For the second time in less than a week, multiple snowmobilers had to be rescued after becoming stranded in Fremont County’s backcountry.

The latest incident occurred at approximately 2 a.m. on Thursday when Fremont County Search and Rescue were notified of a report of six snowmobilers who were stranded and low on fuel at Thirsty Creek in Island Park.

According to police reports, three adults and three older teens had dropped down into the drainage and were trying to find their way out of the bottom. However, the steep, uneven, rocky terrain was strewn with brush, saplings and trees, which proved more of a challenge than their handsaw could handle.

When the first two responders arrived on the scene in the early morning hours, the snowmobilers said they had a fire going and were OK to spend the night.

A team of rescuers went out at daybreak and arrived at the scene, refueling the stranded snowmobilers’ sleds and helping lead them back toward the trail.

There were no reported injuries.

In an earlier rescue last Saturday, the Fremont County Search and Rescue responded to reports of two East Idaho men who got their snowmobiles stuck along Snow Creek Butte Trail east of Ashton.

The stranded men, a 20-year-old from Rigby and an 18-year-old from Rexburg, were later found by rescuers in good condition near Tear Drop Lake. They were then given a ride back to Warm River, where their vehicle was parked.

None of the names of the stranded snowmobilers from the two incidents were released.

A Utah man missing since Monday has been found safe and unharmed in Southeast Idaho.

That’s despite the fact Paul Meiling spent two nights weathering a snowstorm in the mountains of northern Oneida County. Meiling then hiked five miles Wednesday morning to a location in southern Bannock County where he finally had cell phone reception so he could call his son for help.

It was quite the adventure for the 77-year-old from West Jordan who suffers from heart problems.

Meiling, a retired commercial real estate appraiser, was reported missing by his family after he failed to return home Monday from a trip to Idaho State University’s library in Pocatello to donate some books.

Meiling didn’t tell his family that he decided to check out some of his favorite fishing spots on the way back to Utah Monday afternoon — and that’s when things went awry.

One of those spots is Daniels Reservoir in mountainous northern Oneida County, but Meiling’s journey to the remote location took a turn for the worse when his Toyota Tundra pickup got stuck in the mountain snow. Meiling found himself stranded in the mountains between Daniels and Hawkins reservoirs — an area that has no cell phone reception.

With a winter storm approaching there was no one around to help him out and no one knew his whereabouts because he had never told his family about his plans to head into the back country.

Meiling found an abandoned shed and set it on fire to keep warm as the temperature plummeted well below freezing and the falling snow piled up.

On Wednesday morning Meiling made the decision to try to hike out of his predicament. He walked five miles in snow-covered rough terrain, crossing into southern Bannock County, until he finally got to a spot where his cell phone would work.

Around 8:30 a.m. he called his son Jeff, who lives in South Jordan, Utah, to deliver perhaps the best Christmas gift in Meiling family history — Dad is OK.

Jeff contacted authorities and search and rescue units soon responded to Meiling’s location on Dairy Creek Road. Meiling immediately told the emergency responders about burning down the shed and he offered to pay for it if the owner can be found.

When asked about his condition, Meiling said he was fine and declined to go to the hospital. After two nights in the back country, he just wanted to go home.

Meiling’s friends and family said they were surprised that he didn’t suffer any frost bite or hypothermia during the snowstorm.

Prior to being located Wednesday morning, Meiling was last seen filling up his pickup at the Pocatello Costco’s gas pumps around noon Monday. He had traveled to Pocatello to donate books to the ISU library and his family confirmed that he did so Monday morning prior to going to Costco for gas.

Meiling has a heart condition and his family was concerned that he might have suffered a medical emergency and lost control of his vehicle and crashed on the way home to Utah.

Friends and family members as well as multiple law enforcement agencies in Idaho and Utah spent Tuesday searching for Meiling.

Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen said aircraft were also deployed to look for Meiling’s Toyota Tundra from above, but the fact the vehicle is white in color made the aerial search difficult.

Nielsen said he’ll take a positive outcome to a situation like this “any day” but people need to pay attention to and respect the weather forecast before heading into the mountains.

“The weather service had been warning about the incoming storm for days,” the sheriff said. “You better know what you’re getting yourself into and be prepared. I’m glad he was able to survive but he would have saved himself and his family a lot of grief if he would have paid attention to weather conditions.”

As of 11 a.m. Wednesday Meiling was being driven by a friend back home to West Jordan.

Meiling said about his ordeal, “What a wonderful Christmas miracle.”

The National Weather Service said that East Idaho should be getting a slight break from the frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall that has been hammering the region over the past week.

With yesterday’s snow expected to end early this morning, temperatures in the Pocatello area are forecast to rise into the 20s and 30s starting on Thursday. Though snow is currently in the forecast for Christmas Day, the National Weather Service said the weather patterns could change before then.

