CUSTER COUNTY, Idaho — An Idaho couple saved two families stranded north of Vanity Summit in the Salmon-Challis National Forest last Wednesday after road construction closed the only road out of the forest.
David Lupien, an avid outdoorsman, and his two kids left for a three-day camp trip expecting to return last Tuesday. No road signs warned of the upcoming road closure, according to Lupien.
"We ran into a road crew which had removed the road with a 10 or 15-foot-deep hole to install a culvert," Lupien told KTVB. "And they told me, this was a three-day job, and they were on day two, and that it should be done the next day, and that I needed to turn around and get back down the mountain and go out and another way."
However, no such alternative route exists. Lupien knew that, but still mapped unmarked roads in his stock Ford F-150.
"And in doing so ended up in country I had no business being in," Lupien said. "The dotted line on the map was a horse trail. So, that was a no go."
The family camped out Tuesday night - without cell service to notify Lupien's wife about their extended absence - at Seafoam Guard Station, an abandon ranger station. The following day, they bet on the construction site to reopen the road.
"There was nobody there. No evidence that anyone had been there the entire day," Lupien said. "That's when I decided on a Plan B."
Lupien and his kids hiked to Vanity Summit with pen and paper. By luck, they found a pickup truck.
"My note was asking to please tell my wife that we're alive, and that we have food for another day. Anyone who's a husband and a father will tell you the worst thing you can ever do to your wife is not come home with your kids," Lupien said. "If you ever need to leave a note on a truck in the wilderness, this is the truck you want to find. Because those people found my note and flew into action and rescued us that night."
The Salmon-Challis National Forest ranger is supposed to sweep the area on the dead end side of a road project before the project cuts off access, a Salmon-Challis National Forest spokesperson told KTVB. They are investigating the matter to understand how multiple groups were left stranded.
"There are systems that are supposed to be in place to prevent this from happening and those systems all broke down," Lupien said. "Not that it was easy, and not that we're excited about this, but it could have been an even worse outcome. That's what I want to make sure never happens in our state."
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