Two stranded snowmobilers rescued

Two snowmobilers from Helena were rescued Monday after spending the night in the backcountry northwest of Seeley Lake.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search, providing a helicopter that was able to land after the two men were located, said Sheriff Chuck Curry, who was on board the helicopter.

“Actually, they were OK,” Curry said. “They were certainly prepared but the spent the night out.”

The helicopter picked up the men, a 49-year-old and his 19-year-old son. The search was launched by the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday evening after the two men failed to report home. Their vehicle was located at a trailhead off Boy Scout Road but significant snowfall hampered the initial search effort.

The Missoulian reported that the men got stuck in difficult terrain.

“They’d been up in the high county (around Deer Creek) and went in some little bit different areas. Then they dropped a little too low in an area that’s real steep and a little bit nasty and they thought they’d better not go out that way,” Missoula Deputy Bob Parcell said.

The kept going downhill until the son’s snowmobile got overturned and stuck. Parcell said they did “exactly the right thing” by staying put and building a fire.