Missing Nevada family warmed rocks to survive

Dec. 11 (UPI) -- What could have turned into a desperate and deadly situation for a family lost in the mountains of northern Nevada instead had a happy ending, thanks to the smart thinking of mom and dad.

James Glanton, 34, and his girlfriend Christina McIntee, 25, kept their heads after their Jeep flipped over Sunday and slid down an embankment. Rather than wandering off for help, they huddled together, lighting a fire and heating up rocks to help keep warm with their two children, niece and nephew.

"I have never heard of such a thing, but I think it was pretty clever of him," said Paul Burke, of the Nevada state Department of Public Safety, who coordinated the two-day rescue effort. "To the extent he was ingenious about it, that is one for the books."

Despite overnight temperatures plunging to more than 20 degrees below zero, the family had no frostbite, suffering from mild hypothermia and dehydration.

They "obviously they knew what to do," said Chris Montes, another rescuer. "They kept those kids safe 48 hours in subzero temperatures."

Montes said the children "did not seem too bothered" at the ordeal. "They were in good spirits," he said. "They just figured they were camping."

[CNN]