Kyndall Jack had been missing since Sunday, only weak cries led searches to her and saved her life.
The hiker was found on a small outcropping on a steep slope in a California canyon. Kyndall asked the rescuers what year it was, then asked for her mother.
The girl was having trouble breathing and her mouth was so full of dirt they couldn’t give her water out of fear of her choking.
One paramedic said "she was just kind of clinging to the ledge on the cliff side, going in and out of consciousness, she wouldn't have made it much longer."
Medical personnel say the girl didn’t remember going hiking with 19 year old Nicolas Cendoya who was found on Wednesday.
Officials wanted to know why they pair went off the trail and how they had become separated.
A sheriff said each of the two were found within a mile of their car and "very, very close" to each other.
The Cleveland National Forest is known to be a dangerous place. One of the men involved in the search suffered a head injury when he fell 60 feet down the canyon.