They rambled along the river for the next hour and a half, where they may well have stopped for a drink from their hydration pack and even doused their hands and faces in the cool river water.
Experience tells something that can be uncomfortable: if things turn ugly, find safety. If the family had gone back to the river, they might have survived. But that kind of passivity doesn't seem like a good idea to the inexperienced.
But it is also possible that the stream was in full sunlight, and rescue would have taken until the next day. And if they didn’t have gear to overnight… well…
