Laura Stark plans to finish the bike ride she was forced to quit more than 18 months ago.

Cyclists Stark, now 28, and Anne Davis, 22, were struck by a motorist July 2016 on U.S. Highway 26 outside Idaho Falls. Police determined the driver, Patricia Beyer, was distracted on her way home from work.

Davis was killed. Stark was paralyzed and spent several days in critical condition with spine and lung injuries, as well as broken bones.

The two women were finishing an 85-mile day with Bike & Build, a nonprofit that raises awareness and money for affordable housing through cross-country cycling trips that also incorporate community service. Their ultimate destination was Cannon Beach, Oregon, but they never got there.

As Stark recovered from the collision in a hospital bed at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, several dozen of her Bike & Build teammates completed the route and dipped their bicycle wheels into the Pacific Ocean. On July 13, the two-year anniversary of the collision, Stark plans to do the same.

As documented in a blog post Thursday, Stark will return to Idaho Falls this summer, handcycle in tow, and head west.

“It isn’t fair Anne and I weren’t given the opportunity to finish this trip, so I want to bring her memory with me and reach the coast — I want to show that being in a wheelchair doesn’t mean I can’t finish my goals,” Stark said. “A lot of people think this will be really hard for me. I like to put people’s disbelief to rest.”

Stark spent more than six weeks recovering at EIRMC before flying home to Garden City, Michigan. Her rehabilitation in Eastern Idaho was just the beginning, however. The process continues today.

In a post on her blog, justkeepspinning.net, Stark compared her recovery to the growth of a newborn.

“In a baby’s life, so much change happens in such a short time. A month can mean learning to eat, sitting up, talking,” she wrote. “That’s how my months have been since paralysis — every month a milestone.”

Stark said the lack of independence, and the compulsion to reject help for mundane tasks, was initially disheartening.

The experience has been eye-opening, Stark said, especially figuring out firsthand the world is designed for the standing.

Stark purchased a handcycle in July to stay active; she also attends multiple types of physical therapy per month. Father Darin Stark said his daughter is well-suited to the hard work of reinventing her lifestyle.

“It’s a full-time job for sure,” Darin said. “But nothing will hold her back. When she wants to do something she’ll find her way.”

Laura moved into her own apartment a few months ago. To escape the winter air, she rigged her handcycle to an indoor trainer. In time, Laura hopes to develop the upper body strength needed to traverse the 780-odd miles between Idaho Falls and the Oregon coast.

“There’s not a lot of rest for my arms, shoulder and back, because those are the same muscles I use in my chair,” Laura said. “It’s very hard, but I’m almost there.”

She plans to depart from Idaho Falls on June 18.

Laura doesn’t feel trepidation over coming back to Eastern Idaho; she has already returned for court proceedings and to visit her former doctors and physical therapists. But the scene of the accident may evoke “a lot of emotions.”

“I think that will be difficult to bring to the forefront again. After all of this, there are still distracted drivers, and yes, it could happen again. How do you educate the whole world about that?” Laura said.

Laura has reached out to riders from the 2016 Bike & Build trip to join her in finishing the route. Her father also will travel part of the way.

Darin would prefer his daughter wait a few years before traveling to the coast, but he knows that’s not how she lives — now or ever.

He recalled buying Laura and her twin sister bicycles when they were 4 years old.

Laura’s sister was thrilled by the training wheels Darin bolted onto her bike. Laura, however, was upset. She refused to learn how to ride the bike until he took the training wheels off.

“That’s just the way she is. She doesn’t want any extra help to do what she’s able to do. That’s how she’s dealt with life,” Darin said. “She’s a finisher — stubborn. She started something and she wants to see it through.”

BOISE (AP) — Idaho would join 27 other states to define and regulate electric bicycles under a newly introduced bill.

Rep. Phylis King, a Democrat from Boise, said Tuesday her legislation would create three categories of e-bikes. If approved, cities and counties would have jurisdiction on setting speed limits for e-bikes, as well as prohibit certain e-bike categories from using bike paths or trails.

