According to Tod Vinger of Washoe County Search and Rescue, the family of six, including two parents and four children between the ages of 8 and 12, followed the Tahoe Rim Trail from Tahoe Meadows, just off the Mount Rose Highway.
One child, a 10-year-old, wandered off and the group circled back. The 10-year-old was found quickly, but the family became disoriented and couldn't find their way.
Using the cell phone they carried, they called authorities at about 3:20 p.m. and by 4 p.m., about 20 members of Washoe County Search and Rescue and the Washoe Sheriff's Hasty Team responded, combing the area by foot. Two members of the North Lake Tahoe Fire Station joined the search and the group was located at about 4:30 p.m. at the top of Diamond Peak Ski Resort, about half an hour after the search began.