Park County Search and Rescue had a busy Labor Day weekend, rescuing a boater who became stranded in Buffalo Bill Reservoir and assisting an overdue hiker in the Beartooths.

On Thursday, Sept. 3, at 3:31 p.m. the Park County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a disabled boat on the Buffalo Bill Reservoir.

Noble Handley, 64, had been boating in his Lund watercraft when the motor died and the wind began pushing him into the center of the lake. Park County Search and Rescue’s Water Rescue Team was quickly activated and deployed. Utilizing the Ribcraft, an inflatable, fast moving, rescue boat, the team reached the boater by 4:16 p.m. and safely towed him back to the South Fork boat ramp.

Then at 8:37 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, an overdue hiker was reported in the area of Beartooth Lake. A local business owner reported their employee, 28-year-old Alaina Schmidt, had gone hiking the previous day and had not returned. One ground team and the Search and Rescue Aviat Husky Aircraft, Air1, were deployed to the area after her car was located at the Beartooth Lake Trailhead. The subject was located by Air1, the ground team contacted her at 3:44 p.m., found she was uninjured and hiked out with her.

But shortly before search and rescue members reached Schmidt, at 3:03 p.m., two men were reported to have been injured in a horseback riding accident near the Venus Creek Drainage. Guardian Medical Helicopter was launched and arrived on scene at 3:37 p.m., transporting both men to West Park Hospital.

Finally, at 11:31 a.m. Monday, Carbon County, Montana, Search and Rescue requested assistance in locating two missing hikers in the area of the Island Lake Trailhead, as temperatures were set to fall rapidly that evening with precipitation and cold wind. At 2:05 p.m., a Park County Search and Rescue ground team arrived at Island Lake at the same time Carbon County relayed the information that the hikers had been located safely.

“Emergency situations can develop and evolve rapidly in outdoor recreation. Planning ahead and taking safety precautions for all outdoor recreation is very important, especially in this part of the world,” Charla Baugher-Torczon, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said in a news release. “Even something as simple as making sure a fully charged communication device is available and the ability to accurately give a location or having provisions for an unexpected overnight stay or rapid and potentially hazardous weather changes can be the difference between life and death in the wilderness.”