Woman Lost in Wilderness for Eight Days Finds Inspiration in Carrie Underwood Song
It seems like a miracle that Johnson was found safe, but she credits her perseverance to her decision to focus on her faith rather than the worst case scenario, all thanks to a Carrie Underwood song.
Country music is known to be “three chords and the truth.” Artists sing intimate and personal songs about life and values, which is why country fans feel such a strong connection to their favorite songs. The songs are relatable, and they can be applied to life in several different ways. This especially rings true for Kaylean Johnson, who was found alive after going missing in the forest for eight days.
Johnson, 20, was riding on a motorcycle with an older family friend when they crashed into a ditch along the Little Naches Forest in Washington state. After spending the night in the woods, Johnson left her friend to try to get help. However, she could not find her way back to the road and ended up getting lost.
The young woman spent eight days roaming in the wilderness until she was found 13 miles away from where she crashed. Matt Leonard was marking trails as a volunteer for the Pacific Crest Trail Association when he heard someone calling for help. He and another man jumped down into an embankment and found Johnson, who was miraculously fine.
It seems like a miracle that Johnson was found safe, but she credits her perseverance to focus on her faith rather than the worst case scenario, all thanks to a Carrie Underwood song.
“The song, I sing it in my heart all the time, it’s ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel,’ by Carrie Underwood. I sung that song the night I went missing and when I got home, it came on the radio,” Johnson told KOMO News following her harrowing ordeal.
Some may call it coincidence, or some may call it fate. Either way, the power of music is incredible, and Johnson might not have made it close enough to a trail to find help without the inspiration of Underwood’s multi-platinum selling debut single.
