NAMPA, Idaho — For two days, a group of hunters was trapped by the snow in the deserts of Owyhee County. On Monday afternoon, it was an emotional reunion as the group was spotted by the Idaho Army National Guard -- and safely brought home to their families. I'm your neighborhood reporter, Alexander Huddleston, and I sat down with the Galloway family one day following their rescue to hear more about what went right during their ordeal and how it ultimately helped bring the group home.
"Our loved ones had no clue what was going on, or where we were. We never felt like we were in imminent danger. But we definitely knew we needed to be rescued," nodded Greg Galloway.
Greg's son Tristan explained, "We were able to get ourselves unstuck several times but only gained a few feet at a time. So we did what we could to stay warm and conserve energy."
"We tried our best to make it an adventure for my grandson," added Greg. The group shared several videos with Idaho News 6, showing how they tried to keep their spirits up during the whole ordeal.
Upon their return home, the hunters told Idaho News 6 they became stuck when they encountered a snow drift on Saturday — two days before their eventual rescue.
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Tristan told me on Tuesday, "My biggest frustration was that I couldn’t change the circumstances of where we were at."
I reached out to the Twin Falls Sheriff's Department, who said the best way to prepare for a trip is to pack resources and appropriate attire and make sure friends and loved ones know the schedule and location of your trip, which is exactly what helped get this group through the weekend in a remote area of Owyhee County.
Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue, who helped with their rescue, praised the group, saying their preparedness for the situation was welcomed and appreciated.
Watch to see how the group used their truck to stay warm.
"We had plenty of food," said Tristan.
Greg continued, saying, "We had gear that would keep us warm and dry... At first light, we cleared all the snow off."
"We put orange fluorescent flagging tape on the rack. Then on the antenna, my dad put an orange vest that acted as a flag," finished Tristan.
Tristan says the only thing he regrets is not having enough batteries for his inReach device and says he will make sure to pack extra batteries next time.
Galloway's wife Meghan tells Idaho News 6, "As Sunday went on and we continued to not get ahold of them, that kind of kicked into another level for me."
Meghan explained she worked heavily with law enforcement and rescuers, giving them descriptions of the clothes the group was wearing, the color of the vehicle, and where the group would be hunting.
Meghan also said that knowing your loved ones' passwords and account information is important, as authorities were able to access Tristan's cellular data as well as his onXmaps account, which showed the zone where he could be hunting. From there it took rescuers from the Idaho Army National Guard only seven minutes to find the stranded group in their Black Hawk helicopter. The same helicopter brought them safely back to Boise on Monday.
The family says they are extremely thankful for everyone who was involved in the search, highlighting the importance of community and selflessness.
