Prince George Search and Rescue (PGSAR) are commending two snowmobilers for their preparedness.
In a recent Facebook post, PGSAR shared the story of Kyle Cherry and Dave Field, who “ended up having an impromptu camping trip rather than a winter wilderness survival experience due to their preparation and forethought.”
Although PGSAR was called out to search for the two overdue men around 1 a.m. on Saturday night (March 16), the organization is nevertheless celebrating their preparedness.
The post explains that the two men were snowmobiling in the Pine Pass and had brought radio communications to connect with their party at a nearby cabin, as well as a SPOT emergency locator device which can send out someone’s GPS location and personal status.
Unfortunately, the men encounter harsh weather and low visibility, so they decided to head back down to the other side of the ridge to hunker down and wait it out.
“Due to mountainous terrain and a technical malfunction of the Spot, they were unable to let their loved ones know they were ok and were going to spend the night,” reads the post. “The snowmobilers were well equipped for a night out, had left a trip plan, had done their best to ensure communication, and because of their preparedness were able to spend a long night sitting by a warm fire.”
Cherry and Field shared photos from their camp-out, as well as the search and rescuers who came out to look for them.
PGSAR also encouraged backcountry enthusiasts to check out www.adventuresmart.ca for tips and avalanche info.
