BUTTE — For miles along a stretch of trail located in the Beaverhead National Forest south of Butte, branches and giant trees rot into the forest floor. If you happen to wander off trail on a hike, navigating over and under the debris, known as deadfall, proves to be a challenge in daylight, but imagine facing that challenge in the dark.
That was one of the challenges faced recently by a 60-year-old Illinois man who walked off the path while searching for treasure in the foothills of the Highland Mountains on Nov. 14th.
"It was pitch black. You know.... there’s no street lights out there," said Karen "Sarge" Sargeant, the public information officer for the 15-90 Search and Rescue team.
Sargeant and 20 members of the Butte-based team got a call at dusk from dispatch that a man was growing concerned for his partner, who had not met up at the dedicated location as the sun was dipping below the horizon and the temperature followed suit.
According to Sargeant, both men are new to living in Montana. She says they were not familiar with the area or the dangers present.
Aside from the challenges presented by the forest itself, the men were not exactly honest with each other about their locations.
A cell phone ping from the lost man's phone was in a completely different location than where his friend believed he would be—information that would have helped searchers find the lost man sooner.
"This guy is on a treasure hunt," said Brad Belke, the commander of the 15-90.
"You know I gotta say that goof from out-of-state has offered a treasure again. So, you got all these people who don’t belong in the mountains running around the mountains trying to find things."
Belke has been the commander of the Butte Search and Rescue team for 36 years and a member for 45 years. He is very familiar with the terrain that presents obstacles like huge boulders, deadfall, steep rolling hills, and cliffs. The area is remote despite the proximity to town.
"You gotta be careful out here. We’re about five miles from town, and where this all happened is about seven miles, is all, this way." Bekle said.
Lost treasure hunter rescued from Highland Mountains! 🏔️ Search and rescue officials share important wilderness safety tips after this nighttime rescue
He waved his hands to the national forest trail behind him that immediately ascends a steep hill. His phone shows there is no cell coverage, even though we are near a city park. He is standing at a trailhead by Basin Creek Park, one of the three locations where he deployed his team to search for the lost man.
"Doesn’t look very far, but it is a really long way (from Butte), and this is Montana. We’re lucky to live here. Mother Nature is incredibly beautiful here, and she’s also mean, and she will kill you if you disrespect her."
Belke says as the search developed, the team began to learn more about the lost individual from the friend who called for help. He informed searchers that the lost man is a brittle diabetic with a bad lung. Later, EMTs with the 15-90 found the man had also suffered a fall and could not walk out of the woods. He was transported to safety by the searchers.
According to Belke, searching for people in the Highlands foothills is actually a pretty common occurrence. Taking precautions like hiking with a partner and entering the forest earlier in the day would have helped the men avoid this kind of situation. In his 45 years of search and rescue service, Belke has never found a dead person by a fire.
"You know we talk about taking water and food with you, but, you know, this isn’t a place where we’re not going to find you in time, where you may or may not need water and food. Whatcha need is fire and light."
Because of the lost man’s medical conditions, Sargeant and Belke said their team worked diligently to bring him home safely. A drone was also essential in the search efforts. Despite only having a half-charged cell phone and spotty cell phone coverage, Belke's team found the man's location, and he was rescued at 6:45 in the evening.
"It happens everywhere in Montana. If you go two miles outside of Helena, you’re in the Forest Service Wilderness. Right? Cell service? Don’t know. But, you'd better find out before you go," said Sargeant.
