Maggie relives her incredible tale of bush survival after bing lost for two days and nights in Litchfield National Park

Seasoned hiker Maggie Dobbin used her silver blanket to end her two-night ordeal lost in the Litchfield National Park by reflecting sunlight into the sky to attract the attention of the searching helicopter pilots.

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SEASONED hiker Maggie Dobbin used her silver blanket to end her two-night ordeal lost in the Litchfield National Park by reflecting sunlight into the sky to attract the attention of the searching helicopter pilots.

It was a decision that helped rescuers find the missing 71-year-old among the vast vegetation that surrounds the Wangi waterfall area.

Ms Dobbin told the NT News how she used her bush survival skills to endure two nights in the Territory outback.

The disorientated Ms Dobbin first realised she was lost hours after setting out on a hike before she planned to meet up with friends.

Maggie Dobbin, who urvived after spending two days and nights lost in Litchfield National Park. Picture: Che Chorley

Bush walks are littered with markers to guide and help hikers stay on track, but when Ms Dobbin couldn’t find the marker behind or in front of her, she knew she was lost.

She began to search for a place to sleep for the night when the sun began to sink below the trees on the Table Top Track.

Falling asleep at dusk and rising at dawn, the hiker said she had more sleep than she would normally get at home.

“When I found the right rock it was actually really comfortable,” she said.

The next day when Ms Dobbin first heard the search helicopters she knew somebody had sounded the alarm and that she was going to be okay.

The moment missing hiker Maggie Dobbin was brought back to rescuers after being lost for two days and nights in Litchfield National Park. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“I went into a state of calm and all I could do was wait,” she said.

In the afternoon of her second day in the remote bush Ms Dobbin struck gold when she stumbled upon a low-lying creek.

Filling up her water bottle, she lay down in the creek and let water cool her body.

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On the second night the sky was pitch black with no moon, only thousands of twinkling stars. As the night went on, Ms Dobbin experienced doubtful thoughts and prepared for the possibility the search-and-rescue team may not find her.

“I was beginning to accept that may be a possibility but I hadn’t given up yet, the bush kept me going,” Ms Dobbin said.

Maggie Dobbin with Acting Senior Sergeant Xavier McMahon and Superintendent Brendan Muldoon who were part of the team who found her after two nights lost in Litchfield National Park. Picture: Che Chorley.

After the second night in the bush Ms Dobbin woke up with a game-changing idea to use the silver emergency blanket as a reflector in hope the light would reflect into the helicopters’ sight.

Not long after her decision, a pleasing hum of a helicopter reached her ear

“My head was bursting, it was just so full of absolute excitement,” Ms Dobbin said.

The emergency crew spotted the blanket from the air.

Placing her foot on the railing of the helicopter, a euphoric Ms Dobbin grabbed an arm that was reaching out to assist her and launched herself inside.

“I was just over the moon with excitement, it was just lovely to be surrounded by those guys,” Ms Dobbin said, who hopes people can learn from her story. She says “each time you decide to do a bush walk, imagine you may not come back and prepare with that in mind”.

On Tuesday she met with Acting Senior Sergeant Xavier McMahon and Superintendent Brendan Muldoon, who co-ordinated the search that found her.