From Hugs of Warmth to Hugs of Joy

Dec. 20, 2007 — -- They hugged each other for warmth, made a shelter out of a pile of branches and then took refuge in a culvert. Finally after the Northern California wilderness was blanketed with snow, they spelled out the word "help" hoping to be spotted after a Christmas tree trek gone wrong.

"We realized, we didn't know where to go," Frederick Dominguez, 38, told reporters after the mishap, which began Sunday when he took his three children, Christopher, 18, Alexis, 15, and Josh, 13, into the forested foothills about 100 miles north of Sacramento to fetch the year's Christmas tree.

They were reported missing Monday evening by Dominguez's ex-wife and the children's mother. A few hours later, Frederick's yellow truck was found along a road. About the same time, a winter storm started walloping the region and family members and search coordinators tried to keep optimistic, despite knowing that the foursome were dressed in sweat shirts and light jackets — not the gear needed for overnights

The search intensified throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday, but weather conditions prevented the ground search from moving to the air. That changed Wednesday afternoon.

"I turned, the first thing I saw was the 'help' in the snow made out of twigs," helicopter flight officer David White of the California Highway Patrol told "Good Morning America." "And at that time we were sure that's probably sure who our missing family."

The foursome were delivered by helicopter to awaiting family and friends and mobbed by reporters eager to know more about their Christmas miracle. They told "GMA" that at the outset, they treated the situation as an exciting adventure, not a dangerous misadventure.

"When we first started it was kind of like an adventure but then, like, more into it, I started panicking and I started thinking of the realities," said daughter, Alexis. "I just really started freaking out."

The children's feet were drenched from snow melt, jolting Frederick's early hope.

"Last night was probably the most miserable one because it rained last night and the snow was melting through the tunnel or whatever it was," he said. "So we were sleeping in water. For the first time I was scared, like, 'Oh my God, this is just so real.'"

Christopher, reportedly an aspiring emergency medical technician with some outdoor survival skills, helped his father keep the encouragement up. They tucked their freezing feet into each others' jackets, rubbing them for warmth, and on Wednesday, their spirits got the the biggest boost imaginable.

"Somebody heard the helicopter. And they said, 'Dad, dad, there's the helicopter,'" Frederick said, recalling the lifesaving moment. "I ran over there barefoot, jumped over the rocks, into the little stream thing, fell into the snow."

"I waved and they saw us," he said.

And according to the helicopter pilots who found them, it was a discovery that almost didn't happen.

"It was just a miracle that we happened to catch it at that one last moment," said Steve Ward, the pilot of the helicopter, who said they were about to give up because another snowstorm was bearing down on them and visibility was dropping.

The family were checked out at a hospital. Except for minor exposure and early stage frostbite symptoms, all four were in good shape and, of course, good spirits.

A couple donated the family a Christmas tree for this year but what about next year? Maybe they'll stick with a plastic tree, Frederick joked, or maybe they'll get a compass.

"I didn't know you could get so turned around," he said, "but I will definitely do it again."