A 72-year-old California hiker survived for up to a week alone in punishing wilderness before searchers finally found her alive.

She was injured, showing signs of exposure and deep inside steep, remote terrain near the Shasta and Siskiyou County line, as reported by The New York Post.

The Siskiyou County woman was reported missing after she failed to arrive for work late Saturday.

Authorities launched a search after locating her vehicle near the county line, but finding her would require a difficult push through unforgiving country.

The 72-year-old is in critical condition after managing to survive days after the 100-foot fall, investigators said. https://t.co/ERDb226dxU https://t.co/boTQYCYJUi

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Siskiyou County searchers eventually located the woman alive after a dayslong operation. According to Shasta County Search and Rescue, she had physical injuries and signs of exposure when the ground crew reached her.

The landscape presented trouble at nearly every turn.

Search crews moved through canyons, creeks, trails, dirt roads, and shelf trails while also dealing with downed trees and debris that made the already difficult terrain even tougher to navigate.

Overnight temperatures dropped into the low 40s as the search continued.

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The remote landscape also limited radio communications in some areas, forcing rescuers to rely on communication relays or satellite equipment to remain connected during the operation.

The search brought together several specialized groups from Shasta County Search and Rescue to assist Siskiyou County personnel.

Dog teams, ground crews, dirt riders, and a Jeep team all participated in the effort to locate the missing woman.

Once searchers found her, they faced another major challenge. The injured hiker was in a heavily wooded area, and crews had to determine how they could safely remove her from the wilderness and get her to medical treatment.

California Highway Patrol dispatched a helicopter to the area for an aerial extraction. Ground personnel prepared the woman for the operation while medical personnel traveled toward the location to assess her injuries and provide treatment.

Rescuers were also ready with another plan if the helicopter could not complete the extraction.

In that event, crews were prepared to evacuate the woman over land despite the same steep and debris-covered terrain they had crossed during the search.

The aerial plan worked. California Highway Patrol air operations successfully hoisted the woman from the heavily wooded wilderness and transported her to a hospital for treatment, bringing the extended and dangerous ordeal to an end.

Officials estimated that the woman had been alone in the wilderness for five to seven days.

During that time, she endured cold overnight temperatures, rugged terrain, and the physical injuries and exposure that searchers observed when they reached her.

People who knew the woman described her as an avid hiker.

Her experience, however, prompted search and rescue officials to remind anyone entering the outdoors that even experienced hikers should not assume they will return according to schedule.

Officials advised hikers to tell someone where they plan to go and when they expect to return.

They also recommended carrying appropriate supplies in case a planned outing becomes longer or more dangerous than expected.

Search and rescue officials further advised people to leave a note inside their vehicle if they abandon it and continue traveling on foot.

Such information can give searchers a clearer idea of where a missing person intended to go.

For those who become lost, officials generally recommend staying in one place rather than continuing to wander.

Moving farther away can expand the search area and turn an already difficult missing person operation into a much larger undertaking.

In this case, the coordinated response ultimately reached the woman and carried her out by helicopter.

After an estimated five to seven days alone in remote California wilderness, she was flown to a hospital alive for treatment.

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