
A mother and her nine-year-old son, lost in a remote California forest while on their way to a Boy Scouts camp, were rescued after a search crew found notes the pair had left behind.
The notes weighed down by rocks with "HELP" written revealed that they were stranded up the road with no phone service.
According to the Calaveras County sheriff's office, a volunteer search-and-rescue team that was training in the Sierra Nevada foothills found the pair on Saturday, July 12.
The woman and her son got lost on Friday after they left the Sacramento region and their GPS had directed them onto old logging roads deep into the forest.
Lt. Greg Stark, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, shared they eventually lost their GPS signal and then got stuck about 10 miles from the nearest paved road.
They were reported missing the next day after failing to show up at the camp.
About four hours after being dispatched, the search team found the first note that read, "HELP. Me and my son 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 team found a second note up the road, and then about a mile later they found the woman and her son, where their car had gotten stuck.
In an effort to survive, the pair had spent the night in the car with a cooler full of food and drinks they had packed for a few days at the camp.
Authorities credited the pair with alerting others where they were going and when they would arrive and staying where they were once they got lost.
The boy also used his whistle to sound three short bursts, a signal for help that Scouts are taught.