Lost in a Remote Mountain on the Way to Camp
Safely Rescued After Leaving a Note Asking for Help
A mother and her 9-year-old son, who got lost in a forest in California while on their way to a Boy Scouts camp, were safely rescued thanks to a handwritten note they left behind.
A note left on the trail by a mother and son lost in a forest in California, USA. Provided by Calaveras County Sheriff's Office. AP Yonhap News Agency
According to CBS and The Guardian on the 17th (local time), a 49-year-old woman and her 9-year-old son became lost in a forest in California on July 11. The woman was driving her son to a Boy Scouts camp. She was following a GPS navigation system when it suddenly lost signal after guiding her onto an old logging road. As a result, they became stranded about 16 kilometers from the nearest paved road.
When the mother and son did not arrive at the Boy Scouts camp, a missing persons report was filed on July 12. A search team made up of volunteers was dispatched to look for them.
The search team used a location-sharing application to narrow down the area to where the pair’s location was last detected, and then interviewed campers who had seen their vehicle.
While continuing the search for about four hours using this method, the team found a note that had been weighed down with stones to keep it from blowing away. The note read, "HELP. My son and I are stranded with no cell service. We are up the road to the right. Please call 911 for help. Thank you."
The search team then found a second note further along the road. This one included a phone number and the names of the mother and son. At about 6:30 p.m. on July 12, the team finally discovered their vehicle in a remote part of the forest, about 1.6 kilometers from where the note had been found. The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office in northern California reported that the two survived by eating food they had packed for the camp. The Sheriff's Office also praised the boy for blowing his whistle three short times in accordance with the international distress signal to attract the search party's attention, and for turning on the vehicle's emergency lights at night.
The Sheriff's Office added that the notes left by the mother and son were "incredibly helpful" in locating them quickly. They also advised that if you do not know where you are or where you are going, the best course of action is to stay in your vehicle, as it is a large object that can be easily seen by aircraft or search teams.
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