Six girls attending a youth group camping trip were found early Sunday after spending the night alone Saturday in near-freezing temperatures at Mount Cheaha State Park.
They were discovered around 8 a.m. Sunday by a park ranger about two miles from where the rest of their party spent the night. The Methodist church group had gone to the park to spend time in the woods. The girls got lost when they took a late afternoon hike on one of the park’s nature trails.
“They promised they would not go far,” Doris McKay, one of the adult coordinators of the trip, said. “We kept waiting for them to come back so we could fix supper. I guess we waited too late.”
The girls, ranging in age from 12 to 14, endured temperatures in the 30s with no food and only one blanket. They were cold but otherwise unhurt.
“When we realized what had happened to us and that we couldn’t find our way back, we remembered what we had always been taught. That was to stay where we were,” Stephanie Twinings, one of the girls, said. “We found a comfortable place and all huddled under the blanket as best we could. We didn’t get that cold because we could keep each other warm. We got a little hungry.”
Earl Grey, supervisor of the state park, said the girls were reported lost around 7 p.m. Saturday, and finding them in the dark woods proved difficult.
“We drove along all the roads through the park shining bright lights and hoping that the girls were close enough to see them,” Grey said. “Unfortunately, there are only a few roads through the park, and I don’t think the girls were close by.”
After the group was reunited Sunday, the girls left the park to attend 11 a.m. worship services. Members of their church welcomed the group with a large banner that read, “I once was lost but now I’m found. Amazing Grace. Welcome home.”