Texas family gets lost in Colorado Rockies for 24 hours

A Texas family is lucky to be alive after getting lost in the Colorado Rockies.

The family was rescued Christmas Eve, 24-hours after they first went missing, thanks to a multi-agency search lead by the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office.

The family was heading to Norwood, Colorado from El Paso, Texas when they got turned around.

"The initial search area was huge," said Undersheriff Eric Berg. This week, Berg along with the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office combed miles and miles of surface area, searching for a family who got lost deep in the San Juan National Forest.

They were driving a box truck, moving furniture from Texas to Colorado when their GPS led them down a road where got stuck in deep snow. 

"Unfortunately the GPS signal is frequently unreliable are not available in the mountains," he said. 

The family, a man and his wife in their 30's and their 12-yea-old daughter, spent the night in their truck. The next morning, they decided to walk for help, wrapping their tennis shoes in shipping plastic. Family members alerted law enforcement after the family failed to show up at their destination. 

Undersheriff Berg took to the sky, using his own, personal plane to get a better view. When he did spot the family they were walking south along the snow-packed road. 

"I can tell you from the air they were jumping up and down a lot of waving," he said.

Berg says finding the family on Christmas Eve was a wonderful gift and a powerful reminder for others. 

He insists, if you get stuck - stay with your vehicle. That's the safest place to be even if you think no one is coming for you. It's much easier to spot a truck than a person. Also be prepared, have jackets and boots and gloves with you, since you just never know when you'll need them. Luckily, the family escaped without any serious injuries.