Hiker Stranded Six Days Felt Prayers Before Her Rescue

Teresa Neumann : Apr 3, 2013
Emily Fuggetta – The Oregonian

"I woke up with a lot of peace [after six days of silence] and the sense that thousands and thousands of people were praying for me. That was really powerful. I thought, 'Today is the day they're going to find me.'" -Mary Owen

(Portland, OR)—Combine a potentially deadly wilderness experience, a series of mishaps countered with divine intervention, and a young pretty hiker who believes in the power of prayer, and you have the makings of a remarkable testimony. (Photo: Mary Owen/Oregonian)

Such is the case of 23-year-old Mary Owen who was stranded in a canyon after setting out to climb Mount Hood by herself on Sunday, March 24.

It was, she admitted, a "really headstrong decision," to go solo. Worse yet, she hadn't communicated her plans to anyone before leaving.

Owens shared details of her grueling experience with The Oregonian: her injuries, the intense loneliness, her passionate love of God's creation, and the fear that after six long days, no one would come to her rescue.

"Usually when people are looking for you and praying for you, you can feel it," she said. "And there was just nothing… One of the hardest things out there was from Sunday night to Friday morning. I hadn't heard from God at all. It was just dead quiet. There was nobody praying for me. I didn't hear anything or feel anything." (Photo: Mt Hood summit/onmthood.com)

Owen, who was quoted as saying she plans to be a missionary Bible translator, said on Friday morning it all changed. The silence, she said, "was gone."

"I woke up with a lot of peace and the sense that thousands and thousands of people were praying for me. That was really powerful," she said. "I thought, 'Today is the day they're going to find me.'"