Rescuers find mom and son lost in California forest thanks to notes they left on a remote road

This undated photo provided by the Calaveras County, Calif., Sheriff’s Office shows a note that was left by a woman and her 9-year-old-son, who got lost in a California forest while driving to a Boy Scouts camp, and found by rescuers who then located the pair on Saturday, July 12, 2025. (Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

A mother and her 9-year-old-son who got 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 at the top said they were stranded up the road with no phone service.

A volunteer search-and-rescue team that was training in the Sierra Nevada foothills found the pair Saturday, a day after they had set out for the camp, according to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman and her son got lost on Friday after they left the Sacramento area and their GPS had directed them onto old logging roads deep into the forest, said Lt. Greg Stark, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

They eventually lost their GPS signal and then got stuck about 10 miles (16 kilometres) from the nearest paved road, Stark said.

They were reported missing the next day after not showing up at the camp.

The county’s volunteer search team initially narrowed down the pair’s last known spot from a location-sharing app and then heard from campers who saw the woman’s missing car a day earlier, the sheriff’s office said.

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, the sheriff’s office said.

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, Stark said.

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.

“They did everything right,” Stark said. “They put themselves in the best position to be found.”

John Seewer, The Associated Press