Post by Woody Williams on Nov 11, 2005 5:08:52 GMT -5
From the Billings, Montana Gazette...
November 9, 2005
Last modified November 9, 2005 - 12:41 am
Lost Billings hunter dies of hypothermia
By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff
A Billings man died early Tuesday after getting lost on a hunting trip in
Sweet Grass County and spending a cold night outdoors.
Gordon Longenecker, 49, went missing around dusk Sunday in rugged country
between Big Timber and Reed Point off Bridger Creek Road.
He was found unconscious but alive about 11 p.m. Monday in a remote area,
but he died of hypothermia just after 5 a.m. Tuesday, according to Sweet
Grass County officials.
Longenecker and a hunting friend apparently separated in the early evening
on Sunday, according to Kerry O'Connell, a spokeswoman with the Sweet Grass
County emergency services office. When Longenecker didn't return, the friend
called for help.
Sweet Grass County search-and-rescue crews launched a ground search that
night.
Weather problems
Pilots from Yellowstone Air Service in Big Timber and Malmstrom Air Force
Base in Great Falls attempted to fly over the area but were unable to help
because of snow and fog, O'Connell said.
"Unfortunately, we had a huge weather problem," O'Connell said.
Crews had a difficult time finding Longenecker's tracks, she said. The area
is full of drainages, high ridges and timber.
"It's easy to get turned around in those drainages," she said.
Around 3 p.m. Monday, a Billings team from Absaroka Search Dogs arrived on
the scene. The dog picked up the scent, and the team tracked Longenecker for
about six miles. They found him on a logging road just after 11 p.m. He was
unconscious, and the team tried to keep him warm with blankets and spare
clothes.
They radioed in their position and waited about 90 minutes for help to
arrive because the area is so remote.
"I tell you it was a helpless feeling," said Mark Polakoff, who handled the
dog on the search.
Polakoff, an emergency nurse at St. Vincent Healthcare, said the searchers
were worried about nasty weather moving in.
"He needed to be somewhere else," Polakoff said.
Emergency workers had to use four-wheelers to drive Longenecker about two
miles before meeting up with an ambulance. He died just after 5 a.m.
Ill-equipped for cold
Search-and-rescue officials said it didn't appear that Longenecker was
equipped to spend a cold night in the backcountry.
They said it's important for hunters and others to be prepared with extra
clothing, maps and fire-starting material even if they plan on being away
from their vehicle for only a few minutes.
Also, they said, anyone who gets lost should remember to stay in one place
and wait to be found.
Longenecker is survived by a wife and two children.
November 9, 2005
Last modified November 9, 2005 - 12:41 am
Lost Billings hunter dies of hypothermia
By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff
A Billings man died early Tuesday after getting lost on a hunting trip in
Sweet Grass County and spending a cold night outdoors.
Gordon Longenecker, 49, went missing around dusk Sunday in rugged country
between Big Timber and Reed Point off Bridger Creek Road.
He was found unconscious but alive about 11 p.m. Monday in a remote area,
but he died of hypothermia just after 5 a.m. Tuesday, according to Sweet
Grass County officials.
Longenecker and a hunting friend apparently separated in the early evening
on Sunday, according to Kerry O'Connell, a spokeswoman with the Sweet Grass
County emergency services office. When Longenecker didn't return, the friend
called for help.
Sweet Grass County search-and-rescue crews launched a ground search that
night.
Weather problems
Pilots from Yellowstone Air Service in Big Timber and Malmstrom Air Force
Base in Great Falls attempted to fly over the area but were unable to help
because of snow and fog, O'Connell said.
"Unfortunately, we had a huge weather problem," O'Connell said.
Crews had a difficult time finding Longenecker's tracks, she said. The area
is full of drainages, high ridges and timber.
"It's easy to get turned around in those drainages," she said.
Around 3 p.m. Monday, a Billings team from Absaroka Search Dogs arrived on
the scene. The dog picked up the scent, and the team tracked Longenecker for
about six miles. They found him on a logging road just after 11 p.m. He was
unconscious, and the team tried to keep him warm with blankets and spare
clothes.
They radioed in their position and waited about 90 minutes for help to
arrive because the area is so remote.
"I tell you it was a helpless feeling," said Mark Polakoff, who handled the
dog on the search.
Polakoff, an emergency nurse at St. Vincent Healthcare, said the searchers
were worried about nasty weather moving in.
"He needed to be somewhere else," Polakoff said.
Emergency workers had to use four-wheelers to drive Longenecker about two
miles before meeting up with an ambulance. He died just after 5 a.m.
Ill-equipped for cold
Search-and-rescue officials said it didn't appear that Longenecker was
equipped to spend a cold night in the backcountry.
They said it's important for hunters and others to be prepared with extra
clothing, maps and fire-starting material even if they plan on being away
from their vehicle for only a few minutes.
Also, they said, anyone who gets lost should remember to stay in one place
and wait to be found.
Longenecker is survived by a wife and two children.