WILLIAMS, Arizona — Following one of last week’s storms, Coconino County Search and Rescue responded to reports of stranded campers at Dogtown Lake Campground on February 22nd.
After spending a few days under sunny skies at the campground earlier in the week, snow started to fall on February 21st and the group found themselves stranded.
In the early hours of February 22nd, the group called the authorities. With limited resources and increasing snowfall, first responders were able to locate the group around 5:00 PM.
Three people, two dogs and three cats were rescued and three cars were recovered.
The search and rescue team received a call while finishing a call with Snowcat in Kendrick Park and answered it at Dogtown Lake Campground.
Fortunately, the group had enough supplies to keep them safe while they waited for relief to arrive, said Aaron Dick, SAR coordinator for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
Rescuers initially attempted to use the Truk outskirts to access and rescue the group, but were unsuccessful due to the depth of the snow.
“We tried the suburbs first, but after a few hours we were clearly not going to make it through,” said Dick. We put the cat in. It takes a few hours because the snowcat moves slowly at about nine miles an hour.”
The group and their pets were taken down Perkinsville Road and taken to the Motel 6 in Williams. No injuries have been reported.
Coconino County Search and Rescue has received several rescue calls this winter season. According to Dick, many of the calls are caused by open backcountry roads. Those unfamiliar with the area travel on potentially unsafe roads due to snow. Often they use vehicles that are not ready for ice, snow or muddy travel.
“A significant number of people don’t seem to be from the area and just don’t know how much snow it’s going to get in northern Arizona. said Dick.
Navigation apps like Waze, Apple Maps, and Google Maps suggest alternative routes, often on unmanaged forestry roads or routes that aren’t regularly patrolled. In such cases, travelers are often stranded, he said.
“If you’re traveling from one place to another and the road is closed due to snow or an accident on the highway, follow these apps to get directions to major paved roads where the situation is likely to get worse. You have to be very careful about what you do. It gets worse. We’ve seen it a few times,” Dick said.
Dick encourages travelers to pay attention to outside conditions and determine whether they have the right vehicles, clothing, supplies, and equipment for the trip.
“What I encourage people to do for winter travel is to do their travel research beforehand,” Dick said. “Most campgrounds like Dogtown Lake are closed for the season and won’t open until May. If this group was looking into it, it probably wouldn’t be a good place to camp.” You would have noticed.”
So far this year, Coconino County Search and Rescue has completed approximately 15 search and rescue missions. This year, the group received twice as many missions as her. According to Dick, most of the rescues took place around Flagstaff and Williams.
Dick encourages travelers to prepare for emergencies. CCSR suggests keeping an eye on the weather forecast and keeping warm clothing, food, water, an ice scraper, a fully charged mobile phone and a mobile phone charger in the vehicle. For emergencies, people should dial 911 even if there appears to be no cell service. Travelers must remain in the vehicle if stranded. This makes the SAR easier to find.
Travelers need to let others know where they are going, when to get there and what route to take. That way, rescuers know where to start looking if they don’t show up.
“There are people trying to go to different places like Sedona and the Grand Canyon, and it’s important to remember that those places will be there the next day,” Dick said. If it gets really bad and you can’t reach your destination, the safest option is often to stay at Williams or Flagstaff and wait a day or two until conditions improve.”
