COOLIN - Forest visitors have been keeping Priest Lake Search and Rescue busy this holiday season.

Volunteers from the Priest Lake nonprofit on Tuesday night rescued three people who became stuck in a pickup truck after making a couple of wrong turns and inadvertently began ascending Sundance Mountain.

The trio, a 73-year-old woman from Seattle and her 9- and 14-year-old granddaughters, were heading to the Sundance Mountain Lodge outside Coolin, said Priest Lake Search and Rescue Commander Mike Nielsen.

"She had been coming to Priest Lake for 60 years and she kind of knew the area, generally," said Nielsen.

The truck got stuck after going over a water bar and they managed to summon help with a mobile phone despite spotty cellular service at the lake.

Fortunately, they decided to stay with the vehicle and had a full tank of gas to keep the engine running.

Post-holing through deep snow in unfamiliar terrain at night invites exposure to exhaustion and hypothermia.

"If they would have tried to hike out, we could have had a fatal end. They made the right decision," said Nielsen, adding that it's also easier to find a vehicle than an individual in the wilderness.

Despite being shorthanded because of the holiday, Priest Lake Search and Rescue managed to muster five search teams with all-terrain vehicles, off-road trucks and snowmobiles.

The trio was located at 10 a.m., about two hours after search and rescue was activated. They ferried them off the mountain with snowmobiles.

Last Thursday, search-and-rescue teams from Priest Lake and the Bonner County Sheriff's Office hunted for four overdue snowmobile riders who became snowbound on a night ride on the east side of the lake.

Nielsen said the riders, who were visiting family at the lake and ranged in age from 19 to 27, managed to summon help by calling 911 with a mobile phone.

They were on a trail that is normally groomed, although rain and limited snow accumulation at lower elevations has prevented grooming equipment from reaching higher elevations without being damaged.

The group was later found hiking out of the area.

"They were young. They were in pretty good shape and warm," said Nielsen.

The next day, two riders from the group struck a deer at the Cavanaugh Bay Airport, which totaled one of the rental sleds, Nielsen said.

Priest Lake Search and Rescue has rescued more than 80 people since forming in 2001. They have also gone on 13 body-recovery missions.

Nielsen is grateful for the support of volunteers.

"They're what makes the team happen," he said.