Mom and son lost in vast national forest rescued after leaving behind handwritten ‘HELP’ notes

A mom and her 9-year-old son who got lost inside a California national forest were rescued thanks to notes they left begging for “HELP” and giving directions on how to find them, according to authorities.

The pair got stuck in a remote part of the Stanislaus National Forest in the Sierra Nevada near Sonora on Friday without cell service or GPS.

But they were found the next day as a search team training in the area found notes the 49-year-old mom left on the ground, weighed down by rocks.

“HELP,” both said at the top, along with Friday’s date to show they were current.

“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 mom scrawled on one.

The other note said they were “stranded up the road to the right.”

“Please get help for us follow the strips of brown sheet,” the note said, also asking them to contact their scout leader and family.

The two were eventually found safely about a mile up the road and taken to their family, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said.

The pair had left the Sacramento area on Friday, and were heading for an overnight camping trip at Camp Wolfsboro when they became lost and were unable to retrace their route back to the main roads, according to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office.

The young boy repeatedly blew his whistle throughout the night while his mom flashed her hazard lights in the dense woods in the hopes of getting attention, officials said.

The two were reported missing the following day, Saturday, after their notes were found by members of the Calaveras County Volunteer Team, which happened to be conducting a monthly training session.

“The team began assessing the terrain and the complex network of interconnecting, labyrinth-like roads to establish effective search parameters,” the sheriff’s office said. 

“This allowed them to quickly initiate a road-based search using four-wheel-drive vehicles and a specially equipped side-by-side UTV [utility terrain vehicle].”

About three hours into the search, a Forest Service Law Enforcement Ranger received a text message from campers who had spotted a vehicle matching the description of the missing mom and son the day prior, confirming that the crews were in the right area.

The mom and son were found around 6 p.m. — but they weren’t out of the woods yet.

Due to the isolated location and dense forest, the search and rescue team members could not communicate that the party had been found by phone but had to use an amateur radio, or HAM radio, accoording to the sheriff’s office.

Fortunately, their call was quickly answered by a retired El Dorado County Communications Supervisor who was monitoring HAM frequencies from his home.

He contacted the El Dorado 911 center, which in turn reached out and provided the information to Calaveras County responders.

The Search Team used vehicle recovery equipment to free the vehicle and assisted them back to the command post and to their family members.