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DEM #00-390 February 28, 1999 |
The team was contacted by the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management at 1:58 A.M. on Monday, the 28th of February. They requested Mountain Rescue volunteers to search for a lost 36 year-old snowmobiler reported lost in the Government Meadows area in eastern Pierce County.
The subject, Wayne Hood, and a friend had taken their snowmobiles to the area on Sunday after working on them on Saturday. While traveling along a logging road Wayne decided to take his machine down a 30 foot hill. His friend, not wanting to get his machine stuck in the deep snow, thought better of it a stayed at the top of the hill. He heard the motor of Wayne's machine bog down a number of times and then nothing. After waiting a couple of hours and calling out a number of times his friend decided to notify the Sheriff's department around 3:30 P.M.. Wayne was dressed in tennis shoes, Spandex pants, T-Shirt and a wool sweater. Rescue 1, a SAR team with snowmobiles was the first notified and followed the subjects tracks down the hill but as their machines started to bog down it was decided to call in Mountain rescue to follow the tracks on Snowshoes.
A callout was made and four members answered; they were told to report to the Cache at 3:00 A.M. or at the search base by 4:30A.M.. Fran was the Operations Leader and what follows is her report of the search.
Search for lost snowmobiler 2/28/00:
The unit was called around 2 a.m. for a lost snowmobiler in the Greenwater area. Four members responded: Fran McFarland, Stan Kartes, Ken Davies and Russ Brinton. We arrived at the Greenwater Fire Station around 4:30 am.
Our team was transported by snowmachine (thanks to the Pierce County Sheriffs Department and Rescue 1 from Enumclaw for the lift!) to the site where the subject went down into the drainage. His were the only tracks, so we started following them. As it got steeper, it was evident the subject would not have been able to turn his machine around, so he continued down. About a half mile down, we found the snow machine abandoned in deep snow. The subject's tracks then continued downward, rather than upward in his old tracks towards the logging road.
We followed the tracks for another half mile down the steep drainage in deep snow. We realized that it would be difficult to catch up to the subject and wanted some containment. We looked at the map and radioed the Sheriff to run a couple snow machines on some logging roads that seemed to cross the eventual path of the subject. Within about 20 minutes, they radioed that they found the subject on those roads - cold and hungry but OK.
We continued towards the logging road and were picked up by the Deputies on snowmobiles.
We returned to the Cache around noon.
Fran McFarland
Wayne had spent the night in a tree well that he had lined with branches. Though mildly hypothermic he was treated for bleeding gums from his teeth chattering all night and a mild case of frost nip to his toes and released Monday afternoon.
Tacoma Mountain Rescue |
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