Teens Trapped on Dead Tree After Frozen Pond Begins to Crack

And finally tonight, the story of two teenagers, an icy lake and the saving power of one ri righty tree. Here's what happens, with abc's cecilia vega. Reporter: All they had was a dying tree, and for... See More

And finally tonight, the story of two teenagers, an icy lake and the saving power of one ri righty tree. Here's what happens, with abc's cecilia vega. Reporter: All they had was a dying tree, and for more than four hours, that's what the two boys clung to, standed in the middle of an icy lake. It was pretty scary. Yeah, it was pretty scary. You could feel it like sinking in and cracking. Reporter:14-year-old christian van aller and 15-year-old alex orton told us what happened when they went out walking on that lake in the arizona mountains and the ice cracked. If the tree wasn't there, we probably would have fallen in. Reporter: Each lost a shoe in the frigid water, so they covered their bare feet with their hats and waited. By the time the rescuers arrived, night had fallen. It took a team of more than two dozen to pull the boys to safety. So what is the lesson in all of this? Don't do that again. Don't do that again. Reporter: Lesson learned -- the cold, hard way. Cecilia vega, abc news, los angeles.