King says the state should have a unified approach to regulating e-bikes because they aren’t currently defined in Idaho law.

The House Transportation and Defense Committee tentatively agreed to introduce King’s bill Tuesday, but several members expressed skepticism about the bill’s necessity.

The proposal must now pass a full hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

E-bikes often require the rider to pedal for the electric motor to engage. Some are equipped with a throttle to allow the bike to be propelled without pedaling.

Idaho Fish and Game is seeking public input on the 2019-2021 Fishing Rules for the Southeast Region and on an update to Idaho’s statewide Fisheries Management Plan. Open houses have been scheduled at regional Fish and Game offices statewide so that members of the public can meet with fisheries staff, ask questions, share ideas and submit comments for consideration.

The Southeast Region’s open house has been scheduled for Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fish and Game office at 1345 Barton Road in Pocatello.

Can’t make the open house? You can still provide comments to Southeast Regional Fisheries Manager David Teuscher via email at david.teuscher@idfg.idaho.gov or by calling 208-232-4703. Current regulations and statewide management plan as well as an online comment form are available at idfg.idaho.gov/form/fishing-rules-public-comment.

Results from public feedback will help fisheries staff develop proposals for the three-year fishing regulations and the six-year Fisheries Management Plan. Then the proposed changes will go through another round of public review before the Fish and Game commission sets the new rules in November 2018.

From the time the M-16 Rifle was first adopted by the U.S. military and was offered to civilians in an AR-15 semi-auto version, it has been popular with the American public. Interestingly, the AR-15’s popularity rises and falls in almost predictable cycles, but becomes more popular during periods when Americans perceive a threat to their Second Amendment rights.

This isn’t a political column, but the reasons people have almost bought out many gun shops’ inventory of AR-15 rifles at times is interesting to study.

Many people who have bought AR-15s the last few years have done so without realizing exactly what an AR-15 is, how it works and how to disassemble it for cleaning.

Most of my friends who have served in the military know their AR-15s intimately and even have named them after their favorite girl or favorite girl’s name, which if they know what is good for them is the same as their wife’s name.

However, I have had a few friends tell me that they bought an AR-15 and would like me to run them through how to disassemble it and more importantly, how to put it back together. If you have friends like that, and you are familiar with the AR-15, be nice and spend some time with them. Not everyone can pick up the procedure just by reading the instructions. It is always nice to have an expert show you how to take care of your rifle.

For instance, an issue I see with AR-15 owners quite often concerns the use of a free-floating firing pin. There have been some owners who, when they take the rifle apart, find no spring around the firing pin and wonder if their rifle is missing a part, which will make the rifle susceptible to slam fire when chambering a round.

During early development, Eugene Stoner intended the firing pin to be free floating, but others convince him to try a light spring around the firing pin. The firing pin spring was rejected and it was left as a free-floating firing pin because the titanium firing pin is so light, it doesn’t develop enough energy to fire the cartridge during the chambering of a round, or if the rifle is dropped.

The AR-15 has a hard-hitting hammer that is required to force the titanium firing pin into the primer hard enough to fire the weapon. That hammer doesn’t touch the free-floating firing pin during chambering of a round or when the rifle is dropped. A firing pin spring simply isn’t necessary and is a solution looking for a problem that doesn’t exist.

I have two AR-15s available to me that I have tested. One, a Colt, was manufactured in the mid-1970s and the other is a Sig M-400 manufactured in 2015. Neither rifle will slam fire when chambering a round or when rapid firing. I have to pull the trigger for either rifle to fire. I don’t drop rifles, so I’m willing to accept the findings of others who claim that dropping the rifle will not cause it to slam fire unless it is defective.

One problem that has ben noted is the use of soft primers. The military uses hard primers on their 5.56 ammunition. Those of us who load our own ammunition should stick to CCI #41 primers or the equivalent.

