HOPEDALE, N.L. — On Sunday, Feb. 17 around 7 p.m., Hopedale RCMP received a report of a snowmobiler who was overdue from a wood cutting trip.
The man had departed Hopedale in the morning with an expected return time of 3 p.m. The weather had deteriorated in the afternoon with high winds and whiteout conditions.
Hopedale Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) were dispatched and conducted a search of the area commonly known as Maligiak.
At approximately 1:45 a.m., after an extensive six-hour GSAR search, the man was located walking approximately 20 kilometres outside of Hopedale. Due to whiteout conditions, the man had lost his way and his snowmobile had run out of fuel. He was cold and very tired but otherwise in good physical condition.
The RCMP thanks the Hopedale GSAR for their dedication and hard work in this search. Their efforts in locating the man in the adverse weather are believed to have saved his life.
RCMP NL reminds the public of the importance of being prepared with the proper equipment when heading out on snowmobiles, ATVs or on a vessel. Hopedale RCMP has tracking devices that are available to the community on a sign-out basis, free of charge, and police encourage people avail of this service when venturing into the outdoors.
