Friday morning of Nov 29 my best friend, Ryan Stevens, left Millinocket to go hunting. Northwestern Maine is large and uninhabited forest. Logging industry has made thousands of drivable roads that spider web through the entire region. If one were to look on a map and see the vast span of desolate woods, they would understand the alarm when Ryan and his hunting partner didn't return on Friday night, as scheduled. Ryan was picking up his son on Saturday, so something was wrong. Temperatures on Friday night touched down to 5 deg. F, -6 deg. with the wind chill. Saturday's temperature never got above 19 deg. F. The Maine Warden service started a search on Saturday in both Ragmuff area, and a second team near Chamberlain Lake. I had been at my step-father's hunting camp, near Chesuncook Lake, since Thanksgiving. I learned of my friend being missing on Saturday night, when I returned home from my 3 day hunting trip. I had been up since 5 AM and it was now 6 PM. I was an arctic paratrooper with the 1/501st PIR of the 25th Inf Div. stationed in Ft. Richardson, Alaska. I am no stranger to woods survival. I put together a pack, fueled up my truck, and headed back up the Golden Road. I had another friend riding along with me. I linked up with a Warden at 9 PM to discuss possible search locations, and find out where had already been searched. I gave him my operating channel of 19 on CB, 6 06 on the two way, an even though I cant transmit that I would monitor their truck to truck frequency.
6 AM the following morning, I entered my apartment. I had been up for 25 hours and my truck needed fuel. I came to town to refit. I slept from 6:05 until 6:55. I fueled up my truck and two 5 gal cans. I met up with my step-father at camp and asked him to join the search. Several volunteers from the Millinocket area had joined the search. After two solid days of ground search with the aid of two air assets, we still haven't even found their truck. During the search for my friends, a vehicle belonging to a Canadian hunter, who has been lost since Tuesday, was discovered. Unfortunately, he still hasn't been found. By 12:30 PM on Saturday the Chamberlain parking lot was filled with about 75 people or more. Several of us have CBs.
Skip was rolling on Saturday, so local coms weren't getting out very far. That is understandable because you can't stop mother nature. But late afternoon, I had a request of information and location for my search team. I called out for my search team to respond. I got a response from a man but he wasn't part of the search. He was just some guy playing a joke. I didn't respond, to avoid clogging up the channel further with a needless argument. My best friend could be seriously injured or dead. What kind of retarded ass monkey will pretend to be part of a search for two people whose lives could be on the edge, or even possibly dead? I just want to say, whoever you are, you make me sick. Imagine that was your son out there in the freezing cold.
At dusk the organized search ended for the day. I returned to Millinocket to see my children for a moment, then refit to head back up for the night. I commandeered a few gas cans, so I planned to rest for an hour or two and head back up 70 miles in the woods to stay until the following night. Ryan and Travis had broken through the ice of a beaver flowage in a spur road near Alagash Lake. They were unable to self recover the stuck truck. Wet and cold, they spent the first night in the truck, running it only when they couldn't bear the shivering. The next morning, the truck was very low on fuel and may not last another night. Despite the remote area, Travis drives log truck and knew the area well. The next morning Travis stated the knowledge of the camps, 8-9 miles away. The beginning stages of hypothermia started setting in, but after prayers and perseverance, they reached the camps. They found all were stripped but one. The one camp was fully stocked with firewood, food, drinking water, and even a fresh spring on site. As they stood in front of the door trying to find the best way in with the least amount of damage, it took only touching the door with one finger and the lock broke off the door. Ryan was delighted to find his two favorite foods, spaghetti and Kraft Mac & Cheese, were in abundance. Several items inside the camp were noticed to have been purchased at the store where Ryan works, Maine Military Supply. He said it was like it was meant for them to find.
As I was pulling out of my ex-wife's driveway, she came out waving her arms to stop. "They have been found!" A Canadian customs agent, who was part of the search for the lost Canadian hunter, was on his way back to Quebec when he encountered HELP written in pine bows on the roadway. Several limbs in the road were constructed in shape of an arrow. It led to a sporting camp containing two missing hunters. Thank God for watching over them. I hope that God is also with the Canadian hunter, who is still lost after 8 days. God used Ryan and Travis being missing to find the Canadian hunter's van. Then God used the Canadian searcher who, "accidentally" found Ryan and Travis. Lets hope that some chance will lead searchers to the man who is still lost.
6 AM the following morning, I entered my apartment. I had been up for 25 hours and my truck needed fuel. I came to town to refit. I slept from 6:05 until 6:55. I fueled up my truck and two 5 gal cans. I met up with my step-father at camp and asked him to join the search. Several volunteers from the Millinocket area had joined the search. After two solid days of ground search with the aid of two air assets, we still haven't even found their truck. During the search for my friends, a vehicle belonging to a Canadian hunter, who has been lost since Tuesday, was discovered. Unfortunately, he still hasn't been found. By 12:30 PM on Saturday the Chamberlain parking lot was filled with about 75 people or more. Several of us have CBs.
Skip was rolling on Saturday, so local coms weren't getting out very far. That is understandable because you can't stop mother nature. But late afternoon, I had a request of information and location for my search team. I called out for my search team to respond. I got a response from a man but he wasn't part of the search. He was just some guy playing a joke. I didn't respond, to avoid clogging up the channel further with a needless argument. My best friend could be seriously injured or dead. What kind of retarded ass monkey will pretend to be part of a search for two people whose lives could be on the edge, or even possibly dead? I just want to say, whoever you are, you make me sick. Imagine that was your son out there in the freezing cold.
At dusk the organized search ended for the day. I returned to Millinocket to see my children for a moment, then refit to head back up for the night. I commandeered a few gas cans, so I planned to rest for an hour or two and head back up 70 miles in the woods to stay until the following night. Ryan and Travis had broken through the ice of a beaver flowage in a spur road near Alagash Lake. They were unable to self recover the stuck truck. Wet and cold, they spent the first night in the truck, running it only when they couldn't bear the shivering. The next morning, the truck was very low on fuel and may not last another night. Despite the remote area, Travis drives log truck and knew the area well. The next morning Travis stated the knowledge of the camps, 8-9 miles away. The beginning stages of hypothermia started setting in, but after prayers and perseverance, they reached the camps. They found all were stripped but one. The one camp was fully stocked with firewood, food, drinking water, and even a fresh spring on site. As they stood in front of the door trying to find the best way in with the least amount of damage, it took only touching the door with one finger and the lock broke off the door. Ryan was delighted to find his two favorite foods, spaghetti and Kraft Mac & Cheese, were in abundance. Several items inside the camp were noticed to have been purchased at the store where Ryan works, Maine Military Supply. He said it was like it was meant for them to find.
As I was pulling out of my ex-wife's driveway, she came out waving her arms to stop. "They have been found!" A Canadian customs agent, who was part of the search for the lost Canadian hunter, was on his way back to Quebec when he encountered HELP written in pine bows on the roadway. Several limbs in the road were constructed in shape of an arrow. It led to a sporting camp containing two missing hunters. Thank God for watching over them. I hope that God is also with the Canadian hunter, who is still lost after 8 days. God used Ryan and Travis being missing to find the Canadian hunter's van. Then God used the Canadian searcher who, "accidentally" found Ryan and Travis. Lets hope that some chance will lead searchers to the man who is still lost.
