In the premiere, a young couple take the popular Palm Springs Aerial Tram way up the 8000-foot San Jacinto Mountain. They go off the trail for a photo, but can't find their way back. Their harrowing three-day attempt to hike down the extreme mountain terrain leads them into a dead-end canyon. There, the grisly discovery of a hiker who died a year before in this remote location leave them believing they are not going to get out alive.

When the Kim family takes a wrong turn, they get stuck in the snow on a logging road. With two infant children and no real knowledge about mountains and frigid temperatures, their situation turns desperate. After three days they are out of food and gas, no one knows where they are and no one is likely to come down the road for months.