The pilot who rescued a popular barbershop owner and and his family, who were missing for more than two days, said it felt great to hoist up the dad, his kids and a chihuahua to safety late Thursday night in rugged terrain.
"It was a very happy cockpit," California National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Brockly, 49, of Folsom told NBC Bay Area on Friday morning. "We were all giving them high-fives."
Brockly and his crew were searching in their Blackhawk helicopter for Nick Vlahos, co-owner Temescal Alley Barbershop in Oakland, along with his 5-year-old son Nick Jr., 3-year-old daughter Mila, and their dog, since Wednesday morning.
The Oakland family had gone off-roading in Poker Flat, a tiny ghost town in western Sierra County, and Vlahos' Toyota Tacoma pickup had gone off the road and gotten stuck somehow. And his cell phone wasn't getting any reception. He and his kids hadn't been seen since Tuesday morning. And Vlahos' parents, who were waiting for him, got worried and called for help.
The Sierra County sheriff headed up the search, calling in help from CalFire, the California Highway Patrol and the National Guard.
Brockly said that he and his team had been out looking for Vlahos, whose barbershop was featured in a 2014 New York Times article," Oakland: Brooklyn by the Bay" to show how hip Oakland has become, since about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
They scoured a cemetary, Highway 49 and Highway 25, and then small little roads off the main highways looking for Vlahos, whom friends described as an experienced camper.
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Then, at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, Medic Staff Sgt. Ruben Higgins spotted some pink blankets in some trees, and strobe lights blinking from Vlahos' truck.
Brockly, Capt. Chris Sandin and Crew Chief Sgt. First Class Tom Gifford decided to have the family walk down to a nearby river and hoist the medic down to scoop up the family.
First, Higgins rescued the daughter, then the son, then Vlahos, and then their chihuahua.
The girl was scared at first, Brockly said, but then she felt more comfortable, and soon, everyone was giving high-fives.
On Instagram Thursday night, Vlahos thanked everyone who had been searching for him and apologized for all the trouble and worry his disappearance had caused. "So glad this is over," he wrote. On Friday, Vlahos wrote that he was going to recover his truck, and his children were spending the day with grandparents, "Oma and Opa," a nod to their Greek heritage.
Back at the barbershop in Oakland on Friday, friend and fellow barber Paul Ehat said that his reaction was a "total sigh of relief."
Vlahos' community of friends and family knew in their hearts that he would be OK.
"We all know his camping stories and they all have happy endings," Ehat said. "So we knew there was no question this was a minor speedbump."
