Tired, cold and happy to be out of the woods! (L-R) Billy Hackett, Colton Furlong and MaeAnna LaFavor.
In an “everything that could go wrong, did go wrong” snowmobiling scenario, three Cook County teens kept their cool and survived several hours stranded in the cold on Sunday, February 7.
Three youths—MaeAnna LaFavor, 17, Colton Furlong, 16, and Billy Hackett, 16—set out from the LaFavor home on Tom Lake in Hovland at about 4:30 p.m. for an evening snowmobile ride. The plan was to ride the “Jackson Lake loop” and return to Tom Lake within a couple of hours.
The News-Herald talked to LaFavor and Hackett about their misadventure. Everything was fine until the trio stopped to visit and enjoy the snowy scenery near the Arrowhead Trail. As they got ready to start riding again, LaFavor, who was familiar with the loop and who had been leading, asked if either of the boys wanted to take the lead. The young men said no and waved her on. However, when Furlong attempted to start his machine, it was acting up. Hackett said he would bring up the rear so if Furlong’s machine quit, he would be there to pick him up.
LaFavor watched for—and saw—their headlights behind her and continued on, but within a few miles, she realized they were no longer following. She slowly proceeded to the Arrowhead Trail, where they should eventually come out, watching for them.
Hackett, pursuing the other two sleds, said he went a bit faster than he normally would. He said he hit a rock or something on the trail, which tossed the machine sideways and he almost tipped over. He hung on and managed to stay on the machine and upright, however the rear of the machine went off the hard-packed trail and became stuck. Unfortunately, Furlong, already around a corner, did not see his friend’s dilemma until he too was a mile or so down the trail. When Furlong noticed Hackett was not following him, it was too late—his machine sputtered to a stop.
All three teens were alone, miles away from one another. Hackett tried to dig and pull the snowmobile he was riding out. He became over-heated from the effort and took off his helmet and gloves, not realizing how cold he was actually getting. Not wanting to run out of gas or damage a borrowed machine, he turned off the engine.
Finally, exhausted, he lay down next to the machine’s engine to try to stay warm. Remembering what he learned in Minnesota Department of Natural Resources hunter safety training, he knew he should stay put. He also realized he should put his jacket back on, bundling up as much as he could so he didn’t get frostbite.
Meanwhile Furlong left his snowmobile and started to walk back toward Hackett, but he too, realized he should wait for help instead of wandering on unknown trails in the dark. He crawled under a big pine for shelter.
LaFavor said she reached the Arrowhead Trail at about 6 p.m. She waited for about 20 minutes. Not seeing lights or hearing the machines, she realized something must have gone wrong and she attempted to turn her snowmobile around. She also got off the packed snowmobile trail and got stuck. After trying futilely to get the machine free, at 6:30 p.m., she realized she had to do something else. Should she walk back to find her friends? Or should she start hiking home—about 13 miles away?
LaFavor realized her best option was to hike the Arrowhead Trail toward home. “I had no idea how far back they were. And if they were hurt or something, I wouldn’t be able to help them.”
She set out for Tom Lake. She knew that eventually her parents would come looking, as they knew where the youths were going and an approximate time they should be back.
It was an unnerving hike. She had seen wolf tracks as she traveled through the new fallen snow on the snowmobile trail. LaFavor said, “I put my panic into walking!”
She made it about 1½ miles down the Arrowhead before a logger on his way home from working in the area came by. He gave her a ride home to find her parents, already concerned, preparing to go look for the kids.
They quickly set out to try to find the boys. Jay LaFavor took the snowmobile trail and MaeAnna and her mother Laura took a pickup back to where the trail meets the Arrowhead. Before heading out they called Cook County law enforcement and Cook County Search and Rescue was paged at about 9 p.m.
Fortunately Jay LaFavor quickly found the boys on the trail, first Hackett, who said he had gotten sleepy and confused. Hackett said he kept thinking he heard the whine of Furlong’s snowmobile returning. So when he saw the light and heard Jay LaFavor’s snowmobile, he didn’t really believe he was being rescued. “I didn’t think it was real until I heard him yelling at me,” said Hackett. “Then I kind of woke up, or came to, and was okay.”
Together, Jay LaFavor and Hackett were able to get the stuck machine back on the trail and they set out to find Furlong. Hackett said when he approached, Furlong “popped out of the trees, waving his arms like he didn’t think I was going to stop.”
The two boys and Jay LaFavor made it out to the Arrowhead Trail at 9:27 p.m., just moments before a sheriff deputy arrived and Search and Rescue was cancelled at 9:36 p.m.
The teens were shaken up and cold, but not injured. Billy’s father, Rob Hackett expressed appreciation to Cook County Search and Rescue for being ready to go out on a search and to the LaFavors for being prepared to find the boys.
And, he gave the teens credit for “using their brains.” Rob said, “They were dressed properly. People knew where they were going. And they stayed put, knowing there would be a response. I’m proud of them.”
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