I dont think ive ever been this scared. I dont want to be alone anymore. That first night, you gave your will and testament. Driven to record a cell phone goodbye, a video diary for her loved ones. This is the first time youve ever listened to this . In case i dont, like, get found. Tonight, follow along as we retrace this horrifying journey. Surrounded by hundreds of square miles of wilderness, and you can see just how easy it is to get into trouble here. The near misses. Her father desperate back home. I was in the wrong place, the wrong place until finally, her life or death decision. At what point did you decide that you had to rescue yourself . Good evening, im david muir. Elizabeth is back next week. So many of us rely on gps on our phones, especially when were trying to get somewhere, but right here tonight, when the gps can steer you terribly wrong. The College Student who says she followed google maps, and paid a terrible price. Telling us, i ended up in the place i thought might be my brave. Join us on facebook and twitter tonight, as we retrace that wrong turn. Have you ever been stranded . Heres matt gutman. Reporter just take a moment to take it in. The grand canyon. A geological spectacle, 6 million years in the making. It is absolutely beautiful. And thats why its one of the seven wonders of the world. Reporter its no wonder 5 million tourists trek here every year, just to breathe in its pure serenity. They return home with pictures and souvenirs and sun burns, but nobody comes back with a story like amber van hecke. I did do right things, even if i did make mistakes. And if i can just share those things that i did right with everyone, and if that even saves one life, then thats worth it, i think. Reporter her journey to the brink of death and back began three weeks and a thousand miles ago. It was spring break at the university of north texas in nearby denton. And while so many students were off to do the beach and booze thing, amber had her own idea of fun. When people think spring break, theyre going off to cancun, theyre not going off the grid. I mean, your decision was to go basically into the wilderness. Yeah. Reporter why . I was in a sorority at my old school and i had my experience of the drinking and the partying, and i didnt like it. I didnt find it fun. Reporter the choice wasnt out of character. Amber had always been an outdoorsy, active type, a girl scout and a junior rotc, developing skills that will soon come in very handy. Amber was a student that had a lot of perm drive. She had a forceful attitude about selfimprovement. She was the one that tried the drill teams. She tried the color guard. Reporter that intrepid spirit fueled her decision to take this trip. Alone, by car, all the way there and back. Its pretty courageous of you. I dont know if id call it courageous. Its more of a stubborn, probably. Because i didnt want a let a lack of company stop me from finding adventure. Reporter amber comes from a tight knit family. She and her sister, kayleigh, raised by two loving parents dad, steven, an i. T. Guy. And mom,annette, who, among other things, was ambers girl scout troop leader. What kind of kid was amber growing up . Bouncy. Full of wit, full of rapier wit. Shes always been outgoing. And we were kind of two peas in a pod. And i would help her come back, and she would help me go forward and be a risk taker. Theres so many things that she said that were j reporter favorite word that you use . Fernweh. Reporter fernweh . Yes. Reporter whats that mean . Its a longing for places youve never been. Reporter but earlier this year, a pair of hard setbacks. Amber and a boyfriend endure a painful breakup. And then, her mom and dad do the same. I think that had definitely taken a mental toll on me. And that was part of what drove me, like, yeah, i need to get out of town for a minute or two. She would always ask me how i was doing. Always. Always trying to be strong for everyone. Yeah. I truly believe that she deserved a break and deserved this trip. Reporter how long had you been preparing for this trip . As far as actually actively getting supplies, i only started, like, the week of. But id been planning it for a while, because i wanted to figure out unique places at each of the states on my route to stop at. But i think the day before was when i actually went and got food for it. And got my seeds, nuts and dried fruit and some apples and my raman. Reporter before she hits the road in her trusty ford edge, amber announces her trip on facebook. Im so psyched for my spring break road trip. Im starting at Carlsbad Caverns in new mexico. From there im headed to the grand cannon national park. And you actually posted on facebook, i said, hey, i have a seat or two if anybody wants to come with me. I did. But none of my friends could take off work or disappear, so. Reporter but amber does have one companion. One that will be a