Duo Survive 100 Mile Hike Through The Sierra Nevadas

Wilderness survival expert Thomas Coyne and international stuntwoman Ky Furneaux achieved the goal of their “Hike for Survival.” In just ten days, the duo traveled from their official hike starting point in Central California at the Kaweah River Reservoir in the Sierras and traveled over 100 miles on foot where they ended up at the Mojave Desert.

“It was harder than I ever dreamed it would be,” said Furneaux. “By day three I didn’t know if I could make it. There was less food in season than we thought, the hiking was extreme and we had very little sleep with some nights below freezing. It was also a more incredible adventure than I ever imagined it would be.”

“It was the toughest challenge I’ve ever faced,” said Coyne. “I thought I reached my limits, and managed to push past them time and time again on this trip. The amazing environment I was in combined the amazing partner I had, really helped me press on when the going got tough and I feel more confident in the wilderness than ever.”

Coyne and Furneaux faced serious weather changes from intense heat during the day to freezing temperatures at night, with only the cold ground to sleep on and a fire to keep them alive.

Traveling with only a pocketknife and a daypack through extreme wilderness, the challenge was to find enough food and fresh water to keep them sustained through the ordeal. There were days the team survived on less than a 500 calories.

“With only a handful of berries and some thistle roots, some days the miles seemed like an impossible task,” said Furneaux. “But Thomas’ knowledge of plants kept us going with strange combinations like boiled stinging nettle and roasted wild onions. Though I’m not going to lie, I constantly dreamt of bagels and cream cheese”

At the end of their adventure, they were greeted by Mike Amor, Los Angeles Bureau Chief of Seven Network Australia, who obtained their first on-camera interview after they finished their hike, where TV cameras captured the duo’s first moments back in reality. Furneaux and Coyne’s journey will be featured on Tuesday October 5’s “Seven Network News”. Their story can be seen at www.hikeforsurvival.com.

Coyne and Furneaux are no strangers to adventure. While Coyne created Survival Training School of California, Furneaux, is an International stuntwoman based in Hollywood. She will next appear in the feature films “Thor,” and “Tron: Legacy.” She is currently filming “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”

For more information, please visit www.hikeforsurvival.com.