Teen hunter survives big October storm

A 17-year-old Columbia Falls High School student made it out safely after a harrowing ordeal on Firefighter Mountain on Oct. 27.

Lindsey Landell, of Coram, was hunting with her brother Cody, 23, on the second day of general hunting season — the same day a strong storm moved into the Flathead, knocking down trees and power lines across the valley.

The two separated during the last few hours before sunset with the understanding they would meet back up at 6:30 p.m. But Landell’s watch was set an hour behind, and darkness begins to set in around 7 p.m. Inclement weather was also a factor.

“The mountains I had looked back at to make sure I wouldn’t lose my way were covered with clouds, so I couldn’t see them,” she said.

Finding herself disoriented in the growing darkness, she felt herself start to panic. On top of that, she hadn’t eaten much during the day, wasn’t carrying any water, and her legs were feeling weak.

Landell recalled her father’s instructions if she ever got lost in the woods —stay in one place. But the cold was beginning to take its toll on her, and while she had firestarter material, she didn’t have matches or a lighter.

“As bad as the weather was in town, it was worse up there,” she said.

Two hours later, she began to hear sirens and see flashing lights below her. Her flashlight batteries were growing weak, but she found the strength to head down the steep, wooded terrain as wet, heavy snow fell on her.

“It was definitely steep,” she said. “Everywhere I stepped, I would fall 10 or 20 feet down the slope until I was stopped by a tree,” she said.

Landell figures she was about a mile off her intended return route, but she kept heading for the sirens. She recalls falling to the ground, unable to get back up, when the rescuers’ lights shined on her. By 2 a.m., she was reunited with her family.

“There isn’t a scarier feeling than being alone in the dark of the woods without food and water, not knowing what will happen to you or if you’ll make it out alive to see your loved ones again,” she said.

She wanted to thank everyone who showed up to help — a paramedic she spoke with from Eureka and personnel from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Flathead Valley Search and Rescue, and the Forest Service.

“Knowing the feeling of being alone and scared on a mountain top like that, I want to help that person so much,” she said. “It’s the worst feeling in the world.”