| A
Night of Survival
New Years Eve 2006- A Night of
Survival
By John
Pearson
The story that follows is
true. Although what happened is embarrassing, I feel that by
writing this article I might be able to save a life down the
road. We were all experienced riders with a lot of backcountry
experience, but this story will show even experienced people can
make serious mistakes.
New Years Eve 2006 started out
as a normal day for my wife, my friend Jeremy and me. After a
quick few hours at work, we decided to take a quick ride in the
backcountry on our new sleds before the evening’s festivities.
We had great equipment for Boondocking with me on an M-1000, my
wife on an M-8 and my friend on a
Ski Summit XRS. We headed to a favorite
area in Cliff Creek about 30 miles south of Jackson. The
weather was sunny, the avalanche forecast was moderate and we
were excited about a great day of boondocking in the
backcountry. We started out heading up to some bowls that we
had ridden last year in the spring and were amazing. We cut
fresh track all the way in relying on our GPS’s that had last
years tracks saved on them. We finally got to the first bowl
and did some nice climbing, but it was not ideal, so off we went
looking for that perfect face in which to try our new sleds. We
kept jumping from bowl to bowl where we had ridden last spring.
We came to a ridge where you had to ride down a steep pitch
through the trees that opened up into a perfect bowl we knew
about and had ridden last March. I was leading and by dropping
into this bowl, I had sealed our fate for that day and it was
the first mistake I made during this trip. After riding some
amazing faces and having a great time, we decided to head back
out.
When we got to the face in the
steep trees, I tried to climb out but the face was full of sugar
snow and logs barely under the surface. After trying with a
snow bungee for 45 minutes to get up the 80 yard face, we gave
up. The difference in last spring and that fateful day was that
there was more snow and the tracks we had followed in were hard
packed. We finally gave up knowing we could not get out that
way. I knew the next bowl over was an area I had ridden two
years before and there was an old mining road at the bottom of
it. We decided to drop into this bowl and try and find the old
road to get out. The drop in was ugly at best and although
Jeremy and I made it, my wife lost her sled and it hit a tree.
The front bumper, belly pan and cowling were all cracked, but
mechanically the sled was fine.
After getting the sled out of
the trees it is beginning to get dark and we knew we had to get
out soon. The temperature was falling and we were out of food.
We also were getting dehydrated from not drinking enough water.
We found tracks at the bottom of the bowl that looked as though
they led out. Although I could see the old mining road on the
GPS, the road had given me problems in the past and I decided to
follow the tracks into drainage. This ended up being mistake
number 2. The track was narrow and tough riding with the three
of us having to negotiate tight trees, logs and creek
crossings. We eventually made it to a point on Gibbs Creek
where there was a bad crossing. After Jeremy and I made it
across with some difficulty, my wife decided she was too tired
to try the crossing and Jeremy volunteered to try it. He almost
made it but then the sled slid into the creek. The ice and snow
around the sled looked stable, so Jeremy and I went on the other
side of the sled to try and push it out. Both of us fell
through the ice up to mid thigh and both of our arms went in up
to the elbow. This is mistake number 3.
Although soaked, we tried to
get the sled out and although it was revving up, the clutch and
belt were under water and neither was engaging. After 15
minutes, we knew the sled was stuck for the night, so we headed
back down the trail with Jeremy in the lead and my wife and I
double on my sled. After a half a mile, we lost the trail as
whoever had made it had become lost and could not find the way
out. Although we knew they had made it out somehow, it was too
dark to find the tracks. Both Jeremy and I were starting to get
extremely cold with out soaked boots, legs and arms and
hypothermia was not far away. We finally made a good decision
and decided to stop, make a fire and dry out our boots. We both
had saws in the handles of out shovels and started cutting
branches of green pine. We were on almost 4 feet of snow and
finding dry, dead timber was not an option. The fire would
flare and then die. Both Jeremy and I had our boots and sock
off trying to dry them out in the small non-cooperative fire.
My wife, whose feet were also wet, but warm, continued to get
wood and necessities from the sleds. The neck of the Arctic Cat
fuel tanks is very large so you can actually fit your hand
inside. This ended up being essential and we took used small
water bottles to fill with gas and throw on the fire. By now
the temp was in the single digits and we were not drying out and
I had made my final mistake by taking off my helmet.
I knew at this point we were in
serious trouble and asked my wife to get Jeremy’s satellite
phone so I could call a friend and get Teton County Search and
Rescue. Being surrounded by mountains, we could only get a
single about every 10 minutes and it would last only two
minutes. I finally got my friend and told them our GPS
coordinates and the general area we were in. This was around
8:30 P.M. Although we did not know it, we were actually in
Sublette County, not Teton County, but Teton County coordinated
with Sublette County search and rescue. We also called 911 on
the Globalstar satellite network and the emergency operator was
able to relay the phone’s number to Sublette County Search and
Rescue.
Although we were in serious
trouble, when we decided to stop and make a fire, we actually
started making good decisions. My immediate goal was to get my
feet and boots warm so I could put them back on. Finally I felt
they were warm but not dry so I put them back on. They were
warm enough so I could move around and relieve my wife from
getting wood. I could tell she was wearing out from exposure
and exhaustion. I then put back on my helmet and my head
immediately froze. I started shivering really bad and new I had
to leave it on and warm up. The fire simply would not stay lit
so I headed out to find some dry wood. I found a 25 ft standing
dead pine and used a saw to cut it down. We used the small
branches to make a base under the fire and then sawed the bigger
pieces into small logs which we set on top. Using the water
bottles full of gas, we kept dowsing the fire until it lit.
