>> it's my dad and the deputy, and, yeah, they come in. it's kind of a shock to see, you know, when you're expecting somebody, to see strangers coming in instead. >> reporter: what do you think when you see that? >> not a whole lot of time to think, honestly. you kind of go into shutdown mode. >> reporter: alex recalled his dad seemed like he was in shock. >> he was very disheveled, had been crying a lot. and then he, you know, gave me a big hug, and that was kind of how it broke. >> reporter: i can't even imagine getting that news, when you've just thought your parents were going for a quick hike. >> just kind of disbelief, really. the whole thing just seemed so surreal. >> reporter: then father and son were shuttled to the sheriff's department where fred could file a report about the accident. >> i remember them saying, "you take fred, i'll take alex." >> reporter: sheriff bruce was at the station to meet them. >> my initial reaction to fred was, he was a victim, a grieving husband. >> reporter: fred gave a brief, handwritten statement. >> we want to make sure we've dotted the "i"s and crossed the