Mother's Instincts Saved A Young Hiker From Dying In A Snowstorm & Helped Restore Her Faith

Nancy Abell couldn't stop worrying after she came across Katharina Groene alone in the woods. And it's a good thing. The mother's instincts saved a young hiker from certain death!

In 2018, Nancy Abell was out for a walk on the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington State when she came across a young hiker from Germany. The hiker's name was Katharina Groene. And as the two struck up a conversation, Katharina told Nancy a bit about her journey so far.  

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What Nancy didn't know was the reason Katharina had traveled all the way from Germany to the U.S. to complete the hike.

"I lost faith in humanity," Katharina said.

Katharina had given up on people. But what neither she nor Nancy knew at the time was that their meeting was anything but chance. It was divine intervention. God brought the two together for a very important reason!

Hiker's Meeting Turns Into Divine Appointment

As Katharina filled Nancy in, she also shared her plans to continue hiking alone up to the Canadian border. And this immediately sent off all the alarms in Nancy's mom brain!

"She was from Germany. She had no idea what she was getting into," Nancy explained.

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Even though Katharina was sure she'd be fine, Nancy adamantly tried talking the young hiker out of continuing on alone. She even played the mom card.

"In fact I told her, 'If you were my daughter I wouldn't let you do this,'" Nancy says.

Having already walked the first 2,500 miles of the trail alone, Katharina had no intentions of stopping. Try as Nancy might to convince her otherwise, Katharina had made up her mind.

"That's the last I saw of her," Nancy said.

Nancy returned home but couldn't shake the feeling that her new friend was in grave danger.

Mother's Instinct Saved A Young Hiker

Nancy continued to worry about Katharina. Knowing the young girl didn't have any snowshoes, she kept a close watch on the weather. And when the forecast showed two-feet of snow on its way, she couldn't ignore her fear any longer.

"I was really stressed out. I felt really compelled that I really needed to get help for her," she said.

It was a tricky sell to 911. Technically, Katharina wasn't missing and Nancy was a stranger. But somehow, she managed to convince emergency teams to take her hunch seriously.

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And thank God! Because the mother's instincts saved a young hiker from death certain death.

When the Snohomish County Sheriff's department finally located Katharina, right where Nancy suggested they look, they found her frostbitten and freezing to death. Had they not found her when they did, responders estimate she only had about another day of life left.

Before heading back home to Germany, Katharina accepted Nancy's invitation to pay her a visit. She wanted to thank the woman who saved her in more ways that one. It wasn't just about saving Katharina's life. Nancy's refusal to give up on finding her helped this girl who'd lost her faith find it again.

"Someone cared," Katharina said.

And for others needing their hopes restored, Katharina had some advice.

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"Come to America," she said.

God brings people together for different reasons. And clearly, He pulled these two together for a much bigger purpose!

WATCH: Mother's Instincts Saved A Young Hiker

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h/t: CBS Evening News

Featured Image Credit: Youtube/CBS Evening News

Other Divine Intervention Examples

Here are a few of our favorite stories about Divine Intervention examples that we've had the privilege to cover here at GodUpdates. We regularly scour the internet for real-life miracles just like these. We hope that you'll be encouraged and reminded of God's power and love as you read through these real-life Divine Intervention stories!

1. Woman Says Addict Son’s Car Crash Is Divine Intervention

2. Divine Intervention And A 911 Operator Saved A Kidnapped Woman

3. Singer’s Real-Life Act Of Kindness For Elderly Ladies Is Really Divine Intervention

4. Divine Intervention Puts Heroic Firefighter in the Path of Fiery Crash

5. Veteran’s Ordinary Visit to Elementary School Ends Up Being Divine Intervention

6. Divine Intervention Uncovered The Secrets Of A Long Lost WWI Veteran

7. Divine Intervention Leads A Farmer To The Rescue Of A 2-Year-Old Boy

8. Couple in Their 70s Couldn’t Even Walk (Then Divine Intervention Changed It All)

9. Divine Intervention Leads Woman to Find Missing Bible in the Most Unusual Spot

10. Divine Intervention Reunites Long-Lost Siblings Over Coffee

11. Man’s Question Of Friend’s Salvation Is Answered Through Divine Intervention

12. Divine Intervention Used Principal To Save Students From Flood

13. Helpless Woman On The Ground Saved By Doggie Divine Intervention

14. Divine Intervention Saves Mom And Baby From Deadly Crash

15. Biker Knows Guardian Angels/Divine Intervention Saved Him In Crash

16. Divine Intervention Saves Baby From Disease With 90% Chance Of Death

17. What This Mom Lost Completely Crushed Her. But How Kind Strangers Helped Is Divine Intervention–Wow

18. Even Authorities Are Calling THIS Divine Intervention. God Has Big Plans For This Little Girl

19. This Horrific Car Wreck Looks Deadly. But Divine Intervention Saved the Driver’s Life
20. Chip & Joanna Gaines Help Desperate Couple Bring Home 2-Year-Old Son

Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!