Fremont Rescue

Mar. 2009 Searches

March 7, 2009

#1                                                            Fish Creek Rd.

Fremont County Search and Rescue responded to an accident involving a 45 year old gentleman who had sustained injuries resulting from a snowmobile accident.  The accident site was 18 miles up Fish Creek Road, northeast of Ashton, Idaho.  The injured individual was treated at the scene and transported on the unit’s Med Sled the 18 miles back to base on the lower end of Fish Creek Road where he was transported by Ashton Ambulance.

#2                                                           Dry Canyon

After being home only a few hours from rescuing an injured snowmobile rider on the Fish Creek Road northeast of Ashton, Fremont County Search and Rescue members headed for Island Park for a snowmobile rider from Idaho Falls who became separated from other members of his party and was stranded in the bottom of Dry Canyon. This treacherous canyon is located near Rea’s Peak and Mount Jefferson in Island Park on the Idaho and Montana border, access available only through Idaho.  A 911 cell phone call into Fremont County Dispatch helped rescue members determine a reasonably accurate location of the individual.  Access to this unforgiving area after unit members have meandered through thick terrain as far as they can safely go by snow machine is often feasible only  on snowshoes, battling thick forests and steep slopes.  The unit set base camp in the Blue Creek parking lot west of Shot Gun on the Yale Kilgore Road.  From there search members took off on snowmobiles toward Dry Canyon to locate the individual.  With the direction of the unit commander using navigational software and GPS readings, unit members were able to carefully meander through the trees to reach the possible location of the individual before the likelihood of members climbing on snowshoes for the trek down into the canyon.   Fortunately for FCS&R, voice contact was established with the person shortly after 11:00 P.M. alleviating the need of locating him on snowshoes.  Voice contact confirmed he was approximately 100 yards from their position on the mountain, his snowmobile wedged in the bottom of Dry Creek.  By 12:30 A.M. all individuals were out of the canyon and warming by a fire before heading to base. Under most circumstances snowmobiles are not rescued, but the conditions allowed rescue members to free the individual’s snowmobile, and he was able to ride it out. 1:25 A. M. the stranded individual and searchers, all safe and accounted for, reached base and headed for home, an hour and a half drive.  FCS&R members have an 8-9 hour training session at 8:00 A.M. after they get home, keeping in mind the time change at 2:00 A.M.

March 13, 2009                                                    Tygee Creek

Fremont County Search and Rescue responded to search for a 43 year old man from Montana presumed to be last seen around the Twin Creek Trail area on Two Top Mountain in Island Park.  Rescue members met up with members of his party who took them to the location where they thought they last heard his sled starting and stopping, which might possibly place him in Montana. Members broadened their search encircling the area to locate him.  The area, all tracked up with snowmobile tracks, made search efforts difficult.  Members located a single track heading into Tygee Creek Canyon, noting the difficulty the gentleman may have had heading into the canyon.  Terrain was heavily treed and extremely steep, and members were sent into the canyon from the bottom and the top. Members were guided into the area by FCS&R commander with the use of GPS navigational software.    A search member located his sled wedged in Tygee Creek and foot tracks hoofing up out of the canyon.  12 minutes later search members established voice contact with the individual up the canyon away from his sled. With snowshoes, members hiked into the area to assist. The gentleman had built a fire and dug a snow cave in the event of spending the night.  Members hiking into the canyon to locate him had difficulty because of hard crust on top and sugary snow underneath, at times sinking up to their shoulders.  After establishing visual contact with the individual, the man was able to slide down the steep canyon to their location where he was given water and established he was able to ride out. Members rode him to Valley View where other search members picked him up in a private vehicle to take him back to base.  The snowmobile was not retrieved.  His sled was located approximately 600-700 feet from where members rescued an individual January 16, 2009.