The siblings, ages 5 and 8, were found nearly two days after they wandered off.
There were cheers and tears for two sisters who were found after being lost for 44 hours in a dense and freezing California forest.
Authorities are crediting the girls’ survival to training they got at the local 4-H Club.
4-H was founded back in 1910 and it stands for head, heart, hands and health.
There are an estimated 25 million Americans who have taken the oath which reads: “I pledge my head to clearer thinking. My heart to greater loyalty. My hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”
Those are words 8-year-old Leia and 5-year-old Caroline Carrico remembered when they wandered away from their home in Humboldt County, California, and soon realized they were lost.
Thanks to 4-H, the Carrico sisters knew how to stay hydrated by licking moisture off leaves. They also sought shelter under thick overgrowth and stayed in place as soon as they realized they were lost.
A volunteer firefighter picked up the trail of their tiny boots and was able to track down the girls.
The girls were found just 1.4 miles from their home Sunday morning with The Associated Press reporting that they were discovered “safe and sound” and “in good spirits.”
“This is an absolute miracle,” Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal told the AP.
The sisters had been missing since Friday and temperatures fluctuated between 45 to 50 degrees in the area.
Police said the girls spent two nights shivering in the wilderness, telling each other stories as they huddled together to stay warm. They were taken to a local hospital for a checkup.
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