It is every parentโs worst nightmare to lose their children. And unfortunately, in Northern California, thatโs exactly what happened.
Leia Carrico, 8-years-old, and her sister Caroline, 5-years-old, asked their mother if they could go for a walk. She said no, but they went anyway.
They were following a deer trail in the woods right outside their home. The two sisters were equipped with the essentials for wood-wanderinโ โ rubber boots and lots of snacks.
The area they were in is rural and remote, and is referred to as Mountain Lion Country. Yes, sightings have occurred and could be deadly.
But something fun quickly turned into a stressful disaster, as the pair of sisters wandered farther and farther from home. Soon, they were lost in the cold and rainy weather. Nothing scarier than the wet, dark wilderness.
After they disappeared on Friday, the search party began. It was a major effort that included over 200 volunteers, search and rescue dogs, the National Guard, firefighters, helicopters, and military agencies.
โThe parents were obviously frantic. They were upset,โ Sheriff William Honsal shared.
As time went by, the two girls, who grew up in the woods, were becoming prone to dehydration, starvation, hypothermia, and other severe conditions in the wild environment.
Hereโs the good news though; Leia and Caroline actually had some survival skills, thanks to their participation in their local 4-H club. They later shared that they even tried to make a fire for warmth, something they learned from their survival training.
While the massive search party sent for them didnโt know it at the time, those skills actually came in handy when it came time to brave the forest.
44 hours after the girlsโ disappearance, firefighters discovered a trail left by them. It was made up of granola bar wrappers and boot prints and was about one and a half miles away from their home.
โThe wrappers showed us a direction from where they started to where the wrappers ended up at,โ Lt. Mike Fridley told CBS News.
Leia and Caroline were found huddled in a bush. Thatโs where they got lost on Friday, so they stayed put ever since then as they waiting for someone to come find them, which was the smart thing to do! They told each other stories to pass the time and drank water by leaves.
They were cold and hungry when they were found, but surprisingly in good spirits.
They also shared many tearful hugs with their parents, who were starting to believe that theyโd never see their precious little girls ever again.
We are so glad these two are safe, and we are sure their parents are taking extra precaution now when letting them out of their sight.
Maybe everyone should start survival training early on in their life now. Itโs clearly so beneficial! Good job to these Leia and Caroline who handled this terrible situation like pros.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
