More than 100 people trapped by snow in Sierra Nevada lodge freed after five days
US Forest Service spokesperson says crews were forced to travel by snowmobile to get to the lodge
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Your support makes all the difference.More than 120 people who were stranded in a snowbound resort in Sierra Nevada in California for five days have been freed.
Up to 7ft of snow trapped the guests and staff at Montecito Sequoia Lodge in Sequoia National Forest on Sunday.
US Forest Service spokesperson Alicia Embrey said crews were forced to travel by snowmobile to get to the lodge in the mountains east of Fresno on Wednesday morning before going back on Thursday armed with extra supplies.
They used heavy equipment to clear more than 20 fallen trees and eight miles of deep snow on the road leading to the lodge – allowing all of the guests and staff to finally leave the property.
Ms Embrey said the group had enough food and other supplies to remain comfortable, but they had become extremely bored.
She said: “Physically they were fine. They were obviously happy to go home.”
Joel Keeler shared several videos of his experience at the lodge on Twitter.
“It’s cold, clear and beautiful, but we’re still snowed in!” he said on Tuesday.
“They are working hard to clear the road ... Still a lot of driveway left tho!”
On Thursday, he shared a video of the cleared road and a line of vehicles snaking their way out between towering banks of snow, saying guests were finally going to return home.
The snow that trapped the guests began falling last Friday – blanketing the area with 4-7ft by Saturday night.
But another winter storm is on the way to the region.
Meteorologists have issued a winter storm warning for the southern Sierra Nevada which forecasts more snow, high winds and potentially hazardous conditions including falling trees and slick roads.
The Forest Service urged visitors to travel with extreme caution.
“The most recent storm has left very little room to manoeuvre and nowhere to put new snow,” they said in a statement.
“The trees are snow and ice-laden and the accumulating new snow will cause failures.”
The Sierra Nevada, which is Spanish for snow-covered mountains, is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin.
The California Gold Rush took place in the western foothills from 1848 until 1855 but the range was not fully explored until 1912 due to its inaccessibility.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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