Searchers rescue families stuck in Pine Nut Mountains

Douglas searchers rescued two families who spent a chilly weekend in the Pine Nuts off of Leviathan Mine Road after getting stuck on Friday and Saturday.

Jaclyn Thun said her friends Landen, Denise and John Tabor and four children became stuck in a ditch off the road on Friday night. The group, which included two of Thun's children, was going camping, so they were prepared to spend the night.

Thun said she, her fiancé Kurt Zamarippa and Daniel Edmonds received a call at noon on Saturday and went out to help the Tabors.

"We got stuck in the snow and had to walk a mile and a half to get where they were," Thun said. "The whole passenger side of the vehicle was stuck in the mud."

Thun said they tried to free the Ford F150 pickup carrying the Tabor party, but were unable.

"We were trying to dig the truck out, but it wasn't working," she said. "Every time we got the truck unstuck, it would roll back into the ditch. It just kept getting deeper and deeper in the hole."

Members of the Douglas County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team were called out at about 5:15 p.m. on Saturday after Thun said friend Laura Wilson called authorities.

Sgt. Jim Halsey of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said a dozen searchers went into the mountains searching for the families and found them about three hours later several miles down Old Toll Road, off Leviathan Mine Road. Both vehicles were stuck in deep mud and snow.

"I didn't think they were going to find us," she said. "It was the most tormenting experience that I've had. I've never been four-wheeling and this was my first experience for both."

Searchers chained up their four-wheel drive vehicles, and pulled the two stuck vehicles free using tow straps. Both families were escorted back to Highway 395. During this time the citizen vehicles again became stuck in mud and snow, Halsey said.

"The searchers were absolutely beautiful," Thun said. "They were nice and friendly and had footwarmers and blankets. They followed us almost all the way home to make sure the trucks were OK and the kids were OK.

Thun praised the rescuers for their positive attitude.

"They were just awesome, awesome people. They all had smiles on their faces. They were always all positive, it was never, 'We're not sure if we can get you out of there,' it was always 'We are going to get you out of there.'"