Some have suggested that small O rings be used on the AR-15 firing pin. Once again, it is a solution in search of a problem that does not exist. However, the O rings can jam the firing pin so it is locked in the forward position, which I suppose might cause a slam fire.

A safety precaution that knowledgeable AR-15 owners practice is to not use the same cartridge in the top of the magazine more than a couple of times to chamber a round if the round isn’t fired but is ultimately ejected unfired.

The light firing pin doesn’t have enough energy to normally fire the round but can dimple the primer slightly even though the hammer didn’t touch it during chambering.

To avoid several dimples in the primer of the same unfired cartridge, the cartridge should be set aside for use at the range where it will be fired after carefully closing the bolt carrier instead of letting inertia close it.

In all probability, the light firing pin would never fire the piece, but why not play it safe?

The AR-15 has been around for a long time. Most of the bugs were eliminated before it was ever put on the market. Early malfunctions were traced to ammunition that had some carbon in the powder used to fire the 5.56 rounds. A change to cleaner powder with no carbon solved the problem.

If you have or are planning to purchase an AR-15 and would like a more through description of your rifle with lots of illustrations, the Combat Book Shelf prints a manual called, “AR-15, M-16, and M-16A1, 5.56 MM Rifles.” Desert Publications, Cornville, Arizona, 86325

My copy is pretty old and was purchased at an Army store in College Station, Texas.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

INKOM — Pebble Creek Ski Area will be celebrating this year’s Winter Olympics with a variety of special events on Feb. 17.

The first event will be the Stacy Smith Race, where kids ages 16 and under will have a chance to compete for a gold medal in a slalom race on Pebble Creek’s Aspen beginner’s area. The event is open to both skiers and snowboarders.

Once the scores are tallied, the top three in each age category will be presented gold, silver and bronze medals. Though Stacy Smith Races are held multiple times every ski season, the Olympic event will feature a specially built three-tiered Olympic-style podium.

As the young skiers and boarders stand on the podium, they will be presented with their medals by a Paralympian Jacob Rife, a Pocatello High School graduate who started his career at Pebble Creek. Rife won medals at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Paralympics in Nagano and Salt Lake City.

The Stacy Smith Race on Feb. 17 will begin at 1:15 p.m., with the awards presentation to follow. Competitors can register for the event until 1 p.m. There is no entry fee, but the competitors need a $20 lift ticket to compete.

Later on in the evening, a Snow Ball will be held in the lodge. As Best By Yesterday, an alternative band from Pocatello, provides the live music, the Lava Flow Fire Dancers will perform in front of the lodge.

Then, just after 7 p.m., a torchlight parade will held near the Sunshine lift. The best way to view the parade is from the lodge’s deck. However, the lights from the skiers’ torches as they make their way down the mountain can be seen from miles away.

According to Pebble Creek, the torchlight parade is a medical fundraiser for Kim Peck, an outdoor enthuasist whose medical condition has made it difficult to work at his job as a contractor.

Participants in the torchlight parade must be at least 18 years old and be an expert skier or snowboarder. Though the suggested donation is $50, participants can donate more if they like.

There is no charge to go to the Snow Ball or watch the torchlight parade. Discount night ski tickets will be available at Barrie’s Ski and Sports in Pocatello.

The opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will be held on Friday. The games will continue until Feb. 25.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A 13-year-old girl fell to her death from a popular narrow trail bordered by steep drops at Zion National Park, officials said Tuesday.

The Utah girl was hiking with family when she tumbled from the Angel’s Landing Trail on Monday evening, park ranger John Marciano said. She was quickly discovered by hikers on the West Rim Trail below.

Angel’s Landing was closed Tuesday morning to investigate the fall from the path that ascends some 1,500 feet above the southern Utah park’s red-rock cliffs. There has been about one death each of the last two years on the trail, Marciano said.

The girl had done the hike before, and the trail was clear of ice and snow.

“It was just a beautiful day. It’s at time you wouldn’t expect anything to happen,” Marciano said.

