Family of six rescued from snowy cliff in El Dorado County

A father and his five children were rescued by the California Highway Patrol after becoming stranded in a wooded and snowy area of El Dorado County for hours, according to officers.

The family of six went on an off-road excursion about 8 a.m. in the Ice House Reservoir area, but realized they were lost soon after.

The Elk Grove father named Ed called the CHP about 2:30 p.m. and told them that his pickup truck had begun sliding toward a cliff, and that he had been holding the brake pedal with both feet for some time to prevent it from going over the edge, the CHP said.

In addition, he said they were running out of food and water and were very cold.

A CHP helicopter was called in and began searching for the family by using cellphone information to get the GPS coordinates of the victims.

The crew eventually found the family's pickup truck near Icehouse Road, north of Highway 50, and CHP ground units moved in to help the family.

"And they were right under a series of high tension power lines and in the wooded area under a tree canopy," said CHP helicopter pilot Monty Emery.

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