By Nigel Maxwell

Elder grateful to be home

Jan 12, 2015 | 1:15 PM

Raymond Smallchild, 68, said he never once panicked when they were forced Friday  to spend the night in a truck, north of Duck Lake.

Smallchild, along with the two other elders from Beardy’s Okemasis First Nation had gone out hunting that afternoon. Upon the return trip home they encountered some big snow drifts, and the truck got stuck on a back road, about a mile from the main highway.

“I tried to shovel it out but I had just a small shovel….we were hung up pretty bad…there was lots of snow under the truck,” said Smallchild.

Fortunately the truck had a full tank of gas and so the men were able to leave the truck running all night to keep warm. In an effort to try and alert other drivers, the men left the hazard lights on.

The men were forced to wait for help, as none of the three had a cell phone.

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“We just sat there and kept the truck going. I’d go out and try to shovel but the truck kept sinking in,” said Smallchild.

Smallchild said he had considered walking to the nearest highway to try and get help, but dismissed the thought quickly knowing how cold it was.

The men would spend the next twelve hours sharing stories and sleeping.

Around 10:30 Saturday morning, Smallchild would make another attempt to shovel out.

“Then I heard somebody saying hello, good morning…there were these two guys standing there behind the truck,” said Smallchild.

Those two guys would turn out to be members of a search party that had gone looking for the three men. The truck was soon after towed out and the missing men returned home.

Smallchild said he was grateful to return home and plans to make sure he has a cell phone the next time he goes out hunting.

nmaxwell@panow.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell