Family rescued from Prescott National Forest

YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. (KSAZ) - A family had to be rescued from the Prescott National Forest. They had planned a trip to hunt and camp near Walker, Arizona. But they did not plan for the amount of snow that fell and they couldn't get back to their camper and 4x4 truck.

It was around 6 p.m. last Thursday when the 9-1-1 call came in from the family of four stuck in the snow.

"They were in a 4x4 vehicle that would not move, and were stranded and asking for help," said Dwight D'Evelyn with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.

Rescuers tried to get to the family in the dark and brutal weather.

"But after several hours it just couldn't be done, because of the weather conditions and the snow on the ground. So they bedded down for the night in the truck. We monitored their condition overnight, and in the morning launched a helicopter," said D'Evelyn.

The YCSO helicopter located the family and flew them out to safety just in time.

"They did not have any food left, and had almost no water. So they'd run out of supplies in that fashion, but other than that the warmth kept them fairly comfortable for the night," said D'Evelyn.

YCSO says the family did the right thing by staying with their vehicle and not wandering off to find help. That's where they say people usually get into serious trouble.