Korby's Connections: 1996 snowmobile adventure got a bit hairy

This saga sounds like the backdrop to a TV reality show: snowmobiles in the wilderness on the Minnesota/Canada isolated border with subzero record-breaking temperatures, whiteout blizzard conditions and little food, water, or shelter. Due to the weather stress, those snowmobiles eventually became unmovable, but all three riders survived the overnight ordeal.

For Cloquet’s Tim Carle and Johnny and Sis Leon, it was an outdoor challenge they lived to tell about. It could have easily turned the other way.

In February 1996, the three avid snowmobilers planned a nine-day winter vacation driving their rigs from Cloquet to Kenora, Ontario, Canada and back. Via the trails, it was estimated to be a 1,100-plus-mile round trip. Kenora is on the northern tip of Lake of the Woods close to the Manitoba border.

Tim had owned and operated Carle Marine in Cloquet for many years and had driven, maintained, and repaired snowmobiles for more than 30 years. To this day, he is a member and certified youth instructor in the Wood City Riders snowmobile club.

Tim is the only living member left of this group of three adventurers. Johnny Leon passed away in 2006 and Sis (Cecilia) Leon died in February 2021. They were close friends. The Leons were in their 70s when they embarked on the journey, and Tim was 49. They were all seasoned riders and had gone on extended trips. Tim had a new Arctic Cat snowmobile and John and Sis had 1994 Arctic Cat models.

Tim had a cabin on Lake Vermilion and that is where they planned to stay the first night. It is more than 100 miles by car from Cloquet. Typical good days traveling by snowmobile were about 130-140 miles. Cellphones were not yet ubiquitous and weather alerts were not available out on the trails and traversing the backwoods.

It proved to be a challenging trek. The trails in Canada were at times rocky and undulating with cliffs and valleys. They stayed two nights at Lake Vermilion and then the next night in Fort Frances, Ontario, across the Canadian border from International Falls.

The next morning they went to Kenora, their most-northerly point on the map, for an overnight rest. From there they went east and south toward Dryden. Next stop was Atikokan, Ontario. Here the trio was delayed two nights by a blizzard and freezing temperatures. More than a foot of snow had fallen. After hearing reports that eight snowmobilers had recently blazed a trail to the U.S. border and Crane Lake, the trio knew it might be rough going, but passable. That was their goal.

After they crossed into the U.S., the weather took a drastic downturn and the marked trail became less visible. They had camped in this area in the summertime so were somewhat familiar with their surroundings, even with the seasonal difference. While crossing the frozen Namakan Lake, their snowmobiles got bogged down in slush more than a foot deep underneath the snow. They got stuck and after laboriously working to free the machines, they realized darkness was approaching. They were wet and tired, and they would need to spend the night on a nearby island. They made a small clearing on the ground and, thankfully, there was plenty of dry wood on their chosen parcel.

They had packed some Cloquet-factory-made Diamond Brands fire starters, some lighters and matches, and newspaper. They had little trouble getting a fire started. They also had their snowmobile covers to offer some protection from the wind and cold. Tim said they pulled entire dead trees to the fire, some 5 inches in diameter that could be broken and brought to the growing flames. With granola bars and a Hershey candy bar for food, they survived the evening.

The next morning, Tim and Sis readied his snowmobile for a potential rescue mission, free from the frozen snow. John kept the fire burning on shore. With some work — even with subzero temperatures — Tim was able to get the snowmobile running. The plan was that Tim was to follow the marked trail to civilization, and send help back to the other two.

Before Tim left, they wrote “help” in the snow and put a red T-shirt on a long pole, hoping to catch any airplane surveillance attention.

Tim estimated he would be gone three hours seeking help. Wrong. With the snow buildup under his hood and ice forming on the drive belts, after several miles, his machine seized up and stopped completely. He had to then follow his own trail back to the base camp. Disappointed, the three were deciding on their next survival tactic when they heard the drone of an airplane engine overheard. They quickly put some green branches on the fire to make more smoke and frantically waved the red shirt.

The pilot swooped down, saw them, recognized their distress message and tipped his wings back and forth to acknowledge sighting them. The private pilot then radioed authorities for assistance. It took about another three hours before the snowmobilers heard another plane — with skis.

A surveillance plane, utilized by Voyageurs National Park, began circling the camp. The pilot eventually swooped in and several times, with each pass, cut off some of the snowdrift banks and leveled a potential landing surface. He finally got it smooth enough to put his plane safely onto the ice. The pilot asked if anyone was hurt or needing medical attention. He told them the temperature had hit the minus-40s the evening before in International Falls. In a few weeks, the state would see the infamous record low of minus-60 in Tower.

The park pilot informed them that a rescue team was also coming via land to offer assistance.

With a small two-seater plane, only one of the adventurers could be airlifted to safety at a time. With all of the tugging, shoveling, and digging, Johnny felt some slight effects from the effort and took the first trip. The pilot had a semi-frozen sandwich in the plane that was shared by the three. Next trip it was Sis and, finally, Tim.

By the time Tim was leaving the frozen lake, a land rescue party had arrived. Back at the safe camp, first responders and ambulances were there for Tim, Johnny and Sis. Even though they felt no medical side effects, protocol required they get evaluated at the Cook hospital. Luckily, they had no frostbite or hypothermia, just elevated blood pressure, which was understandable. The next day, riders from a Crane Lake snowmobile club took chainsaws with them to free the frozen snowmobiles. Club members brought the Arctic Cats to where they could be later safely retrieved.

It has been more than 25 years since this harrowing snowmobile trip.

The adventure was retold in newspaper accounts across the region. The morning television show “Good Morning America” asked the trio for an interview. Surviving overnight outside in the far reaches of northern Minnesota in record-breaking below-zero temperatures with minimal shelter captures attention.

Tim Carle can be found today operating the local snowmobile trail grooming machine and teaching area youth snowmobile safety. He’ll be telling the students the tale of the fire starters, minimal food, and the “help” message to the pilot written in the snow. The young snowmobilers will be prepared.

Steve Korby’s interest in writing goes back to when he was in fourth grade and editor of the Scan-Satellite school newspaper in Scanlon. Steve loves sports, especially golf. He welcomes human interest stories and tales regarding Carlton County residents, projects, history, and plans. Email him at news@PineKnot News.com.