Two teenage boys in the south California were stranded when a heavy blizzard hit during their hike.

Riley Ramirez and Cole White, both 17, were dropped off near the Pacific Crest Trail before a 10-day hike late last month.

A couple of experienced hikers prepared for a long hike with food, a tent and snowshoes when an unexpectedly strong storm hit.

“They knew what the weather was like. But I don’t think they expected that amount,” said John Scalise, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant.

The parents of the two boys had last contact with their sons on February 28, five days before their rescue.

Residents of southern California wait to charge their phones at a closed restaurant after the power went out after heavy snow

Cesar Ramirez, Riley’s father, kept tabs on the boys through the app. When they got lost on the app, he contacted the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which tracked the hikers to their last known location.

Police found the boys, both of whom have military aspirations, on March 3. They were on the Pacific Crest Trail, near Mount San Gorgonio, the highest peak in southern California.

The rescue team found that the boys were slightly hypothermic and huddled together to keep warm, the Associated Press reported.

They spent three nights on the mountain with a damaged tent. Ramirez also lost his jacket to the wind.

They were taken by helicopter to the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station where they were given food, water and medical attention.

“During the five days they hiked, they encountered four to five foot drifts, limiting visibility and making it difficult to stay on the trail,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

“Riley and Cole said how difficult the weather conditions were and believed they would not have survived without the assistance of the Sheriff’s Department,” the report said.

Cesar Ramirez said his son was “convinced” he was going to die in the snowstorm.

Some parts of SoCal saw up to 10 feet of snow, and residents may have to wait up to a week to be dug out

A Crestline, California man shovels snow after storms dumped feet of snow in front of his home

Snowfall surrounds city streets and businesses in Crestline, California

A Caterpillar plow clears roads in Southern California

The roof of the ship with tires collapsed due to heavy snowfall

A crew of inmate firefighters return to their vehicle after shoveling and clearing snow following a series of winter storms in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California on March 3, 2023.

On March 1, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in 13 California counties following a severe snowstorm that hit southern California on February 25.

Heavy snowfall blocked roads and trapped people in their homes. Rescue workers in California struggled to dig residents out from up to 10 feet of snow after the storms.

About 85,000 homes and businesses in Los Angeles lost power on Saturday.

Authorities are working to clear roads and distribute food, water and blankets to snow-bound residents. Some residents, authorities said, could be locked out for another week because of the time and effort involved in the cleanup process.