LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. — CBS 8 caught up with the Gruber family who made it back to San Diego after being stuck in Lake Arrowhead for 13 days. The ski trip with the Gruber and the Ringhoff families was supposed to last three nights, now almost 2 weeks later, the families are home. On Saturday, a plow finally cleared the road in front of their rented cabin.
“It was one lane and there were about 8-foot walls of snow on either side,” said Elliott Gruber.
With just enough room for one car to make it through at a time, it took an hour and a half for the family to drive one and a half miles to the main road.
“You’d have to honk your horn to make sure that there was no one coming because you can’t even see around the turns. You’d have to back up about a quarter of a mile to a driveway, let that guy pass and then keep going,” Gruber told CBS 8’s Heather Myers.
Then, the fog set in reducing visibility to just a few feet in front of them.
“So we were going ten miles an hour the whole way down the mountain,” said Gruber.
CBS 8’s first caught up with the Gruber and Ringhoff families on Friday. They described the shocking amount of snow that fell over a 5 day stretch. Their cars were snowed in and all roads were impassable. They ran out of food and had to walk 6 miles roundtrip to a corner gas station to stock up on frozen burritos and snack items.
Then, Friday night, the cabin 4 doors down burned to the ground. Firefighters came and put the fire out but left their hose in case neighbors saw flames flare up.
“They had so many other calls to go on, they hooked up the hose and said open up the valve we have other calls we have to go to,” said Gruber.
Now back home, they’re thankful for the people of Lake Arrowhead who rallied together to support each other.
“Do you guys ever want to see snow again?” asked Myers.
“Not 5 feet of snow,” said Luca Gruber.
“I got my fill of shoveling, we will just make sure we better understand the weather,” said Elliott Gruber.
Original Story:
An Emergency Closure Order has been issued for the San Bernardino National Forest. This means no one is allowed up or down the mountain to places like Big Bear or Lake Arrowhead.
Several feet of snow has fallen over the past two weeks and people are still stuck in their cabins as most of the roads are shut down. Now many of the grocery stores are closed after the roof collapsed at one of them. Friday safety officials told people that it may be another week before the roads can be cleared.
"Every day we wake up and is today the day were going to see a plow? Is today the day we could move the car out onto the road?," said San Diegan Elliott Gruber.
Gruber describes what was supposed to be a fun, four-day trip to Lake Arrowhead
The Gruber and Ringhoff families, of San Diego, rented a cabin, and spent the first two days on the slopes. Then, the snow came in so fast that driving back to the cabin from skiing was treacherous and for five days it wouldn't stop.
"We have calculated 9-feet of snow in a week," Gruber told CBS 8's Heather Myers.
Gruber showed CBS 8 time-lapse video from outside their cabin and now more than week later, the snow still piled up. The snow is covering the roads, the cars, and it's up to the roof tops of some homes. For many people, driving is impossible.
The the Gruber and Ringhoff families as well as hundreds of others are running low on food.
Grocery stores are closing because the roofs are caving in. This means getting more food includes a long walk to a corner gas station.
"The first time we did it, there were no plows at all and we were up to our knees (in snow) on the street. It ends up being about six miles round trip, said Gruber.
At one point, they were so desperate for food, they put out a plea on a local Facebook page. Strangers who could get to them provided what they could.
"Being trapped up here and not being able to see your friends is really hard when I am stuck with three boys," said Gruber daugther, Gwen.
"It’s our last year year of baseball and opening ceremonies which we are going to miss because it's tonight," said Gruber's son, Luca.
Meanwhile, the California Highway Patrol says getting plows into some of these neighborhoods could take another week.
The Red Cross has set up a shelter at Rim of the World High School. Anyone in need of non-emergency help can call (909) 387-3911.
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