Survivor recounts week lost in Ural taiga
Fedor Medvedev, who was searched for a week in the area of Mount Konzhak (Konzhakovsky Kamen, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia), described how he survived all that time in the taiga. He got lost in the forest while gathering cedar cones. The man had neither food nor water with him.
Rescuers and volunteers combed the area and launched drones over the taiga. On 25 September, Fedor reached a road on his own. He was exhausted, and his hands were burned. Volunteers from the Proryv search team (Proryv — “Breakthrough”) published an interview with the survivor. In it, the businessman explained what he had to endure while wandering the forest.
How did he get lost?
Fedor came to Konzhak with a group of acquaintances to collect cedar cones. He got lost on 18 September. At five in the evening, when everyone had agreed to meet at the designated spot, Fedor was the only one who did not emerge from the forest.
«I left the camp and went into the forest. I generally know my way around forests, but at some point I got lost — I realized it. I tried to find a way out and kept walking the wrong way. I had only a lighter and a knife. Nothing else. It’s taiga, and it’s very frightening there. By evening I found a place, made myself a bivouac, and lit fires. I made smoke to send at least some sign of myself. Then I stayed there for the night», Fedor said in the interview.
Wild animals
During the search, Fedor’s loved ones feared he might be attacked by wild animals. A local gamekeeper reassured them that this forest was safe. It turned out that wasn’t so.
«Wolves came the very first night. My guardian angel probably woke me. As soon as I came to, I heard rustling nearby, grabbed the fire, and started throwing burning sticks everywhere. That’s why my hands are burned. I didn’t sleep at all these days — I had to keep warm and keep watch at the same time. Defending against such a beast with just one knife is [hard]», Fedor says.
«On the second day there was a bear. We saw each other. He was about seven to ten meters from me. He came to the river for a drink. I was on the other side. I just sat and looked at him, not understanding what would happen. I was ready — I don’t know for what. He saw me. But my surname is Medvedev. I think a bear wouldn’t eat a Medvedev», the survivor jokes.
A frying pan made of stone
While it was light, Fedor walked through the forest, and in the second half of the day he began preparing a place to sleep, to have time before dark to light fires and build a raised platform of branches to sleep on.
«In the forest I tried to find something to eat. I ate berries, some green herbs — whatever I came across. Cones. I made a frying pan from a stone and fried mushrooms. But you can’t eat many. I mixed up one mushroom — good thing I didn’t poison myself», Fedor says. «I never stopped drinking — there was a river. I was afraid of dehydration. Water, only water. I drank and drank».
How he got out of the forest
Fedor says he did not hear the rescuers. Even the sirens the volunteer search team kept sounding did not reach him.
«I didn’t see a single marker of humanity’s existence, that anyone was anywhere. I reached the road only thanks to the Lord God. The good Lord led me out, because I was praying all the time. My strength was already running out, but I already knew I was saved because I was on the road. And literally an hour later I saw a rescue vehicle coming. And that’s when my strength left me. The moment I saw people, my legs stopped obeying me», Fedor recounted.
Fedor came out of the forest practically at the same place where he had entered the taiga. Volunteers met him literally 30 meters from his group’s camp.
«They took me to the hospital, the guys from RMK Poisk (RMK Search) immediately ran up to me, picked me up, put me in the car, and gave me water, but I refused to eat because I was afraid I’d throw up. I ate a chocolate bar so glucose would get into my body», the man says.
At the hospital, Fedor’s burns were treated. He sincerely thanked everyone who had searched for him for a whole week.
«If you get lost, you must not panic — you need to assess the situation soberly right away. And you don’t need to move anywhere. If people know about you — they’ll search for you. It’s better to stay in place and send some kind of signals: light a fire, set off smoke pots. Leave some markers behind you in any case», Fedor says.
Read the E1.RU guide on what to do if a loved one goes missing. We have written about how to protect your child from abduction and how to teach children never under any circumstances to go off with strangers. We have also published tips on how to recognize that someone needs help.
