A missing motorist and his dog were found safe but cold and hungry on Sunday after being stranded over the weekend on the Union Pass in Pinedale.
According to the Tip Top Search and Rescue social media accounts, the Wyoming Highway Patrol informed agencies of a reported missing motorist who last made contact with his family on Friday evening.
He was stopped behind the closed barrier on Wyoming Highway 28 and told his family he would find another route around the mountain, with his destination being Riverton.
Sublette County Sheriff’s officers were notified of a ping off his cell phone just northwest of Pinedale, but it was difficult to triangulate the man’s exact location.
Tip Top Search and Rescue members were sent out Sunday morning, intending to investigate all possible routes to Riverton, focusing on the Union Pass route north of Pinedale.
Due to the heavy snowfall over the weekend, a snow machine team of SAR members were deployed to ride the Union Pass road to see if any vehicle tracks could be found.
Around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, SAR team members found a vehicle matching the description of the one the man was driving near Raspberry Creek on the Fremont/Sublette County line. The car had slid off the road and gotten stuck.
Team members found a man and dog standing outside the vehicle and both appeared to be in good health, despite the situation. The man had an extensive medical history and hadn’t had food or his medication since Friday, but had no complaints than being cold and hungry
The man had plenty of gas in his vehicle and planned to stay until help arrived.
SAR members bundled the man in warm clothing and brought him, his dog and some personal belongings back down the trail until they met up with the rest of the team. The man was transferred to a warm vehicle and was taken to his family.
“This is a good reminder to check your routes before travel, plan extra time for inclement weather, have resources in your vehicle for survival should you become stranded, and ALWAYS let family and friends know where you are going,” Tip Top said in its Facebook post.
