. there is no sunday morning, the snow has not let up. i just want to come home. [crying] >> a beautiful day for a drive to the mountains becomes a desperate struggle against all odds. >> trying to hold up here in the jeep. trying to stay warm. >> a single mother trapped in a powerful storm, out of gas, out of time and merely out of hope. >> nobody is going to find me here. >> she didn't know what was coming, so she wasn't prepared. >> i can't walk out in there. >> it's a story of heart break. >> i just fell to the floor in

the hospital. my kids bawling. >> a rebel brother's refusal to give up. >> you had a hunch? >> better than a hunch. >> and one woman's grit and determination. >> as soon as the sun comes out, i'm going to have to try to make it. i just want to see my babies and my mom. >> a haunting message, a harrowing journey. i'm lester holt and this is "dateline." against all odds. here is andrea kenny. >> the sierra nevada mountains, california, november 2012. >> i was so cold. i couldn't feel my feet anymore and i couldn't get warm. >> a for row shows winter storm trapped her and no one knew where she was and she thought she was going to die. >> i begged to be taken. >> but she was desperate to see her children, so she set out on

a dangerous journey. >> if i die, i'm going to die trying. >> if in case she didn't make it, she left a good-bye message. >> i'm so sorry this has happened. >> the story began days earlier on thursday, november 29th. paula lane and her boyfriend rod clifton were doing chores here at his mom's place in citrus heights. >> this morning, thursday morning, he got up on the roof and started repairing. >> she was in the garden pulling up green tomato plants. >> i enjoy doing it. i love gardening. i love my hands in the dirt. that's another passion of mine, i love gardening. >> they were a free-willing 40 something couple. adventurous. she had 11-year-old twin boys. had had three daughters of his own. they were a couple for six months. >> i always felt safe with him. >> he's your protector. >> i called him my superman.

>> on this november day, they were planning to drive to paula's place in nevada for dinner. it was a two and a half hour drive through the mountains. before they left, paula called her mom, who she lives with. she grabbed a bag of those green tomatoes and they were ready to go. it was mid afternoon. how was the weather that day? >> it was clear when we left. >> a beautiful day? >> yeah, absolutely -- it was. >> both paula and rod were dressed for late fall in jeans and light jackets. it was almost 60 degrees that day. >> i had my tennis shoes, which were leather. >> they were driving rod's jeep cherokee, a 1989 model he had just acquired. they drove through the mountains and made a stop about 25 miles from paula's place. while there, she picked up rocks and put them in her pocket. >> i'm a rock hound, and

everywhere i go, usually i pick up a couple. >> paula never dreamt how important those rocks would become. their next stop was at the intersection of two main highways, this place. >> a gal rents out cross country skis, sleds. >> they decided to check it out, so they pulled in, poked around and then drove to a mountain road they knew well. the road had a gate across it and a sign saying closed. >> rod says, i want to go test out the jeep in deep snow. i said, well, no, you can't. the gate is closed. and he says, well, yes, we can. i said there is going to be a big fine. i don't think this is a good idea. >> but he says rod prevailed, took the jeep through trees, went around the gate and went around higher up. >> what was your gut telling me? >> it wasn't real strong but enough for me to say i don't think we should do this. because i trusted him so much, if i said rod, no, he would have

said okay. he would have. >> they both knew this mountain road. there is a lake at the end about six miles away called burn side lake. they camp there in the summer with paula's boys. and anyway, it was a kick. four wheeling through the snow. it's a popular activity in these parts, especially in the back country, but then, paula wanted to turn around, and rod wanted to keep going. >> i said well, how about let's turn around now? he said well, this isn't a good place to turn around. so we kept going. now we might as well go all the way to the end. >> were you having a good time? >> kind of and kind of not. >> they made it to burn side lake around 7:00 that evening. the snow was deep. it was cold, very cold, and it was here that things went terribly wrong. >> we went to do a three-point turn, and went in reverse and forward. it was an absolute drop thug.

