Officials urge snowmobilers to use caution on trails

The Maine Warden Service has beefed up patrols of area trails, following a string of fatalities and a handful of other incidents dating back to February.     Unfamiliarity with northern Aroostook County trails was largely to blame for two separate incidents involving a Presque Isle man and a Fort Fairfield teen.
On Feb. 11, David Perkins, a Presque Isle man reported to be in his 50s, was traveling with a friend in Township 17 Range 5 in the Cross Lake area when he failed to make a curve, lost control of his older-model Ski-Doo snowmobile and struck a tree. The accident occurred along ITS 83.
A friend traveling with Perkins called 9-1-1 for help. Perkins, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, was transported to Fort Kent’s Northern Maine Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries. Perkins reportedly told District Game Warden Adrian Marquis, who investigated the accident, that he was unfamiliar with the area.
A 19-year-old Fort Fairfield teen was rescued Feb. 28 after he ventured out for an evening ride and got lost.
“Lyman Messer was reported missing by a friend around 11 p.m. Feb. 27 when he did not return from a snowmobile ride on Square Lake. He left a camp between 7:30 and 8 p.m. wearing a wool pea coat, T-shirt, shorts and black boots and said he’d be back,” said Deborah Turcotte, interim spokesperson for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Turcotte said when Messer didn’t return within a few minutes, his friend, Jacob Chambers, 22, took off on another snowmobile to look for him.
“Chambers was forced to return to the camp because the machine wasn’t working properly,” she said.
By 11 p.m., Chambers called the Maine State Police, which in turn notified the Maine Warden Service.
“Warden Gary Sibley and Warden Adrian Marquis accessed the camp by snowmobile and were told that Messer was riding on the lake and possibly heading to an outlet that leads to Eagle Lake,” said Turcotte.
Messer was located about 30 yards into the woods on the other side of the lake, northwest of his camp, laying in the snow and curled up to keep warm.
“The teen was fading in and out of consciousness,” said Turcotte.
“We started hollering for him and low and behold he hollered back,” said Marquis. “I said, ‘Whoa!’ We were hoping for that but given the conditions and what he was wearing, we were thinking the worst at that point.”
The search for Messer demonstrates the great lengths the Maine Warden Service will take to help out a person in need in the woods or the waters of Maine, according to Warden Sgt. Brian Gray, Marquis and Sibley’s supervisor.
“They did a great job,” said Gray.
Turcotte said Square Lake does not have any year-round camps on it and is only accessible by snowmobile.
“Because the camps are vacant, there are no lights along the shoreline to guide nighttime snowmobilers. The temperature on the lake the evening of Feb. 27 was 9-10 degrees and snow was blowing, creating drifts,” said Turcotte.
Frequented by snowmobilers, the lake that night had a number of tracks running across it.
“Even though snow was blowing and filling in the tracks, the two wardens were able to determine which tracks were made by Messer’s snowmobile. They followed the tracks, which looped and zig-zagged across the lake until they went up onto the shoreline on the other side and into the woods,” said Turcotte, noting Messer’s snowmobile had come to rest against a tree and was not damaged.
At that point, the wardens noticed Messer had set out on foot, going from the woods to the lake and back again several times in snow that was 3- to 4-feet deep.
“Sibley said that seeing the tracks go onto the shoreline and into the woods was a small sense of relief because they had feared that Messer may have reached the outlet between Square and Eagle lakes,” said Turcotte.
“We were afraid that he was going to be in the outlet in open water and that he had possibly drowned,” said Sibley.
Sibley and Marquis followed the teen’s tracks for about 30 yards into the woods and started yelling for him. Before long, the men heard a response from Messer.
“Sibley gave Messer his snow pants, and Marquis wrapped him in blankets and other clothes the wardens had brought along with them,” said Turcotte.
Messer was transported on Marquis’s sled to the nearest plowed road, Route 161 – approximately 12 miles away.
“An awaiting ambulance transported Messer to NMMC, where he was treated for frostbite,” said Turcotte.
Marquis said Messer is fortunate to be alive.
“I don’t know how much longer he had out there,” said  Marquis. “He was lucky. I’m glad we found him when we did.”
Not long after these two reports, five more snowmobilers weren’t quite as lucky, with five reported sledding fatalities between March 1 and March 3 – making it one of the deadliest weekends on Maine’s trails.
“As of March 14, nine people had died this season,” said Turcotte.
That’s why wardens have increased law enforcement efforts on area trails in recent weeks.
“At the request of Gov. John Baldacci, DIFW Commission Roland “Dan” Martin and Department of Public Safety Commissioner Anne H. Jordan on March 3 announced plans to boost enforcement efforts in the woods and  on the roads and highways,” said Turcotte, in an effort to save lives.
Although recent snowstorms have reduced the number of sledders hitting the trails on the weekends, officials said the increased presence of law enforcement was welcomed by snowmobilers.
“We received numerous comments of ‘Good to see you guys out here,’ from snowmobilers,” said Major Gregory Sanborn, acting colonel of the MWS. “We’re hearing that more and more people area talking about being safe when they are out riding. That’s good. It’s important to remember that snowmobiling in Maine is supposed to be fun, not tragic.”
According to MWS statistics, no fatalities were reported from March 4 to 9.
“Nine accidents were reported: three with both property damage and personal injury; three with person injury only; and three with property damage only,” said Turcotte. “Two persons were arrested for operating under the influence during that time, including one person whose blood-alcohol content was 0.23, above the state’s legal limit of 0.08.”
Turcotte said there were four cases of reckless operation, two calls for missing or overdue snowmobilers and 59 cases of snowmobilers driving left of center, operating to endanger, creating excessive noise with their sleds and riding unregistered snowmobiles.
“The numbers are on par with other reported weekly activity during peak weeks this season,” said Turcotte.
With plenty of snow out there extending snowmobile season well into April, the MWS offers a few tips to those hitting the trails: dress appropriately, tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back, ride to the right, obey signs – especially when approaching roadways, try to carry a cell phone, ride with a friend whenever possible, don’t overdrive trail conditions, don’t overdrive headlights, don’t venture on waterways if you’re not sure how thick the ice is and drive at a reasonable speed.