Seattle resident Paula Reuter set out on an 11-mile hike near Snoqualmie Pass in Washington’s Cascade Range with her two dogs last Monday morning, but soon lost her way. She was last heard from on Monday and was reported missing on Tuesday. A search helicopter rescued Reuter and her dogs on Thursday from Kula Kula Basin after she sent a smoke signal.

The 21-year-old restaurant manager said she attempted to make her way back to the trailhead for the first two days, but on Wednesday decided to try to attract attention to her current location instead. She was forced to survive on mushrooms and bark while her dogs ate the remaining beef jerky she had packed, NBC reported, as well as frogs and rabbits.

She was airlifted to Bandera Airfield in North Bend, Washington, and was released from the hospital on Thursday night. Her friends described her as a casual hiker who may have not been prepared to camp out. However, she was able to use nearby dry brush to keep warm when temperatures dropped into the 40s at night.

“We’re just happy to have her back,” Reuter’s mom told USA Today. “She’s our life. Our children are our life. No matter how old they get, they are our babies.”

Image courtesy of Wsiegmund/Wikimedia Commons