College student stranded in the wilderness after fall survives

COLORADO -- Lexi DeForest -- a Colorado State University student was stranded in the wilderness for nearly eight hours. In fact, she nearly lost her foot in the ordeal! Now, she's speaking out about how she managed to survive.

"I can't even explain how amazed I am," DeForest said.

DeForest fell into a trench eight feet deep while climbing in the Vedauwoo Mountains in Wyoming.

"I kind of think it was so quick and so intense, that I didn't comprehend all of it until I like started getting up," DeForest said.

The impact of the fall caused DeForest's foot to nearly separate from her leg. She was stuck nearly a mile up as the sun was setting for the night.

"I was scared, but I wasn't freaking out scared. I was calm scared," DeForest said.

DeForest's boyfriend, Erik, knew she needed to be rescued.

"I knew I needed to hurry because it was getting dark," Erik Henry said.

Henry left a trail of glow sticks as he made the trek to the base camp. At the same time, DeForest kept a video diary as she waited for help to arrive. Her calm demeanor in the video is impressive.

DeForest says she will be able to walk again one day -- a future made possible thanks to doctors, rescuers and her own mental strength.

DeForest is heading back to school in a few weeks at Colorado State University. She was supposed to spend the semester overseas, but her injury has caused her to cancel those plans.