It did not appear that anyone had witnessed the fall, he said. The girl’s name and hometown were not immediately released.

The iconic trail offers sweeping views of the red-rock park in southern Utah and has become especially popular among visitors inspired by social media posts. But it also comes with dire safety warnings about the danger of falls, Marciano said.

Anyone with young children or problems with heights is advised not to make the trek, he said.

ISLAND PARK — Another snowmobile accident took place in Fremont County on Monday afternoon. The incident was just 48 hours after a similar mishap near the Island Park Reservoir on Saturday.

The two accidents brought the total amount of accidents in the last four weeks in the area involving snowmobilers to five.

Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries attributes the rash of mishaps this winter to more people visiting than normal. He says that Island Park has a lot more snow than other traditional snowmobiling areas.

“We have snow that a lot of places don’t have, and we see a lot more people coming,” he said.

Around 3:30 p.m. Monday, Fremont County Search and Rescue official Eric Thomas reported that emergency responders were headed to a location about a half a mile from Highway 20 to aid the injured snowmobiler.

“They have some sort of an injury. I’m not quite sure what the extent of it is,” he said.

It wasn’t known the name or age of Monday’s accident victim.

On Saturday morning, a snowmobiler was injured while riding near the Island Park Reservoir. Inclement weather prevented Life Flight from rescuing the man on three separate occasions. Eventually, Life Flight crews landed at a makeshift landing site along Highway 20 South of Ashton. From there Search and Rescue crews picked up Life Flight medical workers and took them to the injured snowmobiler.

Earlier on Saturday, the man had been snowmobiling with friends when he was hurt.

“He was in the timber south of the reservoir. He was with a group, and one of them rode out to lead the ambulance and brought search and rescue back with him,” Thomas said.

The snowmobiler suffered extensive injuries and continually drifted in and out of consciousness.

“The crash victim complained of upper leg pain, back pain and of being really cold,” Thomas said.

Two Fremont County Sheriff’s deputies, as well as Island Park EMS, snowmobiled to the reservoir. From there, a paramedic asked county dispatch to call in an ambulance helicopter, but none in the region could help because of cloudy weather over the reservoir. Shortly afterward a Fremont County Deputy asked Fremont County Search and Rescue to bring a toboggan to help move the injured man from the crash site to a medical sled.

At this point, officials asked Life Flight to land at the temporary site along Highway 20, where medical workers were taken to the accident scene.

“They reached the patient around 2 p.m. After his injuries were assessed, he was secured to the toboggan and transported from the crash site,” Thomas said.

After the weather improved slightly, search and rescue again requested Life Flight to fly over Ashton Hill and Big Bend Ridge. Once more, Life Flight pilots reported that weather conditions made it impossible to do so, and the patient was instead taken via “Med Sled” to Harriman State Park, where an ambulance and Life Flight workers were waiting.

“By the time everyone made it to the ambulance, the weather had lifted, allowing Life Flight to land at Harriman State Park,” Thomas said.

At that point Life Flight workers loaded the injured snowmobiler onto the helicopter, taking him to a local hospital.

It wasn’t known the man’s age or where he was from. As of Monday night, his condition was still unknown.

The accidents followed last week’s incident, when a stranded snowmobiler was rescued near the Continental Divide. At the first of the year, two snowmobilers died in two separate accidents within a week of each other.

Thomas agreed that Fremont County has had an unusual amount of snowmobile accidents this year.

“It’s just how things go,” Thomas said. “Last year we didn’t have a lot of searches. This year we’re making up for it at the first part of the year. It’s either famine or feast. They come in waves.”

ISLAND PARK, Idaho (AP) — A man injured in a snowmobile accident in eastern Idaho has been taken to a local hospital.

The Rexburg Standard Journal reports that the man was reportedly knocked unconscious Saturday afternoon during a crash at the west end of Island Park Reservoir.

Thick clouds and fog initially prevented an ambulance helicopter from flying.