Over the past week, multiple winter weather records were set across the region.

Pocatello’s heavy snowstorm on Dec. 16 obliterated the previous snowfall record. Last Friday, 9 1/2 inches of snow were recorded at the Pocatello Regional Airport. The previous record for that day, set in 2008, saw only 3 inches blanket the Gate City area.

Idaho Falls saw one cold temperature record being broken. On Monday, a record low of -13 degrees was reported, which beats the previous record of -10 degrees set in 1984. Two days earlier, Idaho Falls tied its previous record of -21 degrees, which was first set in 1964.

On Sunday, Challis broke a cold temperature record that stood for 92 years. The low temperature record for that day was -19 degrees, first set in 1924. But recorders on Sunday measured a low temperature of -23 degrees.

Two East Idaho snowmobilers had to be rescued on Saturday afternoon after getting stranded east of Ashton.

According to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, an 18-year-old Rexburg man and a 20-year-old Rigby man got both of their snowmobiles stuck along the Snow Creek Butte Trail. The sheriff’s office did not release their identities.

The stranded snowmobilers called 911, and the call was routed to Teton County Sheriff’s Dispatch. However, Teton Dispatch was unable to pull a location from the call due to either the phone or the phone carrier limitations.

The snowmobilers said they would continue walking back toward Fish Creek Road. Teton County coordinated with Fremont County, and Fremont County Search and Rescue responded to Fish Creek Road to set up base camp at approximately 3:40 p.m.

Two search teams were organized and split up to search different areas. One team took the upper part of Snow Creek Butte Trail and the other took the lower part of the trail. A third team stayed at base camp.

At 6:25 p.m., the upper trail team located the snowmobilers near Tear Drop Lake. They appeared to be in good condition and were given a ride back to Warm River, where their vehicle was parked.

This was Fremont County Search and Rescue’s first snowmobile search/rescue this season, and the organization is advising snowmobilers to take the following precautions:

• Be prepared to spend the night in the wilderness.
• Tell someone where you plan on riding and when you plan to return.
• Ensure your cell phone is fully charged as phones discharge quickly when they are roaming.
• Make sure you and everyone in your riding party have all necessary safety equipment required for the type of terrain you are riding in, and have the proper training and a working knowledge of how to use their equipment.
• If you are riding the hills or mountains, always check the avalanche danger for the day and check several times during the day.

PRESTON — An adult and two minors were injured in a crash south of Preston on Saturday.

The incident occurred on South State Street, north of the 1600 South intersection.

Idaho State police say Timothy Salvesen, 50, was driving a 2015 Polaris ATV on a gravel driveway when he backed the vehicle onto the roadway. The ATV was then struck by a southbound 1996 Dodge Intrepid driven by Samuel Cann, 19.

Salvesen and two minors who were riding with him were transported by ground ambulance to Franklin County Medical Center (FCMC), police said. One of the juveniles was later flown to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Salvesen was no longer at FCMC on Monday, according to officials there.

Police say neither Salvesen nor his passengers were wearing helmets when the crash occurred; Cann wasn’t wearing his seat belt.

Franklin County sheriff’s deputies assisted police at the scene of the crash that shut down State Street for roughly two and a half hours.

POCATELLO — The Bureau of Land Management Pocatello Field Office announced that seasonal trail closures will go into effect on Nov. 16 for motorized travel in the Pocatello, Bear Lake and Soda Springs areas, specifically the Blackrock/Chinese Peak, Pocatello West Bench, Soda Springs Hills and Cooley Canyon areas.

“The purpose for many of the closures is to protect big game winter range, particularly in Blackrock/Chinese Peak, Cooley Canyon and Soda Springs Hills areas,” said Chuck Patterson, outdoor recreation planner for the BLM Pocatello Field Office. “Road conditions are one of the reasons for the closures because we want to minimize erosion and other resource damage.”

The Blackrock/Chinese Peak trail system is closed to motorized and mechanized (bicycle) travel from Nov. 16 to April 14. The Pocatello West Bench and Soda Hills areas are closed to motorized travel from Nov. 16 to May 15.

In the Soda Springs Hills, the upper gates at Ninety Percent Canyon, Idaho Ranch Canyon and Swenson Canyon close on Nov. 16, with a tentative opening date of May 15. The lower gates in those three canyons will close Jan. 5, with a tentative opening date of May 15. However, the Idaho Canyon lower gate is county controlled.

With the development of the Bear Lake Travel Management Area, Cooley Canyon on the east side of Bear Lake will also be closed starting Nov. 16, with a scheduled opening date of May 15.

Other trails and roads on public lands may have seasonal/winter closures, so check with your local BLM office before visiting these areas. The BLM appreciates the public’s cooperation in these efforts. For more information on this closure or for general information, contact the BLM in Pocatello at 208-478-6340.