An Oregon man can thank Taco Bell for keeping him alive. Jeremy Taylor was last seen getting gas in a central portion of the state on February 24, but later that day the avid outdoorsman and his dog, Ally, got stuck in deep snow on a U.S. Forest Service road.
After spending one night in his car, Taylor, 36, attempted to hike out of the snow on foot with Ally in tow, but additional snowfall made that task impossible. The pair were forced to return to Taylor’s Toyota 4Runner, where they spent the next several days. The Associated Press reports Taylor stayed alive by periodically starting his car’s engine to keep warm and by eating a popular Taco Bell condiment he happened to have on hand.
Per a Facebook post from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, which had released a missing person report for Taylor on February 28, he subsisted on “a few taco sauce packets he had for food.”
Taylor and Ally were found by a snowmobiler on Friday, March 1, and were brought out of the woods by a search and rescue team member who used a large snow tractor to retrieve the pair, Sgt. William Bailey, the spokesman for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, told AP.
“Jeremy and Ally were found to be in good condition, but hungry after being stuck in the snow for five days,” added the Facebook post from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
Taylor concurred. ”Thank you everyone, I’m safe my Ally dog is safe. I really appreciate all the help,” he wrote on his Facebook page hours after being rescued. “Got lucky, lets never do that again. I’ll be in touch with everyone soon.”
In response to a friend’s Facebook comment about how he ate three Taco Bell hot sauce packets during the ordeal, Taylor joked: “Taco Bell fire sauce saves lives!”
Social media users also marveled at Taylor’s fire sauce-centric survival tactic. “That’s good to know. I’m gonna stock up in the event I get stranded,” mused one. Added another: “Not all heroes wear capes.”