First responders came to his aid and provided treatment. Rescue crews secured the man to a toboggan and took him to Harriman State Park where a helicopter was eventually able to land and airlift the injured man out.

On Sunday, Jan. 28, three snowmobilers went missing near Keg Springs in Island Park.

By 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 30, all three men had been safely returned to their families. Fremont County Search and Rescue, Clark County Search and Rescue and local volunteers were responsible for ensuring that Jeremy Richman, Tyler Muir and Jayce Davison all lived to see another day.

The three men were first reported missing late Sunday afternoon, and Fremont County Search and Rescue began to assemble their crews at a command area near Keg Springs.

As searchers combed the mountains for the lost snowmobilers, darkness and avalanche danger caused the rescue efforts to be put on hold until the following morning.

That was when Brent Willsey decided he needed to help.

Willsey, one of the snowmobilers who assisted in rescuing Jayce Davison, had been at home Monday morning when a friend called him who knew the three missing men.

“I got called by one of my good friends who is good friends with Jeremy Richman and Tyler Muir on Sunday,” Willsey said. “He filled me in that they had gone riding on Sunday and they were still missing. He was super worried, so I started calling the Clark County Sheriff’s Office guys that I know.”

Willsey has relatives that are members of local law enforcement and has been involved in a few previous snowmobile rescue efforts. He’s part of a group of riders that regularly use the Keg Springs area for winter recreation and understands why it can be a dangerous place. When he learned that no progress in the search had been made by Monday morning, he chose to act.

“I called my buddies that I ride with all the time,” he said. “I told them, ‘Let’s get our stuff together and head up to the parking lot. We probably won’t be able to do anything so we’ll bring food and water to the backcountry guys who have been there all night.’”

By Monday morning Clark County Search and Rescue had joined forces with Fremont County Search and Rescue. Clark County Sheriff Bart May said he had his resources operating under the command of Fremont County.

“The initial call came in to Fremont County, and they came out first and searched for a while,” May said. “We got notified about midnight on Monday morning. I called my Search and Rescue, and by the time mine got out there we set up a plan to do a joint search with Fremont County, and we were going to meet them at their command post.”

The mountainous area where the three snowmobilers had gone missing was close to the Fremont-Clark County border. May said both crews knew of the area, but their knowledge wasn’t intimate.

“We went ahead and allowed Fremont to more or less run the reins of the search,” he said.

When Willsey arrived with his friends Broc Genta, Clint Beehler, Quinn Benson and Tanner Landon at the command center, a parking lot off of Kilgore-Yale Road and Keg Springs Road, he arrived to good news. Muir and Richman had been found and were being taken off the mountain.

“We were told that they had got Jeremy and Tyler and they were on the way to getting Jayce,” Willsey said. “We thought maybe should we turn around, but decided since we were sort of friends we’d go for moral support and give stuff to the guys who’d been working there all night and day.”

Richman and Muir had spent the night on the mountain with Davison after one of their snowmobiles had broken down. The two went together Monday morning to travel down the mountain in hopes of finding cell phone reception so they could call for help. They managed to contact Richman’s father and reach the Fremont County Search and Rescue crews who had resumed their search. Davison, however, remained on the mountain, unaware that his friends had been rescued.

As the day dragged on, it became clear to Willsey that Davison still hadn’t been located. Fremont County Search and Rescue then decided to send a group of nine snowmobilers up with Muir, who might be able to retrace his path from that morning and find the site where he, Richman and Davison had made camp the night before.

Willsey said Fremont County Search and Rescue declined to accept his offer to help, citing liability issues if anything happened to Willsey’s group of volunteers. He said it was understandable since they didn’t know him or his experience in that area, so he turned to May, who approved of Willsey’s help.

“I told Bart May that I didn’t know the Fremont guys, but we were ready to go, and we ride this stuff every week,” he said. “We know Keg Springs, and the guys we have with us are the best of the best. He wouldn’t have to worry about us or babysit us.”

May said he had earlier told Willsey and his group that they didn’t have to be there and that they could go home, but when Willsey said he was ready to head up the mountain, May realized that there was an advantage to having them come along.

