Associated Press

SARATOGA, Wyo. — Norma Super didn't know anyone in Wyoming before she set foot on a two-day backpacking trip with her 10-year-old daughter on May 25.

But after being lost in the wilderness straddling the Colorado-Wyoming border for five days, Super felt at home.

"They've adopted us," Super said. "It was like we had known these people for years."

Super and her daughter, Danielle, were found Saturday by searchers in northern Colorado in an area where black bears and mountain lions roam. Despite not eating since the previous Tuesday, the two were in good condition.

Super said Monday that she and her daughter were tired but doing well.

"You would be amazed. Your body kicks into survival mode," she said.

Super, 44, said her daughter is a "tough girl."

"She is the most awesome, incredible 10-year-old in the country," Super said. "She never faltered on me. She kept on hiking."

The two had made a pact during their ordeal not to cry during the day because that would take up too much energy.

Super, who describes herself as a "fairly experienced" backpacker, moved with her daughter to Lakewood from western Pennsylvania in March.

Being new to the West was one reason they became lost on a Memorial Day weekend trip during which they hoped to spot bighorn sheep.

In the East, most rivers flow north to south, Super explained.

In the Encampment River Wilderness, where the two became lost, the river flows south to north.

"I followed it the wrong way," Super said.

The pair were reported missing on May 28 by a woman they had met at a packed campground at the head of the trail. Super had told the woman the two planned to complete their trek Monday.

A search by foot and air was launched by U.S. Forest Service personnel, police and volunteers.

Super said she saw helicopters overhead a couple of times, but the forest was too dense for them to be spotted.

At one point, the two climbed a mountain in hopes of being spotted. But they abandoned the plan because of cold and waist-deep snow.

A respiratory therapist with a nursing background, Super said a key to their survival was having a water purifier and quality sleeping bags.

"You just can't survive without water," she said.

Since their rescue, Super and her daughter were fed and welcomed by residents of Saratoga, a community of 1,700 located about 100 miles west of Cheyenne. They were taken to supper Saturday night by a local doctor. They attended church Sunday morning and a picnic Sunday afternoon.

"They're just incredible people," she said. "Human beings can be wonderful."

Super said she and her daughter were heading home Monday.

Despite the experience, the two are not dissuaded from future trips in the wilderness.

"I will be back. I need a couple of weeks rest, but I will be back," Super said. "We will definitely go out. ... This was just a fluke thing."

However, next time, she will have better knowledge of the wilderness she is entering and a global positioning system device.

Danielle, who had never been backpacking before, said she trusted her mother to find their way out.

She said the whole experience, which included an interview on national television, was "kind of fun."

Besides, she said, "We got to see bear tracks."

June 4, 2002

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