On October 19, 2022, around 5:15 PM, Idaho County Dispatch received a call from International Emergency Response Communications Center regarding an SOS activation that was coming from the West Lake Creek drainage.
It was determined that two hunters, Steven Orts and Griffin Gallagher, both age 26, from New York, had parked their vehicle at the end of Lake Creek Road off of Big Salmon Road. The signal from the SOS was coming from West Lake Creek, approximately 1 mile from where they had parked their vehicle.
They had been hiking for more than two days. They sent a message to Idaho
County Dispatch saying they were extremely dehydrated and exhausted and were stuck on the face of a mountain with no way off.
Members from the Grangeville Mountain Rescue Unit (GMRU) responded early in the morning of October 20, 2022, and at approximately 10:09 a.m., Dylon Jameson with GMRU located the individuals and provided them with the water and nutrition needed. He also took them back down to their vehicles.
We would like to thank the Grangeville Mountain Rescue Unit for its assistance. Their continual willingness to help in any emergency rescue situation, along with their experience and talent in backcountry rescue makes them an invaluable asset to our community.