Los Gatos Weekly-Times

News

Stranded teens found safe after one long, cold night

By Judy Peterson

A day of motocrossing turned into a long, cold weekend for two Los Gatos teen-agers who were stranded in the Clear Creek Management Area.

Clear Creek is a 76,000-acre recreation area in San Benito County that is riddled with old asbestos and mercury mines.

"It's really hilly and a great place for people to ride," said 17-year-old Sean Bentinck, a junior at Los Gatos High School.

Sean and a classmate took off for Clear Creek on Feb. 9 with their motorcycles in tow, ready for a day in the snow.

"The snow was about 2 to 3 feet deep. It sucked up our gas," Sean said. "The bikes only hold two gallons, but they can go about 30 miles on a gallon."

When their bikes ran out of gas, Sean says he and his friend were about 20 miles away from their car. "It was about 3:30 or 4 in the afternoon. We started walking over toward a PG&E station, and it turns out they had just turned on the generator," he said. "We shut off the generator to see if we could get PG&E to come up there."

The teens were stuck with no food, no water and no cell phone signal. They were due home at 6 p.m.

As the hours passed, the teens' parents grew concerned and called the San Benito County Sheriff's Department. A search and rescue party was sent out and a helicopter went up to look for the teens. At midnight they found the boys' car.

Meantime, the teens had climbed into the PG&E generator hut. "I was really cold," Sean said. "It was windy and probably around 20 degrees. We had a space blanket, and we cut it in half because we both couldn't fit in it."

As dawn approached, Sean's father loaded up his motocross bike and left Los Gatos for Clear Creek. He picked up a friend who also owns a bike and they joined the search.

In the early morning hours of Feb. 10 , Sean and his buddy left the security of the PG&E hut and started walking. "Apparently we should have stayed put, because the sheriff told us it would have been easier to find us," he said.

Sean also said they saw the helicopter pass over them on three occasions. At around noon Sean's father rounded a corner and saw the boys. By then they had been walking for about four hours.

Days after being rescued, Sean had time to reflect on the experience and said he learned some important lessons. "I was in Boy Scouts, but I don't remember anything from Boy Scout training," he said. "Now I know to carry a strobe light so choppers can see you. And waterproof matches."

And the really big lesson? "Not to ride in the snow."