Steele. They had little hope of finding the women alive. 

But they chose to fly over a remote part of Death Valley one last time. That’s when they spotted Donna’s car. 

Donna and Gina were inside a trailer when they heard Jenny screaming. They ran out to see Jenny waving a yellow blanket.

In the sky, a helicopter was flying straight toward them. They were saved.

When Johns and Steele landed, they were thrilled to find the women alive. After the car was refilled with gas, Donna, Gina, and Jenny raced toward home. As soon as they saw a gas station, they stopped for food. They grabbed nachos, hot dogs, chips, ice cream, and soda. They quickly ate all of it. 

It was as though they’d come to the best restaurant in the world.

It’s been more than 10 years since that terrible experience in the desert. Today Gina is a nurse in Florida. Jenny’s love of nature led her to study environmental sciences in college. For years, Donna sent Christmas cards to Johns and Steele. 

Gina looks back on what happened with a sense of pride. She says it changed her, made her more confident. 

Having survived something so horrible, she says, has prepared her for anything life may throw at her. “You have to be thankful for every day you get,” Gina says.

It’s been more than 10 years since that awful time in the desert. Today Gina is a nurse in Florida. Jenny’s love of nature led her to study science in college. For years, Donna sent Christmas cards to the pilots who saved them. 

Gina looks back on what happened with pride. She says it changed her. It gave her confidence. Staying alive through something so bad, she says, has made her feel ready for anything that comes up in life. “You have to be thankful for every day you get,” Gina says.