central character in this story. Her smartphone. Even, you know, girl scouts, junior rotc people, people who know how to navigate, we still rely on these things. Its convenience, really. Touch of your fingers, everything you need. Reporter aside from the standard google maps navigator, amber was also using a special app which enabled her dad back home in texas to keep track of her. Reporter and your phone would automatically ping back your location. It would send my approximate bearing, latitude, longitude as well as my speed. Reporter wow. March 11th, ambers first stop. The breathtaking Carlsbad Caverns of new mexico. A series of massive caves, one so big its called the chandelier ballroom. She posts this video on facebook. So, in the cave, were supposed to whisper, so its nice and cold down here. Reporter her sleeping arrangements on the road trip . An improvised bed on wheels. So, have you slept in this car before . Is this something you have already done . Yes, sir. I like to travel cheap. So, instead of hotels ill sleep in my car. Have a nice bed setup back here. Reporter wow, this looks pretty comfy, actually. Back in texas, her dad, stephen, pings her phone to confirm her location. Where id gotten a gps for her, she was just west of albuquerque. Reporter and at 12 40 a. M. , amber sends a text saying shes bedding down for the night. Okay, baby, love you big, he writes. She replies, times two they dont know it yet, but this will be their final communication. The next days itinerary takes her 420 miles to the southern rim of the grand canyon. But before she gets there, she stops here. The ford needs gas. So, when you saw 2. 70 a gallon, you think thats a lot. Reporter so, amber only pumps in about a third of a tank. I was trying to, like, skimp here and there. Reporter reefer, and every dollar counts, i mean, if you are driving a couple thousand miles, you want to make sure you buy the cheapest gas. Yes. Reporter its supposed to be a money saving measure that will soon prove extremely costly. How often did you think, if i just put 5 more dollars or half a tank instead of a third of a tank . A lot. A lot. Every day. And i could have spared myself a lot of grief. Reporter 119 hours of grief, to be precise. Oh, my god, wheres the road supposed to be . My heart just panics. Reporter and as youre about to see, all of it is documented diligently on ambers phone. Im really scared. Please help me. Reporter stay with us. Fun in art class. Come close, come close. I like that. [ all sounds come to a crashing halt ] ah. When your pain reliever stops working, your whole day stops. Awww. Try this. 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Reporter along with those skills, shes also got a navigation app, the always reliable google maps to be precise. She types in the name of her next destination. The havasu falls trailhead, a remote spot in the grand canyon with aqua blue plunge pools so popular, it requires a reservation. Thats the trailhead . Yes. Reporter its in the middle of nothing. Yes. Reporter all right, lets go. It says 63 miles. And you only had 90 max on your tank. This week, we return with amber to this fateful spot. The place where, directed by her smartphone, amber turned off highway 64 and onto this dirt road. Google said to go on a road that i didnt see. And i went against my better instinct. I trusted google maps, which i shouldnt have. Reporter lets face it. Were all too dependent on our devices to get us places. And ambers not the first to discover that can nearly get you killed. Just ask donna cooper. Back in 2010, she, too, trusted her gps and followed it blindly during a trip through death valley. Nearly finding out for herself how one of the hottest places on earth got its name. It just kept saying, you know, go this distance and make a turn, make a uturn. Theres nothing there. We were out of gas. We were out of road. We were out of everything. Reporter 20 20s jay schadler saw how Navigational Technology can sometimes be dangerously outdated. Turn right on Golden Canyon road. Reporter i dont see a road. What we have here is a canyon wall. Oh, definitely. The road used to go at least a mile in here, but that washed out in 1976 in a flash flood, so, this road has not existed for 35 years. Reporter and a similar gps shortcoming is about to threaten ambers life, as well. After she makes that fateful turn off highway 64. Turn right. Turn right. Reporter so, were making a right. Its already a dirt road. And so you thought that this would be a blacktop road . I had thought so. And then when i got on it and it it seemed like a really reporter wow. Well takencareof gravel road. Reporter but it is a gravel road. Yes. Continue for 14 miles. Reporter so, were barely a mile off the road and were driving in empty space check that out. Even if you had a compass and a map, look around. You dont have known points. You dont have mountain