A woman is telling all about her traumatic adventure after getting lost in the mountains that could've ended much worse than it did.

Ann Rodgers, 72, and her dog wound up stranded in Arizona's White Mountains for nine days after they got lost while driving to visit Rodgers' grandchildren in Phoenix.

Rodgers, whose birthday passed during the ordeal, ran out of gas and spent the first night in the car with her dog and cat. She woke up the next day hoping to see anything resembling signs of life, but to no avail. After a few days with no luck, Rodgers, who carries extra supplies of food and water, ran out and was forced to think outside the box:

I was eating desert plants, my dog was too, diving into clovers and finding all the places that were the easiest to go. She was my pathfinder on that journey."

Rodgers then got extremely creative when she spotted planes and choppers overhead. She used an elk carcass to point to a "help" sign she made out of sticks and stones.

Officials tracked down Rodgers on April 9 after they saw the message and found her dog, as well as a note she placed on a rock and a shelter she had used.

"When the rescue police helicopter landed I just sat down and bawled,” Rodgers, whose cat will be returned to her, said. She went to a hospital, but, amazingly, didn't suffer any serious injuries.

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