“When they (the search group) readied to leave our camp, these five men came over and asked to go up but Fremont County said they couldn’t because they weren’t affiliated,” May said. “No matter how good your search and rescue crews are, the best thing you have is experience, including knowledge of the area, which these guys have. I told the Fremont County commander that these guys were a part of my crew as far as I was concerned, and I was allowing them to go up anyways.”

And with that, Willsey, Muir and 13 other snowmobilers rode up to the top of the mountain on a mission to spot out where Davison might be located, with orders to observe and then return to command.

Willsey said that when they got to the top, the situation began to change.

“We got out there, though they (the rescue officials) weren’t sure where they were going,” he said. “We went on the ridge where people usually ride. Tyler was trying to show us where they might have gone, but he was mentally and physically drained.”

The group observed that it was very likely that Davison was located in a ravine below them, and Willsey said he believed that it was possible to launch a rescue attempt immediately.

“We were all discussing how we were going to get down there,” he said. “We sent our GPS coordinates back to command. My thoughts were we could get down to Jayce without a doubt, but I didn’t know how to get him out.”

Willsey said the leader of the group told him and Landon to go down and check out the terrain. Even though this contradicted earlier orders from Search and Rescue command, May defended the group’s decision.

“What we see in the command center is different than what they see on the mountain,” May said. “They said, ‘Hey, let’s send five guys off of this ledge and see if they find anything.’ The five they sent there was the five who go up there all of the time.”

Willsey and Landon rode the descent in their snowmobiles, checking for signs of Davison. Benson, Beehler and Genta also looked for ways to get down to the ravine, staying in touch with Willsey via radio. The five riders didn’t have a search and rescue radio, which Willsey regrets in hindsight.

“Avalanche danger was really bad,” Willsey said, adding that though he couldn’t contact command, he was able to stay in touch with his fellow riders, one of whom had a GPS transmitter that could send text messages and location coordinates back to base.

Soon Willsey’s group spotted tracks that had belonged to Richman’s and Muir’s snowmobiles. At that point a decision had to be made about whether to press forward and see if they could find Davison themselves or return to command and report what they had found. They also had to ask themselves if risking their own lives to find Davison was worth it.

“Tanner and I sat there and had a heart-to-heart,” Willsey said. “We thought about what we were getting ourselves into, that it was getting dark and that we didn’t really know the kid who was back there. On the other hand, we both felt we were doing the right thing, and we didn’t think anyone else was going to get this kid.”

The group made contact with the rest of the party on the mountain, informing them that they were going to follow the tracks in hopes of locating Davison.

“Time was not on our side,” Willsey said. “This was way too late. This all should have happened in the morning. Sunset was at 5:29, and by the time we went in, it was almost dark.”

The group proceeded carefully, riding over avalanche slides and keeping a lookout for signs of Davison. Eventually they began to smell smoke from the fire that Davison, Muir and Richman had lit the night before. Within minutes, they came across Davison in his camp.

“Jayce was bawling,” Willsey said. “We knew we had made the right decision.”

Genta immediately began sending their GPS coordinates back to command while the group gave Davison food and water. Willsey and Landon then began looking for a way to get everyone out of the ravine.

“There was no way we could go back up,” Willsey said. “Keep in mind, we didn’t know how to get out. We knew the direction we needed to go but couldn’t figure how to get out there.”

The group had learned from the Search and Rescue crews earlier that the path that Richman and Muir took to get out took them to Red Rock Road, though they didn’t know how to get there from Davison’s camp.

Willsey and Landon resumed following Richman’s and Muir’s tracks over a nearby ridge until the path was too dark to follow, making it difficult to determine what terrain was safe to cross in the avalanche-prone area.

“We were figuring it all out and then we heard the helicopter,” Willsey said. “The group had Jayce all ready to go for when the helicopter could land, but it was a 30-degree slope, and the snow was sinking up to our knees. The helicopter made it about 30 feet to the ground and couldn’t go any lower. They tried again a few times but had to go away.”