like ut oh. he said that's okay, we'll get out of this. we'll rock it. we'll do whatever. >> the jeep's left front tire was wedge in a deep rut. they did whatever they could to free it, but nothing worked, and they couldn't call for help. there was no cell phone service. back at home, paula's mom da d r for short wasn't worried. >> paula was good about calling and letting us know where she was. >> d kept things normal that night with paula's 11-year-old twins sam and hayden. she told them their mom was on her way home but time dragged. >> and rod's mom called me later thursday evening and said have you heard from the kids? i said no. and she said well, i haven't, either. >> alexus got a call from her

mom, too. >> have you heard anything from your brother yet? am i supposed to hear something from my brother. >> didn't think anything of it? >> didn't think anything of it, nothing. >> by 11:00 that night after treeing to get the jeep free, paula was exhausted. >> i said get in the jeep. let's snuggle up, get warm and go at this again in the morning. >> that was a major decision to say we're going to spend the night here. >> we had to. >> you have almost no gas? >> correct. >> no water? >> correct. >> no boots. >> correct. >> no warm clothes? >> correct. >> and barely any food? >> correct. >> they huddled together in the back of the jeep wet and tired and freezing cold. it was bad and it was about to get worse. >> let's talk about the timing of these three storms. >> there were storms on the way, severe storms. paula and rod didn't have a clue. >> how did you not know about the storms? you hadn't listened to the radio or tv?

>> no, that's not like me but i figured he must have. it was silly. >> the snow started falling overnight, and temperatures fell below freezing. paula kept telling herself to be positive, but she remembers the words she blurted out to rod as the storm gathered force around them. >> i told him that night i didn't want to die. >> when we come back, the next day the couple faced a terrifying choice. stay trapped in the jeep and hope for a rescue or head out into the storm and struggle for miles through four feet of snow. >> he said okay, i'm going to do this and we kissed each other and said we loved each other. [ bubbles ] [ giggling ] again! again! [ giggles ] again! [ mom ] when we're having this much fun, why quit? and new bounty has no quit in it either. it's 2x more absorbent than the leading ordinary brand, and then stays strong, so you can use less.

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as a winter storm hauled around them, paula lane and her boyfriend spent the night trapped in the jeep in the sierra, nevada mountains. when friday came, they tried again to pull the jeep out.

again, they had no luck. >> and i said, you know, one of us needs to try to get out. >> she knew they were so isolated that no one would find them, if anyone was even looking. rod immediately volunteered to go. >> when he said, paula, i'm leaving, what did you say? >> i was going to go because i had the better clothing, i thought, and he didn't. he says no, no, no, i'm going to go. >> paula says she tried to get him to wait, but he wouldn't, so she prepared him. it was a six-mile trek out and the snow was waist deep in places. she couldn't do much about his wet motorcycle pants but could about his shoes. >> he had tiny tennis shoes on like beach shoes. i said let me wrap your feet up, a plastic bag, put it around his feet, taped it up and put my socks over the top of that. >> she gave him her ski mask to

cover his face and he was ready. >> he was looking down for a long time, and then he looked at me, and we kissed each other and said we loved each other, and it's almost like he knew, too. >> knew what? >> that it would probably be the last time we ever saw each other. >> she watched him walk away, a big guy fighting to get through the snow. she was still watching when a gust of snow blew up whiting him out. >> i wish i would have begged him to stay. >> by now, two families were uneasy, calling each other. alexus, rod's sister. >> i called my mom. have you heard anything yet? no, i haven't heard anything. >> the boys came home and said

is mom here? my heart dropped because, i said no, we haven't heard from them yet. >> finally rod's mom couldn't take it anymore. late friday afternoon, lois clifton filed a missing person's report for rod and paula in california. >> it was horrible, wondering, knowing that there was a snowstorm. >> that night, d called her local sheriff's department in nevada. paula's sons in their bedroom were listening. >> when we first knew she was missing, grandma called and she was like i would like to report a missing person. she didn't know we were awake. we heard the conversation. >> were you worried? >> yeah. >> did you think something bad had happened to her? >> yeah. >> it was becoming clear to d the whole family needed to pull together if they were ever going to find the miss l couple. she called her son gary, after all, he had always watched over his little sister. >> i look out for her the best i

can. you know, it's kind of hard to keep an eye on that girl. >> gary knew paula had taken off in the past without telling anyone where she was going but d told him this time was different. >> mom made sure that i was aware that it was different. you know, that's the call i got straight from the boss. >> back at burn side lake, paula dozed, waiting for rod's return but as the hours past, the storms got worse, the temperatures dropped and snow wouldn't let up and rod was out there somewhere. >> he was walking out into the worst of it. >> he's chief meteorologist. >> if he was trying to make the seven-mile trip down into it, i don't know how he could have done that. >> at 11:00 p.m., paula woke up scared, upset. rod had told her he would be back in a couple hours, but he had been gone 14. >> something had happened.

