Snowmobilers missing near Grand Lake found safe

Two snowmobilers who were reported overdue and possibly lost near Grand Lake on Tuesday night were found safe Wednesday.

John Rocky, 49, and his son Tim, 20, both of Cold Spring, Minn., were found walking out of the Bowen Gulch area on foot Wednesday after an extensive search, said Grand County Sheriff Rod Johnson.

The men had texted family members Wednesday morning telling them they were all right but that they had gotten stuck in deep snow and started a fire to stay warm, according to a Sheriff’s Department prepared statement.

They were initially reported overdue at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Grand County Search and Rescue looked for the missing snowmobilers from midnight to 4 a.m. and resumed the search at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday with 14 Search and Rescue members as well as personnel from Rocky Mountain National Park.

At about 11:58 a.m. Park Service personnel found the missing snowmobilers. The searchers had walked up Bowen Gulch from the National Park side and met the snowmobilers coming down on foot.

The men had left their snowmobiles and started walking out, Johnson said. One had minor bruising of the ribs but both were otherwise all right, he said.