UPDATE March 6, 2019: In a nice nod, Taco Bell released the following statement, according to The Oregonian:
We’re very glad Jeremy and Ally are okay… We know our sauce packets are amazing, but this takes it to a whole new level. We’re in touch with Jeremy and have sent him a well-deserved care package, a year’s supply of Taco Bell, and of course, all the sauce packets that come with it.
Congratulations Jeremy and Ally! Guess Taco Bell really liked that “Taco Bell Fire Sauce saves lives!” quote.
Meanwhile, Taylor is reportedly “kind of overwhelmed” by all the attention his story has received, although most are impressed with his survival fortitude. New details have emerged: Although he had recently lost his phone, he attempted to make snow shoes out of the rack on top of his car. He did have a sleeping bag on hand. And fortunately he had a full tank of gas, so he was able to turn on the heat to stay warm.
Now that he’s back, he tells The Oregonian, “I have my life to still take care of,” as his house doesn’t have water after that big snowstorm, and he still needs to dig out his car from the snow.
March 4. 2019: Let this be a lesson to us all to never drive around in this hellacious weather without a safety pack in the trunk. Even though it’s March, it’s still zero degrees and snow storming in many places across the country, and some travelers are getting caught out unawares. Case in point: 36-year-old Jeremy Taylor, who got stuck (with his dog, Allie) in the snow on a Forest Service road near Wake Butte, Oregon for five days. Before a snowmobiler found him, Taylor (and his dog, presumably) survived by using “a few taco sauce packets he had as food,” reports KATU in Portland.
Taylor got stuck in the snow on Sunday night and wound up sleeping in his car. He and Allie woke up the next day to even more snow. The two tried to walk out, but the deep snow made it too difficult, and they headed back to the car, staying warm by starting the car occasionally. (All that snow must have constituted their water supply.)
Upon being rescued, Taylor said, “Taco Bell Fire Sauce saves lives,” according to The Huffington Post. True enough, and we’re happy that Jeremy and Allie are okay. For the rest of us: Stash a blanket or two in your trunk, just to have at the ready. Some bottled water. And you know what would be even better than hot sauce left over from your last Taco Bell run? A box of granola bars.