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GPS helps locate 2 lost snowmobilers
By Clayton Norlen
Deseret News
Published: Sunday, April 5, 2009 11:20 p.m. MDT
Lost and found is an easier game to play in emergency situations if you're properly prepared.
About 5 p.m. on Saturday, the Utah County Sheriff's Office and Search and Rescue received a distress signal from a "Spot" handheld GPS system indicating that the owner, Glen Jones, of West Jordan, was possibly in danger.
Jones and his friend Steve Rollins, of Sandy, had been snowmobiling near Strawberry Ridge when snow and high winds disoriented the pair, causing them to get lost and eventually stuck in the snow. They worked for hours trying to free their sleds before giving up and gathering fire wood and establishing a camp to spend the night in the mountains, according to a release from the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff's deputies contacted Jones' family, who confirmed the pair had been planning to snowmobile in the area near where the initial distress signal had originated from. Jones' GPS unit continued to send periodic updates that informed rescuers of the pair's location, allowing teams to locate them despite the snow and high winds.
"They did a good job of staying together and thinking things through after they got stuck," said Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Hodgsun. "Both were experienced ... they were well prepared, had a GPS locator and the gear to spend the night and were in good spirits when we found them."
About 26 volunteer search and rescue members responded to assist with the rescue and were able to locate the missing men shortly after 10 p.m., Hodgsun said. Rescuers took the men to a command post near Diamond Fork, where they were reunited with family members.
