UPDATE: Mother thanks God, rescue team for finding family in the woods
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue teams found a family who spent hours lost in the woods in the San Isabel Nation Forest on Monday, and the mother is now thanking rescuers and God for saving them.
Amy Hitchcock, her daughters, 8-year-old Layla and 5-year-old Kaira, and their two dogs headed out for a hike in their favorite area on Monday. Hitchcock said Layla wanted to change things things up so the group decided to venture off the trail. Hitchcock had a compass and a good sense of direction so she figured her family would be fine.
The family hiked for an hour into the woods, had a picnic and then headed back at 2:30. However, during the hike back, Hitchcock said nothing looked familiar. An entire hour passed, and still nothing looked familiar.
“I hiked for another 30-45 minutes when I really started to panic. I tried to text my husband, make phone calls, but out there you don’t get reception,” said Hitchcock.
Hitchcock said she tried to stay calm for her girls, but inside she was panicking.
“The girls knew I was panicking a little bit, but I think God was keeping them calm for me,” said Hitchcock.
More hours passed and finally, Hitchcock spotted a cellphone tower. She tried 911 again, and this time, she got through. The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue teams headed out to find the family.
It took two hours to locate them. Hitchcock said her phone was at 50 percent power again, when she first reached 911 but it dwindled down to 3 percent. She was on the phone with 911 when she heard someone yell “Amy.”
“I was like, thank you God for sending these people,” said Hitchcock.
While it was a stressful and scary experience, Hitchcock said she doesn’t regret the trip.
“It was a learning experience, everyone has to have those learning experiences, but because of that learning experience I am not going to venture off a trail or anyone else venture off a trail unless they for sure know what the are doing,” said Hitchcock.
El Paso County Search and Rescue provided these tips to help families stay safe during a hike:
Pack an essentials pack, even if you don’t think you’llbe gone for more than an hour or two. The pack should include water, food, sunscreen, a flashlight, rain gear and materials to make a fire.
Tell someone exactly where you are going and when you plan to be back.
Don’t hike alone.
Don’t rely on your cellphone or the internet to show you essential wilderness skills. People are too dependent on technology and don’t take time to familiarize themselves ahead of time on how to perform critical things like starting a fire. When there is no cellphone reception, people without the knowledge find themselves out of luck.
Don’t rely on GPS to tell you where to go. While GPS may provide the most direct route, it doesn’t take topography into account and could lead you into a dangerous situation.
A compass is not enough. People also need a map and the skills to understand a map and a compass.
