A photo of Holcomb Valley in California. 

A fierce winter storm left a man and his dog stranded near Big Bear Lake for days before crews rescued them this week, officials said.

Rescuers with the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District received a call on Wednesday about a camper and his dog stuck in Holcomb Valley, a remote wilderness area located in the San Bernardino Mountains, just north of Big Bear Lake.  

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The man was stranded for about two days. He began camping Monday and repeatedly tried to dig his vehicle out of the snow, but each time only made it a few feet before getting stuck again, Christopher Prater, a spokesperson for the fire district, told SFGATE. Much of Holcomb Valley lacks cell service, but the man briefly found a signal and posted online seeking help, Prater said. 

Off-road groups tried to rescue the man but they also couldn’t get through the snow, Prater said, so the groups called the Sheriff’s Department, which then asked the fire district to rescue the camper. 

In a video posted on Facebook Thursday by the fire district, a rescuer said about 3 feet of snow had fallen in the area, adding that the man was several miles out from Fawnskin, a small unincorporated community on the north side of Big Bear Lake. The rescue team used a snowcat (a heavy-equipment-style vehicle on tracks) to reach the deep backcountry area where the man and his dog, named Mud, were located. When the team arrived, they found the man was “well prepared” with food, water and supplies, the post said. Video shows the man and his dog, bundled in a jacket and hat, boarding with the rescue crew for the trip home.

Don't let Google decide who you trust.

The entire rescue took about two hours and three rescuers, Prater said by email. 

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In a statement, the fire district warned the public to be cautious in winter weather, even “experienced outdoorsmen.” The area, which consists of a tangle of dirt roads for off-roaders and more adventurous campers, is popular during the spring and summer months, but often gets deluged with snow during winter storms.

Though the camper was prepared, deep snow “made travel impossible,” the fire district said.  If traveling to the area during the winter weather, the fire district advised checking forecasts and road conditions ahead of time, sharing a travel plan with someone and packing extra supplies. 

“The area can be dangerous,” Prater said, especially with the storm’s weather conditions. Several other people were stuck in the snow that day and temperatures fell to less than 20 degrees that night with powerful winds, he said. 

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According to OpenSnow, a weather forecasting website for skiers, about 19 inches of snow has fallen in the Holocomb Valley area over the last five days. “The final round of rain, snow and gusty winds” for the San Bernardino area was predicted to hit on Thursday as the main cold front moved out of the region, according to the National Weather Service Wednesday.

This story has been updated. 

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