WELLINGTON,NEW ZEALAND-----Two US students ,who were trapped in the New Zealand wilderness by a snowstorm trekked(艰难跋涉)to safety after surviving their nine-day trouble by rationing their limited supplies of trail mix and warming themselves in hot springs. Alec Brown and Erica Klintworth,both21,returned to the city of Christchurch on Monday after meeting up with members of a search team.

Brown’s mother, Lisa, said she panicked when she first found out her son was missing. But she had faith that Alec, an environmental science major, knew the outdoors well enough to survive, adding that Erica, who is studying graphic design, is a strong woman.

The two students, on a foreign study program inNew Zealandwith University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point ,had planned to hike and camp for a few days at somehot springson the country’sSouth Island. But heavy rains and a snowstorm prevented the couple from being able to cross a river and return. But when they realized they were going to be stuck, they started rationing. “A biscuit and jelly one day” Brown wrote , “and even less another”

The two didn’t take much food. After three days, a steady rain started. Then on Wednesday, the snowstorm hit and it got progressively worse. But soaking in the hot pools helped keep them warm and slowed energy loss.

It wasn’t until Sunday that the river finally seemed safe enough to cross again. They prepared for their hike out by cooking a “good meal” of rice, marshmallows ,peanut butter and chocolate. They then left and crossed the icy waters only up to their waists. They were climbing the mountains under the tree cover when they first heard the helicopter. But it never saw them and they walked out just fine and met up with the search and rescue by the road.

Klintworth’s father said the two students are good at solving problems and made the right decision to wait to cross the river .Brown added the relied on his past experiences hiking and camping and felt confident in their ability to survive.

“I believe when you go into the bush you take your life into your own hands and need to be prepared to handle whatever conditions occur,” he said . “We could have been more prepared enough to walk ourselves out”.