Feb 2006

Fremont Rescue was called out to assist Ashton Ambulance in the recovery of an Ashton local who had ridden his snowmobile off the southern rim of Squirrel Creek canyon, west of Dickason farms. The rider was hurt and the snowmobile was not rideable. Visibility conditions were near zero, as the snow and wind were creating quite a storm. By the time rescue teams arrived, escorting Ashton Ambulance, his friends were bringing him up, out of the canyon.

Some Search & Rescue members assisted in recovering his snowmobile the following morning.

Fremont Rescue responded to a group of nine snowmobilers who had become separated with one member of their party.

Fremont County Search and Rescue members responded to Mt Jefferson in Island Park for a Utah gentleman involved in a snowmobile injury accident. Rescue commander, Brett Mackert, requested assistance from Island Park Ambulance & Air Idaho for patient evacuation because transporting the injured individual by snow machine and med sled was both dangerous and not in the best interest of the patient. After thoroughly packaging the patient for transport, Search and Rescue members cautiously moved the patient out of the trees to an open area on Windshield Ridge where they rendezvoused with Air Idaho for patient transport to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

Fortunately for every one involved, friends riding with the injured individual were able to guide Search and Rescue members to the injury site.

This accident location on Mt. Jefferson was in Montana. Mt. Jefferson is 10203 feet; the accident site was 9845 feet, 892 feet from the top, with the landing zone for Air Idaho at 8600 feet. Many searches on Mt. Jefferson are located in Beaverhead County, Montana, county seat Dillon, Montana. Their Search and Rescue team would have to respond from Dillon, Montana to Idaho. The only access into these rugged terrain areas is through the Idaho side, resulting in Fremont County Search and Rescue being responsible for these searches. Riding into these areas originates from the Idaho side.

Fremont County Search & Rescue’s second search for the evening involved 12 snowmobile riders from Minnesota. They were quickly located about 45 minutes later heading toward Lakeside Lodge. No incident.

6:00 p.m. Search and Rescue members were called out to assist a gentleman and his son from Nampa stranded somewhere on the Black Canyon Trail in Island Park. The party of two ran out of gas somewhere on the trail on their way to West Yellowstone, Montana. The party’s phone went dead, so rescue commander, Brett Mackert, was not able to establish their exact location. 5 search teams, based at the Warming Hut near Big Springs, and assistance from the Island Park groomer grooming the trails in the area, headed up trails in an attempt to locate the individuals. Members carried extra gasoline for the party. Search and Rescue received a telephone message approximately 9:00 p.m. with information the party had been picked up by other snow mobile riders and taken to West Yellowstone, Montana. After confirming their safety, Search and Rescue headed home to spend the rest of Valentine’s Day with their family.

Fremont County Search and Rescue was called out to look for a Canadian gentleman that became separated from his party of 4 on the Black Canyon trail. The gentleman was apparently prepared to spend a night in the mountains if necessary, but with sub zero temperatures and a vicious north wind, search and rescue members were concerned about his safety. The rescue unit based their operation from the Big Springs Warming Hut. Search teams were immediately ready to take off when they received information the missing individual was in West Yellowstone where they were staying. Because one member of the party was still out looking for the missing individual, Search and Rescue members took to the trails to reunite him with the other two. He was quickly located and the three were reunited.

Fremont County Search and Rescue quickly responded to the Squirrel Creek area, east of Ashton, Idaho for an apparent injury snowmobile accident. A third party contacted Fremont County Sheriff’s Department with information about an injury accident involving a snowmobile in a creek six miles from Squirrel Creek. The incident was initially reported to Fremont County Sheriff’s Office by a woman who would not give her name, apparently not wanting to become involved. She reportedly came across an individual walking down the trail who she claimed told her about the accident. Search and Rescue rapidly headed for the area not knowing what might be found or where. When several Rescue members arrived at the parking area on the Reclamation Road at the end of the plowed road and the head of the snowmobile trail, they received information from a different party indicating their group had a snowmobile in a creek but with no one injured. Not knowing whether there were one or two incidents, Search and Rescue members continued to be certain. Because another search was pending in Island Park, three search members continued with the search along with the second reporting party to Bergman Lake where their machine was in the creek. Rescue members confirmed this was not the incident with an injured individual

In the Reclamation Road parking lot was a vehicle parked, the occupants unaccounted for. As it was uncertain whether the occupants of the vehicle might be involved in the incident, a telephone call was made to the wife of the registered owner. She reported her husband and three children were fishing at Grassy Lake. Not knowing whether they may possibly be the individuals involved in the creek incident, the three rescue members next proceeded toward Grassy Lake. One other rescue member remained with the vehicle in case the occupants returned. The Grassy Lake individuals were located near Calf Creek traveling back to their vehicle. Rescue members were confident all avenues had been explored and ended the search.

Other members of the unit were already in route to Island Park, Idaho where two other individuals had been reported overdue and missing.

While Fremont County Search and Rescue was carrying out the search for a possible injury accident east of Ashton, some members responded to Island Park for a missing couple from California, possibly riding somewhere in the Red Rock Pass area. This being a large area to search concerned the members. Fortunately the missing couple returned to their destination just as rescue members arrived in Island Park. A telephone call was initiated to corroborate their wellbeing.