The helicopter, sent by Search and Rescue command, was supposed to attempt to lift Davison out of the ravine and back to safety. Willsey said that he wished that could have happened, since without the helicopter, he would have to have Davison ride double with another snowmobiler, which he said is very dangerous.

Instead the helicopter dropped a bag of food, water and dry clothing for Davison to use to help him make it through the night. Willsey’s group decided that since it was impossible to find their way out in the dark, they would stay with Davison.

“When the helicopter flew away, we took a knee and said a prayer,” Willsey said. “We definitely had help and were watched over. We decided to stay the night and let base camp know that once daylight came, we were out of there.”

Willsey said it was a good time for the group to take a break, since they were cold and wet from the day on the mountain.

“We built a windbreak and got the fire going hot,” he said. “Jayce was good, and we had plenty of food and water. The worry was that our wives and families didn’t know we were fine, but we sent messages back and forth on Brock’s GPS to command to let them know.”

The group was prepared to settle in for the night when they spotted lights coming towards them through the trees in the direction of Red Rock Road.

“Soon we could see flashlights in the trees coming towards us, coming from the way we knew we needed to get out,” Willsey said. “We went down and picked them up.”

The lights were from two snowshoeing members of Fremont County Search and Rescue, bearing the good news that Davison’s camp was only about a mile away from the the top of Red Rock Road. Davison was then asked if he wanted to snowshoe out with the Search and Rescue, shortening his stay on the mountain.

Willsey said Davison wanted to stay, but the group insisted he go with Search and Rescue so he could go home. Davison agreed and headed out with the snowshoers. He and the Search and Rescue members soon reached Red Rock Road, where they got into a Fremont County vehicle and drove back to command.

After giving them a 30-minute head start to avoid trampling them in the dark, Willsey’s group left the camp and began riding down to Red Rock Road.

“It was scary, and that snow was breaking loose and sliding even when we weren’t touching it,” he said. While waiting with Davison earlier, the group could hear avalanches coming down and knew extreme caution was needed.

Soon the group reached Red Rock Road, where they then rode the 20-mile groomed snowmobile route back to the command post.

“In the end we were happy since we didn’t have to ride doubles. We knew how to get out of there, and we knew we were going to get home that night,” Willsey said.

Back at command, May said there was some confusion as to what was happening on the mountain with Willsey’s group. He said their efforts to recover Davison resulted in a happy ending, but it could have easily been otherwise.

“They said there was a bunch of slides that came out in front of them, but they came out OK,” May said. “If they got buried it would have been a different story. When we look back on what could have happened, what they did could have put more lives in danger.”

May said he could tell that the Fremont County Search and Rescue commanders were upset with Willsey’s group because both parties didn’t know exactly what the plan was. He said that type of miscommunication had occurred more than once during that day, and that it was obvious things could have been better.

“I think Fremont’s mad because they weren’t affiliated with Fremont County, but they went,” he said. “I talked to the sheriff and took responsibility.”

At the same time, May said he knew it was a good call to get Davison off the mountain that night. May said he spoke with Davison at command after he was rescued, who told May that he was determined that he was going to hike to safety alone instead of staying another night on the mountain by himself.

“When I interviewed him, he said he was very, very emotional,” May said. “He was thinking he could hike out of there on his own. That’s a scary mindset to be in.”

It was that communication error, along with Willsey’s group not having any search and rescue radios and everyone’s lack of knowledge of what was happening, that caused friction between the different search and rescue teams.

“We didn’t know if the GPS texts were being sent to the right people,” Willsey said. “If the communication was there, there would have been no problem. I think Fremont County thought we were just some group of guys trying to be heroes. No one is to blame, though. They learned a lot from it, and they were out there risking their own lives just as we were.”

May said that since the rescue of the three snowmobilers, he’s been in contact with Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries about what happened and how communication could be improved.