>> where did your mind go at that point? >> i wanted to help him. that's all i could think of. i can't even go help him. >> paula ran the car to get warm using the last of the gas. she never felt so alone. she didn't think anyone would be looking for them. that night, she started what became a ritual. >> i would say rod, hayden, burn side lake, burn side lake. >> tell them where you were? >> yes. >> the same night as hayden was lying in bed watching tv, the strangest thing happened. >> commercial came on, burn side lake, tours now. >> hayden remembered the lake from camping trips. >> so you saw the commercial -- >> yeah. >> and that made you think maybe that's where they are. >> i came out and told grandma. >> to d, it was as if he heard his mom. >> dispatch, darlene. >> she called her local sheriff

office to suggest a search. >> they have camped back in there several times. >> okay. >> just in case they might have -- >> sure. >> gotten stuck or the car quit working on them. >> an alpine county sheriffs officials dispatched to look. he reported back to his boss. >> burn side lake is closed and the road is snowed in. >> they called and told me they couldn't go in there because of the locked gate and the snow. >> so did you just think okay. >> i figured they knew what they were talking about, you know. i didn't push it. that's a horrible regret, says you guys got to go down there. >> that night, paula wasn't just cold and lonely and scared, she was grieving. >> you didn't know what happened to rod, obviously, but -- >> i knew. >> you knew? >> because of how wicked the storm got. >> and the weather was about to get even worse and paula became

convinced she would never make it out alive. >> i just want to see my babies and my mom. i'm so sorry this has happened.

on saturday, december 1st, paula woke up about 6:00 a.m. she survived a second night in the wild, but she was worried sick about her boyfriend rod who hiked out for help the day before. >> we have no clue what was coming and how hard it would be to try to get out of there. >> things were grim in the jeep. paula was living on one green tomato a day, eating snow to stay hydrated and drawing on every ounce of inga knewty.

remember the rocks she picked up? she needed them now. >> i look in the seat and there was a budweiser can, an empty one and we had some motor oil, and rod had his folder with his resume stuff in it and wadded up the pieces of paper, put a couple pieces of paper in there and oil and got them hot and stuck them in the rockets of my jock et. >> by now, she was wearing three pairs of jeans, three jackets and socks she made from masking tape and tissue. >> i had no more masking tape. i had to preserve the socks i made. >> that day as rain lashed the lower elevations, searchers went out looking for the missing couple, checking highways in two states, california and nevada.

lois, rob's mom searched, too, and drove right by the road paula and rob had taken. >> i got 288 and 89 and looked up the hill and said that's where they go camping and there was no sign of them. >> no one could locate the missing jeep. it was torture for the family. linda hathaway is paula's older sister. >> i told my husband, i said i got to go be with my mom. >> they told us they had search and rescue out and they had to wait for the storm to pass before they could use helicopters. >> at burn side lake, paula caught a glimpse of the sun, the first in two days and gathered her things as past as she could, frantic to make a break for it, but then the storm came back. >> i had to keep telling myself, it's got to break, got to break. things going through your mind, nobody is going to find you back here, you're going to freeze to death. >> must be tempting to want to just go.

>> yeah, because you're terrified. >> saturday night, the storm ranged stronger than ever. meteorologist mark. >> the winds were hauling with that one. if we saw the strongest winds, late saturday night, early sunday morning. >> wind gusts slammed into the jeep rocking it, no way to sleep, no way to stay warm. that was the night her dreams began, and they were horrible. >> i was right by the gate, and i was calling 911. we are 911. can you come in here and get me? no, the gate is closed, and we're not allowed to come on that side. >> so in your dreams, there is help but they won't come and get you? >> yeah, yeah, it was just like right there, right there. >> hi, mom, hi, boys. >> by day three she was spent, cold and frightened and at her whits end. >> it's now sunday morning and

the snow has not let up. it's about six and a half feet deep, i think, i've held up here in the jeep. >> she survived so far on guts and green tomatoes but knew she couldn't hold out much longer. sitting in the jeep she used the last of the battery in her camera to make a farewell video for her family. >> i'm trying to stay warm, i just want to come home. [crying] >> rod left friday morning and today is sunday. he went to go get help but didn't come back. i don't know what happened to him. i don't know if he got hypothermia or something got him. he didn't come back. oh, god, i feel so bad. i tried to insist on him waiting a day to go out, and he said no,

i want to go now. >> and then came the most heart-breaking moment of all. >> i just want to see my babies and my mom. i'm so sorry this has happened. >> i didn't want it to turn out the way it did, but, you know, you can obviously see that i thought i was going to die. >> coming up, on the fourth morning, paula would make a fateful decision, nothing could have prepared her for the consequences. >> you know, this is how it's going. on my journey across america, i've learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want "big" savings on car insurance, it's a bit like asking if they want a big hat... ...'scuse me... ...or a big steak... ...or big hair... i think we have our answer.

