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MOUNT SHASTA CITY -- It took Siskiyou County crews 24 hours to reach a Massachusetts tourist who'd gotten her Toyota Prius stuck in deep snow near Bunny Flat. The tourist, Lydia Briggs, melted snow for drinking water and ran her car periodically to stay warm, Siskiyou County officials said in a Facebook post. By the time crews reached her, she was nearly out of food and gas, they said. Briggs called the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office at 10:43 a.m. Wednesday saying her car was stuck in deep snow near Bunny Flat, a recreational area northeast of Mount Shasta City and at the base of Mount Shasta. She’d been driving on Everett Memorial Highway and stopped at Bunny Flat on Sunday but encountered heavy snow during storms that blew in early in the week. The sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team first tried reaching Briggs vis snowmobile and Sno-Cat, but neither could traverse through the 6 feet of new snow that had fallen. SAR then turned to the Mount Shasta-based Siskiyou County Road Department crew for help in plowing the roadway. Special equipment operators Garrett Richardson and Conner Ebel used large snow blowers in adverse conditions to clear Everett Memorial Highway. They reached Briggs at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday and guided her back down Everett Memorial Highway to safety. “This is a good time to remind the public that although Bunny Flat is a very popular winter recreation area, the roadway leading to the attraction is susceptible to heavy snow fall and cannot always be plowed immediately after winter storms,” Search and Rescue Coordinator Deputy Mike Burns said in the post. He advised motorists to: Be aware of changing weather patterns and avoid roadways and recreational areas, especially those at higher elevations, prone to heavy snowfall, especially under storm watch conditions. If you must travel in severe weather, make sure your vehicle is capable of traversing snow-covered roadways and carry chains. Ensure your vehicle has a full tank of gas. Carry emergency supplies such as blankets, winter clothing, gloves, winter shoes and hats, medications, a charged cell phone, flashlight, water, emergency food for yourself and pets and a shovel. Notify someone when you plan to depart on your trip, what route you plan to take, where you are going, and when you plan to return home. Always leave a reliable person with a contact phone number. “In short, traveling in mountainous areas takes preparation and proper planning to ensure if you are stranded for an extended period of time you will remain safe until rescued or until able to extricate yourself from an accident or weather-related predicament,” he said.