Humphries declined to comment on the communication strains between search and rescue parties, having already given updates about the missing snowmobilers and the fact that the rescue effort was successful.

“The people are home safe — that’s the bottom line,” he said. “It’s past history. Let’s move on.”

The Standard Journal attempted several times to contact Fremont County Search and Rescue, as well as the three snowmobilers. No calls or messages were returned.

Regardless of what happened, everyone is home safe, said Willsey.

“At the end of the day, all that matters is that he’s out and we’re all good,” he said. “It went the way it needed to. Doing what’s right isn’t always popular and is hard.”

I just got home from the 2018 SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade) Show. It’s the largest outdoor trade show in the world. All the big firearm, ammo, optic, knife, outdoor clothing and similar manufacturers are there. There is no way you can visit every booth. There are hundreds.

In addition to all the above, all the big outdoor writers and media people attend as well. You’ll see all of the big stars there. The event kicked off on Monday, Jan. 22, with the Media Day at the Range event. It is by invitation only. The afternoon has manufacturers and buyers in attendance.

The Media Day event is fun of course. I mean, how can you not love it? You get to shoot all the new guns and ammo. Then the show is Tuesday to Friday. My week is tied up from daylight to way after dark with breakfasts, lunches, dinners and meetings all day long. All of the manufacturers are promoting their new products. Many new items are introduced at the SHOT Show.

Buck Knives touted their assisted opening 110 (the 110 was their first locking folder introduced back in 1963). Leatherman unveiled their limited edition Leatherman in celebration of their 35th anniversary. Benjamin unveiled their new MAG Fire break-action air rifle that utilizes a 10-shot clip.

Swiss Army knifes has a cutting board that fits over a 5-gallon bucket for filleting fish, and Case XX Knives has a slew of old school knives they’ve re-ignited, as well as a new Hero line. Then of course I have to drop by and see my buddy Kim to check out what’s new with Irish Setter.

Before I attended my first SHOT Show, I thought that I knew all of the optic companies. Ha, not even close, and it’s only gotten more competitive. Of course Leupold is my favorite optic company, and I had a meeting with them on Wednesday to see what they have that’s new.

Smith’s products are the definite leaders in the knife sharpening world. They’re creative and come out with new products every year. They’re light years ahead of everyone else.

On Tuesday morning, Fredy and Brian who own Ammoland Shooting Sports News had a breakfast for their writers. Fredy comes out backpacking every summer and brought Brian this past summer, and if you remember, we had a plane drop us off in the Frank Church. If you like knives, check out their website. I write a weekly knife review for them.

I had a dinner Wednesday night with Remington & Buck Knives and got to meet some of their new leaders as well as some of my old acquaintances.

The show opens at 8:30 a.m. and I’m zipping back and forth across the floor hitting all my meetings with the various companies. Whenever there is a blank slot in my calendar, I fit in as many new companies as I can. I met three to four new editors who are going to open up doors to more writing opportunities.

Then, of course, you line up as many hunts as possible. Right before the show, I’d just returned from a two-week trip to Texas and am headed back for a hog/coyote hunt to test out my new Mossberg Patriot Revere. We’re trying to line up a hog hunt with Benjamin’s new Airbow. It spits out arrows at 440 fps.

I know it probably sounds like all fun and games, but if you want to make a living, you have to hit it hard. I remember the first time Katy attended. She thought we’d hold hands and walk around doodling. I grabbed her hand and took off down the aisles. She was hitting the ground about every third step.

As the day came to a close, I thought I’d better slow down. I told her I’d take her somewhere nice for dinner. She saw a McDonald’s and said, “Get me a Happy Meal and let’s go hit the sack. I’m dead.” So that’s kinda how you feel by the end of the day.

But my buddy Paige that runs MyTopo maps took a few of us to dinner and a couple of shows. So I don’t want to say that we didn’t enjoy ourselves at all.

If it wasn’t held in Vegas, it’d be the coolest outdoor event of the year.

Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana. He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop.