She Rode Past a Barricade - Survived Six Days Off-Map

She Rode Past a Barricade - Survived Six Days Off-Map She rode past an official Larimer County barricade and kept going, sixty-one miles into a ninety-four-mile solo ride-then vanished into terrain that ran seventeen degrees off the route she knew. A cracked orange-and-white county road sawhorse turned up eight-tenths of a mile from the nearest road and became the only clue that pointed searchers into eleven miles of open country-how did she survive six days with no road, no signal, and nearly empty water supplies? In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to disappearance and the clues that narrowed the search, following the evidence that led rescuers to look where no one expected; what choices and gear kept her alive and what finally revealed her location? Person: Jessica McCarthy Date: August 15, 2017 Location: Tecolote Pass / upper Cobbler Creek drainage, Larimer County, Colorado Age: 62 Equipment: Specialized Tarmac, Garmin Edge, two 700 ml water bottles, space blanket, Clif bars - Departure time from Fort Tipton: approximately 6:00 AM on August 15, 2017. - Barricade encountered: posted August 14, marked Larimer County Public Works, passed at ~9:45 AM. - Summit recorded on Garmin Edge: crossed Tecolote summit at 10:17 AM. - Distance followed wrong drainage: approximately six miles before realizing the route was incorrect. - Sawhorse discovery: cracked orange-and-white county road sawhorse found 0.8 miles from nearest road on the wrong side of a ridgeline. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].