Search Team Rescues Two Idaho Hikers Trapped in 3-Foot Snow

When a 50-year-old woman and her 82-year-old hiking companion didn't return from their Montana trek, their family knew something had gone terribly wrong.

The two Idaho women had set out Tuesday on what should have been a straightforward hike from Lincoln to Granite Peak. They had no idea a major winter storm was bearing down on the mountains, dumping more than three feet of snow in the area.

By Friday evening, worried family members called 911. The hikers were trapped near Granite Peak, caught in conditions they never saw coming. Without access to satellite weather services, they'd walked straight into the storm with limited supplies and a cell phone that barely held a signal.

Sheriff Leo Dutton said the women tried to push through the snow once it started falling, but quickly realized they were stuck. They conserved their phone battery by turning it off periodically, hoping someone would find them before the power ran out.

Family members didn't wait for help. They grabbed snowmobiles and headed into the whiteout conditions themselves, desperate to reach their loved ones. The effort cost them two snowmobiles and a vehicle, all lost in the deep snow.

The Bright Side

Lewis and Clark County Search and Rescue teams located both women on Saturday and guided them safely out of the backcountry that afternoon. Despite spending days in brutal winter conditions with minimal gear, neither woman suffered any injuries.

The family members who launched their own rescue mission are also safe. Plans are already underway to recover their snowmobiles and vehicle once conditions improve. What could have ended in tragedy became a story of preparation meeting opportunity when trained rescuers arrived just in time.

Sheriff Dutton praised the outcome, noting that having even occasional cell coverage made all the difference. That sporadic signal gave rescuers enough information to pinpoint the women's location and reach them before hypothermia or other dangers set in.

The rescue serves as a powerful reminder that mountain weather can change in hours, and even experienced hikers can find themselves in trouble when storms roll in unexpectedly.