Snowmobilers Rescued in North Stratford

CONTACT :
Conservation Officer Sergeant Matthew Holmes
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
February 4, 2025

North Stratford, NH – During the late night hours of Monday, February 3, 2025, two snowmobilers were rescued after becoming cold, wet, and lost on a network of ungroomed trails.

At approximately 8:00 p.m., NH Fish and Game received word that Henry Daigle, 71, of Derry, NH, and Paul Ouellette, 70, of Plymouth, MA, were lost in the area of Day Mountain. A Conservation Officer was able to get the men on the phone and learned that they were almost out of fuel, had low cell phone batteries, and were wet and cold. Working with 911, locations for the men were developed and they were given directions on where to attempt to go. The men tried to get out of the area but kept encountering loops and dead ends. It was determined that they had been navigating with old trail maps and had gotten off of the groomed snowmobile trails and onto ungroomed ATV trails. By 9:30 p.m., the men were down to one cell phone, soaked from hours of heavy snow, and still stuck in the area of Day Mountain. Given the totality of the situation, a rescue response was initiated.

Along with a Conservation Officer, members of the Stratford Hollow Fire Department responded to the area with personnel and a tracked UTV (utility terrain vehicle). Fire personnel were first to arrive on scene and immediately drove their UTV into the Day Mountain area to search for the men. Shortly after 11:00 p.m., the men were located approximately 4 miles into the woods from NH Route 3. One of the men was treated at the scene for hypothermia and the other was able to follow rescuers back to the road on his snowmobile. Once roadside, the hypothermic man was evaluated by members of the Groveton Ambulance and ultimately transported to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital in Colebrook for further evaluation and treatment.

As a result of an investigation into this incident, it was learned by authorities that the men had been attempting for 5 hours to self-rescue. Although they were wearing good gear, that many hours in wind-driven snow had left them wet and chilled. They had additional safety gear with them and deployed four space blankets to stay warm while waiting for the arrival of rescuers.

Conservation Officers are very thankful that many local fire departments now have specialized off road rescue vehicles. The Stratford Fire Department recently acquired their UTV and it has already been used multiple times this winter to respond to emergencies in remote areas.