Mom and son were lost in California forest—a handwritten note saved their lives
A paper trail helped out a mom and son at a very unexpected place. The duo was lost in a California forest and overdue to reach their destination when the authorities started looking for them. They were not answering their cellphones because they had no service and hence, GPS couldn't be used. But then the mom decided to leave a handwritten note behind, which helped the officers track her and her son, per a press release by the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office on Facebook.
The Calaveras County Volunteer Team was at their monthly training session near Spicer’s Reservoir when they received a call about two missing individuals on July 12, around 1:20 PM. The two were travelling to the area and were supposed to reach there long before. The person who sent out the report explained that the mom and son had left Sacramento a day before and were supposed to reach Camp Wolfeboro, situated in the upper Highway 4 area. A search and rescue team began looking for them immediately, along with the deputy. The officials tried to understand the duo's itinerary and timeline, so they could figure out where they could possibly be. The person who filed the report could also give a location to the authorities, as they had used a location-sharing app with the mom.
"The Search and Rescue Team responded from their training location and established a command post near Highway 4 and the Black Springs OHV Recreational Area," the press release explained. They established search parameters and began a road-based search, and asked for help from the highway air assets. Campers in the area between Black Springs and Winton Road informed 911 that they had seen a vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle the mom and son went missing in. On the evening of July 12, the rescue team found a note taped on a remote forest service road. The note was left by the mom to mark their location.
"HELP, my son and I are stranded with no service and can’t call 911. We are ahead, up the road to the right. Please call 911 to get help for us. Thank you!" the mom explained through the note. The team followed the instructions from the note and found another one along the road. They kept walking and were able to find the mom and the son, along with their vehicle. The search team was finally able to get the missing people back to their family and could find out how they went missing. The mom was using a GPS service that showed major roads along with remote areas. When they lost service, they were too deep into a remote location and were stuck in an isolated spot. The organization shared that the notes, keeping the hazard lights on and telling people where they were going before the trip, played a crucial role in the duo's rescue.
People appreciated the mom's smart move to leave the notes in the comments section of the Facebook post. Hillary Epperley-Kerns wrote, "What an incredibly smart mother and son. So proud of all of their efforts in communication before and during this trip. Thank you to the search and rescue team for their powerful due diligence to find them and bring them home safely." Brian E. Mincks commented, "I’d like to thank the search and rescue team. As I’m the fiancé of the mother and father of the 9-year-old. Such a fast and meaningful response. Thank you, thank you." Julie Ann Gaethle remarked, "Smart way to get that information out there, great thinking mom! What an adventure, I bet the whole time felt like a year."