Stranded Family is Rescued Thanks to Dad Sending Creative SOS Message Down River

Message In A Bottle.

From the Good News Network by Mckinley Corbley

Even though it sounds suspiciously like a song by The Police, this family was rescued from a dire situation thanks to an SOS note that was literally launched as a message in a bottle. Read the FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Back in June, Curtis Whitson, his girlfriend, and his 14-year-old son had embarked on a 4-day camping voyage so they could experience the beautiful scenery of the Arroyo Seco River in central California. On the third day, however, their family vacation turned into a nerve-wracking ordeal.

The three hikers had just made their way down a narrow gorge when they suddenly found themselves atop a 40-foot waterfall. When previously Whitson had hiked down the river a few years ago, there had been a rope secured to the cliff face so that travelers could safely rappel down from the top of the waterfall in a matter of minutes.

Unfortunately, the rope was nowhere to be seen.

Whitson suspected it had been washed away by floodwaters—but without the rope, he and his family couldn’t climb down the cliff. The gorge walls were so steep that it left them stranded in a semi-isolated region with no cell service.

“It was a sad realization, to know that our trip was over and we needed help. Every inch down that river had committed us to a spot where we couldn’t get out,” Whitson told The Washington Post. “It was a little scary. We hadn’t seen a single soul the entire trip.” At first, Whitson tried carving an SOS message onto a stick to send floating downstream, but it was too light to stay afloat amidst the river’s current. He then used a much more unlikely rescue tool: his green plastic water bottle.

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