Thursday night the Inyo County Search and Volunteers were called out to assist a snowcat stranded with mechanical troubles high in the White Mountains. A Southern California Edison crew was headed to up the road from Westguard pass to perform maintenance at the communication site on Silver Peak when their snowcat suffered mechanical troubles and shut down. It was later learned the snowcat was out of fuel.

A second Edison snowcat attempting to bring a mechanic to the stranded machine was unable to cross a treacherous slope between the Grandview Overlook and the Schulman Bristlecone Grove. With Plan B running into difficulties, and a cold night ahead for the stranded, Edsison staff called out the Inyo County Volunteers.

With moonlight above, the rescuers started out from Westgaurd Pass with two snowmobiles and the county snowcat. The two rescue teams drove over the windy, snow- covered slopes to reach the crew that was stuck about a mile or so past the Schulman Grove.

When the Inyo SAR teams arrived at the stranded Edison snowcat, they found the crew in good health, but getting cold. Further attempts to get the snowcat started were made, but did not work. So the three stranded crewmembers loaded up in the SAR snowcat for the long ride back to their truck at Westguard Pass.