ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 11, 1996 TAG: 9601110109
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SYRIA
SOURCE: Associated Press
Shenandoah National Park rangers Wednesday rescued three men and their three children from a snowbound cabin and another man who endured a blizzard huddled inside a three-sided hut.
Bryant Etheridge, 20, of Williamsburg, spent five days inside the Appalachian Trail shelter, rationing his meager food supply of granola bars, peanut butter crackers and ready-made soups boiled on his compact stove.
``I wasn't worried. I had food and a means to melt snow for water,'' said Etheridge . ``I could have made it to the end of the week.''
Etheridge said he tried twice to hike in the waist-high snow, but he made it only 50 yards each time before returning to the shelter. Finally, two rangers wearing snowshoes hiked several miles to the hut where Etheridge had taken shelter.
They gave him a pair of snowshoes, and they all made it to a ranger station about 4 p.m.
It took a park snowplow two days to reach the other group, which had been marooned just outside the park when more than 3 feet of snow fell Saturday and Sunday. A helicopter dropped them food and water on Tuesday.
``They're fine,'' park spokeswoman Lyn Rothgeb said of the six campers who had been stranded along the Rapidan River below Doubletop Mountain.
LENGTH: Short : 34 linesby CNB