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paula lane had started her third day in the sierra nevada mountains in tears, recording that farewell video for her family. >> i'm so sorry this has happened. >> but paula wasn't leaving the jeep any time soon. the winds were especially fierce that morning, gusting up to 80 miles an hour. >> i can't see how she could have looked out the window of

the jeep and thought now is a good ditime to go any time sund. >> paula was in the backseat unknowing search teams were looking for her. >> paula's brother and a friend conducted their own search. >> went in restaurants and bars and asked if they have seen them. >> paula spent another night sleeping. sunday turned into monday, day four. she woke up early and kicked her way out of the jeep, checked the sky and couldn't believe what she saw. the storms over, finally. >> it was warmer outside of the jeep. that was in a no-brainer. get out of here. >> she got back into the jeep and packed her backpack. >> i had my knife. i had my flashlight. i had my scissors, i had my tomatoes, of course, the couple i had left. >> you're like the mcgiver of

the mountains. >> it's all i had. >> she put on tissue and said good-bye to the jeep. >> kicked my way out and headed off. >> i'm going for it? >> yeah, i'm getting out of here. maybe i can find rod, still save him and kind of lost the hope of that happening real quick. >> why? she was sinking in snow that came up to her thighs in places. some four feet of fresh snow had fallen while she was stranded in the jeep. weeks after her ordeal, "dateline" took paula back to burn side lake. she showed us how she crawled to get through the deep snow. i would go like that, like that, and you know, just look down and every time i look up, make sure i was still following the trail and then just keep going. whenever i would stop to eat some snow and rest, i would always whistle, yell. >> that's a good whistle!

>> but she was deter yoioratingt there on her own. her body was failing her. she started to vomit blood. she continued down the road but her progress was slow. >> what gave you the strength to keep going? >> i want to see my babies. have you seen "finding nimo"? just keep crawling, just keep crawling. >> by monday evening, she was tired. throwing up blood violently, she couldn't feel her feet, arms, she couldn't stop shaking, she had one tomato left and couldn't bear to eat it. she rested against a tree and finally hit her breaking point. >> i at that point laid there and said please forgive me, but please take me now. i thought about taking off my clothes, just to get it done faster. >> you have been so strong up to

this point, what changed? >> i knew that i hadn't made it very far. nobody is looking for me out there, and this is it. this is how i'm going. >> she crawled over to a mound in the snow, turns out it was a hallow tree lying on the ground. it didn't take her long to figure out she just discovered a refu refuge. >> look down there, see how far. >> paula claimed inside leaving only her face exposed. she found she was shacked up with spiders and the spiders were biting her. she was too exhausted to care. she fell asleep in the stump not knowing or caring if she ever woke up again. >> i want them home. >> by now, the story of the missing couple had hit the local news. >> i ache. i cry. >> both families were losing hope, all the searches including

their own, had failed. paula's mom d would lie awake at night and think the worst. >> did they go off a cliff? maybe they were carjacked. i turned the tv on hoping there would be something there. >> what was it like for you, linda, the waiting? >> it's very hard. there is no sign, no, you know, and nobody coming to say hey, we haven't found a car. >> paula's twins dealt with it their way. >> my one friend daniel, he's dad is a snowplow man so i told him because he know what is our mom looks like, i told him tell your dad, see if he can find our mom. >> but a snowplow man would never have found their mom inside a tree stump in the unforgiving sierra. paula spent the whole day tuesday in her stump, mostly sleeping. on wednesday, day six, she knew that after two nights and a day in the stump, it was time to go. >> i thought, well, you know what? i don't want to go back in this

thing. it was just like an overwhelming feeling like none other. >> so she sent out again, crawling, pushing her back back in front of her following the road and soon, she made a heart breaking discovery. >> and i just crawled right up on him, right there. >> it was rod, her superman lying on his back in the middle of the road with his arms crossed and she says a smile on his face. >> and i knew he wasn't alive because there was just a little bit of snow across his neck and across his -- just half of his mouth right here. >> she knelt and cried and said good-bye. >> i -- >> do you think rod had a moment you did given the way that you found him that he had said it's my time now. >> yeah. >> i'm ready? >> and i'm going to not go out

suffering. >> did seeing rod for some reason give you strength to go on? >> oh, yeah. >> even though he didn't make it? >> oh, yeah. >> why did that give you strength? >> because one of us had to make it out for our kids. i mean, i used to tell him his daughters, i needed to be there for my sons. >> she spent half an hour kneeling by his body and then she says, it was time to go. >> i had no doubt i was getting out of there. i was going to die trying. >> coming up, while paula struggles to get out, her family gets a bizarre clue from thousands of miles away. >> i knew she was there. i knew it was her. as a kid, i made a list of all the places i wanted to visit. i'm still not going to make it to mars, but thanks to hotwire's incredibly low travel prices, i can afford to cross more things off my list.

