survival story of the year?

Forget Bears Grylls, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the mountain bikers that got charged by a grizzly bear…this is by far the most badass survival story we’ve ever heard.

Last Wednesday, Amber Pangborn, aged 35 and heavily pregnant, began to feel labour contractions so she decided to drive to her parents’ house. But then she ran out of petrol in a remote section of northern Californian forest.

“There was no cell phone service…there was nothing…” she told KCRA-TV

She realised she was going to have to give birth there and then. Alone. There was to be no patchouli sticks, mood lighting and supportive partner to curse at while they administered neck massages.

Pangborn pulled over in the Plumas National Forest in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and amazingly had her baby, a daughter Marissa, at around 5am, according to SFgate.com.

Then the real fun began as she had no supplies, save four apples and some water, and she had to fight off bees and mosquitoes from attacking her and her baby, as they were drawn to the placenta. Eek!

By Saturday she’d grown so desperate she started a fire to signal for help, which brought the US Fire and Forest Rescue Service to her aid. Finally.

She said: “The whole mountain just caught on fire and I was just looking at Marissa and I was just like, ‘I think Mommy just started a forest fire honey.'”

A rescue team took Pangborn and her daughter to hospital, where they’re both doing fine after their crazy ordeal. Survival story to top them all? It would certainly be up there, anyway. Mowgli would be proud.

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