Kristy Thornbrew had been missing since Monday.
Hayley Pleasant says her best friend, Kristy Thornbrew, 29, is in an Asheville , NC hospital recovering from minor injuries she suffered while hiking on Black Mountain in Western North Carolina.
Thursday afternoon, rescuers in a helicopter spotted Thornbrew alive on Black Mountain. She'd been missing since Monday morning when she went to climb the mountain to see the sunrise.
She called friends around 9am Monday to say she was on her way back down the mountain. When she didn't return, her friends called 9-1-1. Rescuers with the Broad River Fire Department and the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department started the search for her.
Once officials located Thornbrew Thursday, it took them about an hour to get to her because of the rugged terrain.
They communicated with Thornbrew through a loud speaker on the helicopter and were able to help ground crews get to her. She was exhausted and thirsty, but OK.
Crews carried her out by ATV to a waiting ambulance. Rescuers says she's in remarkable condition to have gone through what she did.
Pleasant says when she got the call that her friend was alive and well, she was shocked. "We were just so excited. We could not believe it. It was the most amazing thing. It was an answer to everyone's prayers." Pleasant says her best friend loves the outdoors and loves to commune with nature. She said she knew Kristy was strong woman, but had no idea she could endure three days and nights in the mountains with no food or water.
Pleasant says her friend's ordeal in the mountains of Western North Carolina is a true testament to survival of the fittest.
She's hoping Thornbrew will be back in Florence by Friday afternoon.
