It was supposed to be a fun spring break trip to see some of nature's most beautiful scenes, but Denton's Amber VanHecke's vacation ended up with her stranded near the Grand Canyon, in a car running on fumes.
"At first, I panicked," VanHecke said. "I drove around, trying to find the road again and by then I didn't have GPS or a cell phone signal."
And then her car ran out of gas.
"So, I decided to hunker down and try to sleep and see if morning brought any clarity," the UNT student added.
But one night soon turned into five days.
"I mostly spent a lot of time reading, because it helped me escape the reality of my situation," VanHecke said.
Amber made signs, hoping search crews would see them.
She rationed her food and water and then finally on the fifth day of waiting, she walked roughly eleven miles to try and get a cell signal, and she saw a helicopter.
"Frantically, I ran after it and said, 'wait, don't leave me!'
Sunburned and tired, Amber is finally back at home in Denton.
She's already planning her next trip, but this time, she'll bring friends.
