Two Teens Missing For 48 Hours Rescued After Writing ‘SOS’ In Snow

Two stranded 19-year-olds provided rescuers with the biggest clue on their whereabouts after they went missing on a camping trip near southeast of Eugene in Oregon. The teens wrote “SOS” in the snow, which helped rescuers find them.

The hikers went on a trip that started on Christmas Day and was supposed to end on Dec. 29, 2021. However, the pair were reported missing after they failed to return from their hike on Swastika Mountain, according to The Oregonian.

Search parties were dispatched by the Lane County Sheriff’s Office on New Year’s Eve to find the young men. The heavy snowfall was an obstacle during the search, and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew provided assistance in finding the teens.

48 hours after the teens reported missing, rescuers were able to locate them after spotting the ‘SOS’ message written in the snow.

The search for the teen hikers also led to rescuers finding two other men in distress.

“During the search for the two men, the aircrew identified two additional persons in distress and passed their position to Lane County, who believed they were within range of their land party,” said the statement released by the United States Coast Guard.

Once the missing teenagers were found, the helicopter hoisted them and transferred them to the Eugene Airport, where officials from the Lane County Sheriff’s Office were waiting for them, as reported by KGW-TV. Neither of them had any injuries.

Lt. Maggie Champin, MH-65 aircraft commander, Sector North Bend, praised the teens for the choices they took while being stranded.

"These young men did a lot of things right to give themselves the best chance of being rescued," said Lt. Champin said. "By writing ‘SOS’ in the snow, staying near their vehicle and staying near logging roads, we were able to find them relatively quickly. We recommend hikers carry personal locator beacons while out in the back country.”

In a similar incident that took place in January 2020, a man was rescued three weeks after his camp in Alaska burned down. The man dug an “SOS” sign in the snow, which was spotted by authorities as they performed a welfare check.

Tyson Steele lost his home after the roof of his house caught fire and burned down. He then managed to build a temporary refuge to protect him from the cold and snow. When rescuers found him, he was airlifted and transferred to a safer location.