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new hair. new you. new repair & protect... ..from new pantene. by wednesday, december 5th, paula's sixth day in the wild, gary lane had become convinced that his sister and rod were at burn side lake. >> what was it about burn side lake? >> they disappeared one time there before, that's where they were. >> you had a hunch? >> better than a hunch. >> gary and his buddy brian

decided they had to go check out burn side lake themself and do it their way. >> i remember you said you knew in your heart she was there. >> that's true. >> they ran into trouble immediately. problems with their jeep. as brian worked on it, gary spotted a state-owned front loader in a nearby shed. >> i know how to drive that. >> he said brian, there is a loader in there. >> was it locked up? >> no, no, it wasn't locked up. the key was in there. >> so it was just there for the taking? >> no, wasn't there for the taking but the borrowing. >> for your purposes. >> gary is a maverick, so borrowing the loader, a vehicle like this one wasn't a stretch, plus, gary had driven tanks in the army. he had no trouble getting the big machine moving, and it went a short distance, but then he couldn't change gears. >> so the tractor wouldn't go any farther, and it was getting dark, i said well, we have to find another way. we have to do something different. >> but they were cold and tired. they decided to go back to d's

place, never guessing what would happen next. >> i'm not sure if i was asleep, but it was so real. tamera small would give them a lead, the on one they had. although it seems bizarre at the time, tamera lives across the country near albany, new york. growing up she loved her cool aunt paula. when she heard paula was missing, tamera couldn't stop worrying, one night was especially bad. >> i was up all night that night, you know, crying, and racking my brain. >> she finally went to bed, and perhaps the lane family bond was at work that night, because suddenly, tamera says she felt her aunt paula in the room. >> all of a sudden, i got this overwhelming sensation of worms. i felt like she was next to my night stand. i count see her, hear her. i knew she was there. that's when i started dreaming about her being in a big body of

water, stranded. i couldn't really see her, but i knew it was her. >> but during the dream she was -- >> very much alive. >> tamera wanted an explanation. so she decided to go to a psychic. >> she couldn't see if anybody was dead or alive, but she said she saw a blue vehicle and water. >> the psychic was right about one thing, rod's jeep was dark blue. tamera called her dad. >> what did you tell your father about this dream? >> i said dad, this is a little dream i had but i have this strong instinct you need to look near water. >> her dad immediately called gary, who had just returned from the failed attempt to go up to burn side lake. >> she described that place to a tee going in there and then she described the jeep. >> you must have been thinking, come on, psychic. >> you know, i had nothing else to grasp for to point me in the right direction, but that was enough. >> but his mom didn't want him

to go back that night. d feared she might lose another child. >> i said gary, it's dark, late, wait until tomorrow, you can see what you're doing. >> what did gary say to you? >> i'm going, mom. >> and he did. he and brian headed back to burn side road but linda and d weren't holding up hope they would be any more successful so they told paula's boys their mom might not return. sam still chokes up at the thought. >> our grandma is in her last years, she can't take care of us. so who are we going to go to? i mean, a mom, she hasn't taught us everything yet. >> little did they know, the drama that was playing out just 20 miles away on the side of a mountain because this time gary managed to get the loader working and he took it up burn side road. it was tough going. >> the snow was getting deep, and the tractor wouldn't go

anymore and i was picking it up, scooping it up. >> as incredible as it sounds, gary was guided by the tracks the jeep left, still visible even after the storm. >> did you catch a glimpse of the tracks first? >> in four or five foot of snow, there is two tracks going follow me, boys. i mean, like i could have not followed them if i tried. >> as gary was maneuvering up the road, paula was crawling down. she remembers it began to rain around 7:00 that night. >> i started getting real did scared because the coat i had on wasn't water resistant and i crawled up in a little ball, and had a good cry. >> and miraculously, she heard noises. >> i heard a tractor and i heard lights. i'm near the road. i can make it. you know, i'm screaming and whistling. >> gary taught her that whistle

when they were kids. he didn't hear her at first, not until he turned the tractor off and he knew. >> that's her. i knew it was her. >> he got the big machine moving again and headed her way. >> i heard the tractor start again, and like oh my god. >> have you ever felt such joy in your whole life? >> no, never. ♪ ♪ >> coming up, emotions catch up with paula's kids who came so close to losing their mom to the mountains. >> it just would have been so bad. >> and paula answers those who say she took too many chances. >> you didn't feel reckless?