peak, you cant do that out here. You dont have anything. Its rough. Reporter and so with night now falling, amber drives for another hour and a half. Farther and farther into the middle of nowhere, which is actually right in the middle of gary wilsons 1,200mile square ranch. One of the biggest in the west. Its happened to several other people, trying to get across this ranch. Google earth tells you that you can, but this ranch is actually closed. I couldnt really see very well. Just whatever my headlights lit up. Reporter and what her headlights lit up next spelt trouble. And then, about when i came to the fence and i was like, oh, there wasnt a road here. Thats when i was like, this is not good. Reporter what goes your through your mind when you hit that fence . Oh, my god, wheres the road supposed to be . Thats when i tried going into the gps app, and telling it to take me back, help me take me back, and it was like, sorry, you have no internet service, and my heart just panicked. Reporter and at what point do you start calling 911 . I called 911 as soon as i realized i didnt have the road anymore. Reporter as amber frantically dials 911, for a fleeting moment, a connection. I was in such a panicked state. When they said, what is the nature of your emergency, i just let out a sob and i said, please help me. And i heard it drop. And i just reporter its still tough for amber to recall. As her panic swells, her most Precious Resource dwindles. I was trying to watch my gas. Im like, come on, rubbing, like, petting my car, like, come on, baby, just a little further, we got to find a road. Reporter is that orange light blinking yet . Oh, it had been blinking. So, i was like, okay, im going to stop for the night, because im just wasting more gas and im digging into my reserve more and more as i drive on and panic. Reporter amber parks along the first manmade structure she finds, hoping this sign of civilization might mean possible rescue. And hoped for the best. Got in the back. I was like, im going to try and sleep. Reporter but instead, her mind races to the loved ones who have no idea where she is and who may never see her again. Who was the first person you started to think about . My dad. Throughout my life, hes been my rock, and thats when the thoughts of, like, maybe i should leave a message in case something happens. Thats when i made the first video. Reporter a video diary in total darkness. Her face not visible at all. Ive never really been, like, scared for my life before now. In case i dont, like, get found, i have a lot of things to say. Reporter it was basically a will and testament. I thought that it had the potential to be the beginning of the end. I love my family, mom, dad, kayleigh. I just want to go home. I dont even want to do this trip anymore. Im so scared. Reporter when we come back, amber hatches a plan. Shell move heaven and earth to save herself, praying for some help from above. Stay with us. Essential for him, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Because there are options. Like an unjection™. Xeljanz xr. A once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. Xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and joint damage, even without methotrexate. Xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. Dont start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. Tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. 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So, amber is left terrifyingly unmoored from the two great anchors of modern life transportation and communication. Hopefully, it doesnt take too long to be found. Got other things i got to do. Reporter shes actually stranded on that vast cattle ranch. Ambers car sits in the shade of this empty, rusted tank, meant to hold water for the livestock. And look, this dirt road runs nearby. Usually we have a cowboy in this area, and he would have run onto this lady. Reporter but as rancher gary wilson explains, that cowboy will not be moseying by anytime soon. He was gone for about five days, and that just happened to be the time that she was out here. Just the timing was all wrong. Reporter back home in plano, ambers father stephen is late for work, and hes growing concerned that he hasnt heard from amber. Im surprised i still have my job actually, because i snapped at my boss that day, because i was worried about her. Reporter at 12 45, he pings amber on her locator app. There is no response. 15 minutes later, he calls her cell phone. There is no answer. Freaking out a little bit. Reporter but now, amber is determined to help herself. And remember, she has ten years of girl scout training and junior rotc honors. Now, its time to put that knowledge to use. Sure, she was scared. She was frightened. But that did not cause her to freeze. She did the things that she knew to do the best way she knew how to do them. And thats courage. Reporter