Once lit, we all became somewhat comfortable.
Search and rescue began calling
us on the phone when we had a signal. I gave them three
important ways to find us. First, I gave them somewhat exact
GPS coordinated. Next, I saw an old mine landmark on the GPS
and using the GOTO function, gave Search and Rescue another
position as .61 miles west southwest from the mine. Lastly, I
gave them the name of the creek drainage we were in, Gibbs
Creek. They told us that when we heard their snowmobiles, to
turn ours on so they could see the lights. My wife and I also
had high tech Arctic Cat helmets with built in lights. The ones
in the front were like a small white flashlight and the ones on
the back were red that can be seen over a mile away and flashed
SOS. Around midnight we finally heard their sleds and it was
just in time. Our fire was dying and we were all getting chilly
again. They Search and Rescue team hiked down from above us and
checked us for any medical problems. They then said the old
mining road I had initially failed to follow was only about .2
miles above us. They rode the two sleds up and we hiked up.
Once at the top, the team of four Search and Rescue as well as
the three of us rode to the trailhead. By now the temp was
below zero and I almost went hypothermic. We made it to the
trail head around 1:30 A.M. and it was -8. Search and Rescue,
Sublette County Sheriff and a medical team with an ambulance
were there to meet us. After a quick hop in the ambulance we
were released and headed home. It took over 24 hours to get our
core temperatures back to normal and longer than that to recover
from exhaustion and exposure and this is how we spent New Year’s
Eve.
Looking back on the whole
scenario, we made a lot of mistake, but also made some very good
decisions and I would like to look at both so whoever reads this
can learn from our mistake and correct decisions. First, we
were well prepared for our ride. We were all on new sleds that
were designed for backcountry riding. On top of our usual
equipment such as avalanche beacons, shovels and probes, we also
had saws, 2 GPS’s a satellite phone, some basic tools, four
lighters, a snow bungee (worth it’s weight in gold), NRS Straps,
and lights built into our helmets. We also had hand held
radios and basic backcountry survival knowledge. We were fairly
prepared for what happened. Our mistakes were riding into an
area which was questionable about getting out, following tracks
that we did not know where they went, and getting wet. We also
had changed our original area we were going to ride and had not
alerted anyone to where we were.
The decisions which saved our
lives were knowing when to throw in the towel, stop and build a
fire. Another decision that saved our lives was choking down
our pride and contacting the proper authorities on the satellite
phone. Although we may have made it through the night, we were
wet, cold out of provisions, exhausted and dehydrated. If we
had made it, we all would have almost assuredly have lost some
appendages to frostbite. Without certain equipment, we would
have died. The saws in the shovel handles were extremely
important as we would have not been able to get wood for the
fire. The lights on our helmets allowed me to find wood that
was dry enough to light. The two GPS’s were also crucial for
knowing where we were and relaying the information to Search and
Rescue. Without the satellite phone, we would never have been
able to alert authorities that we were in serious trouble and
needed help. I also made a good decision in who I contacted for
help. I knew that I had to contact the right person and that
was either Janae Robinson or Julie Rohde. They are co-workers
and I consider them family. Both have worked side by side with
me and run a large transportation company. I knew their
experience in coordinating the company and level headedness
would be essential in relaying information to the right people
and they would not panic. I also knew they would not stop until
I was safe. I decided to contact Janae and this ended up being
the right person for the job as she was instrumental in getting
the info to the authorities.
In the end, we all made it and
that is the important part. Jeremy ended up with 1st
degree frostbite on his face. My wife has a fancy scale and it
showed she lost 3% of her body fat and gained 3 pounds of
muscle. This is pretty extreme. When we decided to stop and
build a fire, I can not tell you how exhausted we were. We had
been digging out sleds all day and riding hard. I was getting
cramps in my legs by the fire, a sure sign of dehydration. I
actually drank two bottle of creek water knowing my body was
shutting down and if I did not re-hydrate, I would simply be in
more trouble. I knew that there was a possibility I would get
giardia down the road, but the immediate need to re-hydrate out
weighed possibly getting giardia in a few days.
Now, I look back on this as a
learning experience. I now realize that I have been taking too
many chances in general in the backcountry for years. I had
basically become too complacent in my riding. Two years ago I
almost had to dig in for the night. I love to ride and will
continue to boondock in Wyoming’s back country, but will be more
prepared and will make better decisions. I will also be taking
more equipment, such as spare gloves, sock, food rations, fire
starter, head lamp and water. Without the light, I would not
have been able to find the dead pine that saved us. We also
kept losing the GPS, saw and phone in the snow and the light
helped find them. Although extremely expensive, I am looking at
purchasing my own satellite phone as without it, we might not
have made it.
I would like to thank Janae
Robinson, Teton County Sheriff, Teton County Search and Rescue,
Sublette County Sheriff and most of all, Sublette County Search
and Rescue. All played an important part in our survival and
they were all professional, courteous, and well trained for the
amazing job they do. Whenever you buy a license for fishing or
whatever and the sales clerk asks you if you would like to
donate a dollar to these professionals, please say “I would like
to donate $20.00 or more” as you might be the next one depending
on these people who give so much to make the backcountry a safer
place to experience. Lastly, I would like to ask for the
forgiveness of my wife and friend whose lives I put in danger
with poor decisions. If anything had happened to them, I would
have never been able to forgive myself. I hope they can forgive
me and will continue to ride with me in the backcountry as I
know of no two other people I enjoy riding with as much as
them.
I will be submitting this to snowmobile and
ski magazines and to anyone else who will read it hoping that
maybe someone can learn from it and it might save a life.
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