after six days in the wilderness, paula lane finally heard signs of life. she kept moving, propelling herself forward, desperate to reach them, whoever they were. >> she came out of nowhere, in the middle of the road out of nowhere lands there. >> gary's friend brian picked her up and bundled her into dry clothes. >> she was saying she's going to lose her feet. she was worried. >> but she still had no idea who was driving the tractor and then she heard a voice asking where is rod? >> and i said, he's dead. and i hear, what! and i seen somebody come around and i seen it's gary. and i think i said his name a million times.

gary, gary, gary, gary, i said it a million times. and he pointed at me and said got you, i got you, i knew you were here. >> i was -- i don't know. i was pretty happy. that was probably more out of control than ever, too. >> somehow paula and brian got into the loader's bucket and rode down the hill. a short time later, gary called home. paula's sister linda picked up the phone. >> he says i have her, i have her. she put the phone away from her ear and we could hear him. we claim unglued then. >> aunt linda was screaming and when he finally said those words, everybody dropped everything. >> gary took paula to this resort nearby and she managed to eat a few mouth fulls of soup. >> when gary came riding in on his horse, the tractor, you probably had hours left to live.

>> i probably wouldn't have made it through that night. i was still four miles away from the road. i would have never made it. >> she was whiskied away by ambulance to this carson city hospital and treated for mild frostbite on her feet. doctors called her a lucky woman. >> she really looked pretty good, i thought. as soon as the boys walked in, she just beamed. >> they said you survived off tomatoes and water mel loan. >> no, just tomatoes, i wish watermelon. i wouldn't be here without those, you guys, green tomatoes and uncle gary. >> look up the word joy in the dictionary and you'll see my face. i mean, it was what i lived for. >> it was, they all agreed, a miracle, but both families mourned rod's death. his mother lois got the bad news in a phone call from gary. >> gary said i'm sorry, but rod is dead.

and i pulled over to the side of the road, and just lost it. >> alexius, rod's sister got word at the hospital. >> i just fell to the floor at the hospital, and was bawling. >> back on the mountain with "dateline", paula remembered her superman. >> one of the hardest things i would imagine about this spot is this is the last time you saw rod alive. do you think about that now that you're back? >> uh-uh, i don't really think about walking away. i want to think about him being okay. >> a report from the alpine county sheriff's department later showed rod died of high powe therm ya but he had meth an

med mean and thc. paula insists they weren't doing drugs together. there are critics, couples that accuse the couple of being reckless. >> i can tell you this, that if it was an area that we had never been to, i don't think you would have ever done that. but because we know it so well, there was an element of comfortableness. >> was there an element of recklessness? >> no, no. >> you didn't feel reckless. >> not at all. >> paula's boys still think about rod's death and how close they came to losing their mother. >> if mom was up there, too, that would have just been so bad. >> that would have been really sad that they were both gone, but thank god, she wasn't up there, too. >> how lucky do you feel to have your mom with your every day? >> very lucky. >> paula lane has been enjoying family and friends as never

before, and she wants to make those six days in the wilderness count, to be a better mother, daughter, and sister. to live her life differently. >> it's a second chance to be whole again because i was in such a dark spot. a second chance. >> so who is the paula going forward? >> i just want to have a normal, happy life. my kids grow up and be successful and every day above ground is a good day. >> you came out here for closure. do you have it? >> i think so. i think so. it was my fault, not nature, and yeah, i think i'm okay. ♪ ♪

>> that's all for now, i'm lester holt. thanks for joining us. >> good sunday morning. speaking to u.s. officials over the weekend, they say they are very concerned. they've not yet found that missing malaysian airline jet. was it sabotage or a terror plot in the we'll discuss that story this morning as well as the other big developing story, that's crimea. thousands of russian troops are massing at the ukrainian border as crimeans vote on whether to join russia today. i'll be joined by the president's senior advisor dan pfeiffer. and just backing from ukraine, two key force voices in the senate. plus, the politics of this election year. danger for the democrats after a special electioning that puts obamacare at the center of the fight and a different perspective o