MONROE — Every hunting trip has a memory that sticks out and a story to tell. After three straight years of successful elk hunts in the Idaho backcountry, Monroe native Eric Plantenberg envisioned bagging yet another Elk.

What he didn’t foresee in this year’s adventure would be coming to the aid of a complete stranger in dire need of help.

“It was a really slim chance that it happened, and that we found her,” Plantenberg said, recalling the events that unfolded on Sept. 10 outside of Idaho Falls. 

Plantenberg, a 2004 Monroe High School graduate and current Caledonia resident, was out west bow hunting elk with partner Ben Wernberg, formerly of Wisconsin Rapids and now living in Savage, Minn. They had been working an elk pack through the rugged terrain, and late on Sept. 9 began to plot their plan of action for the next day. They decided to park their truck along the side of a road and hike to the other side of a small mountain. What they didn’t realize was at the top of the ridge was a small, little-used road that didn’t show on their map.

“Had we known the road was there, we would have just driven to it instead of hiking,” Plantenberg said.

They began their hike before sunrise, and, about halfway up the slope, were stunned to find what appeared to be vehicle headlights lit up in a patch of trees some 800 feet from the road.

“It was only about 20-30 yards from us, so we decided to check it out. We didn’t know if it was a car, or maybe another hunter traveling in an ATV,” Eric said.

“If it had been 100 yards away when we saw it, we would have thought it was an ATV and skipped it,” Ben said.

Once on the scene, the outcome was much different. An elderly woman that appeared to be in her 80s was standing alongside the back tailgate of her Nissan Rogue. Eric and Ben looked at each other, then went in to introduce themselves and gather more information: What happened; was she hurt; and was she stuck? 

The traveler had been driving at night on the lesser-used road at the top of Skyline ridge, according to the local Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office report. She thought she was following a gravel path, but eventually she found herself driving down the steep and rocky hillside, ultimately coming to a rest in a grove of trees about 700 feet down the embankment. 

Eric said the woman wasn’t too frantic or worried when they first made contact, but they knew they needed to get her help anyway. So the hunting partners quickly drew up a new plan for the day. Eric would wait back and keep the woman company. Ben tagged his GPS location on his phone, along with some pictures, then made the descent down the hillside back to the truck. He would then drive more than 30 minutes away — just in order to get cell phone reception to call emergency authorities. 

“It was practically the middle of nowhere. By the time he could get back to a spot to get service and make that call, a lot of time would have passed,” Eric said. “We were invested in making sure she got out, and so we knew we were done hunting for the day.”

Eventually, Bonneville County Sheriff Sam Hulse and his partner made contact with Ben, and they traveled back to the scene to assess the situation.

“They talked about maybe using a helicopter or horses to get her out of there, or even using a Blackhawk helicopter to get her vehicle out,” Ben said. 

A full rescue team was brought in, and the woman, draped by a group of about four rescue personnel, eventually walked up the embankment to the top of the ridge some 700 feet. She was transported by ambulance to a local hospital as a precaution. In all, 15 search and rescue volunteers from Idaho Falls Fire/EMS, Swan Valley Fire, and BCSO Backcountry deputies aided in the rescue. 

“I’d never seen a search and rescue before, so it was interesting to hang around to see,” Eric said. “And she was tough. I was winded by the time I got up to the top.” 

Sheriff Hulse followed up later to let Eric and Ben know the woman’s condition. Eric said he had gotten to know the woman through their conversation while waiting for the rescue crews to arrive. He helped pass the time by showing her videos of his young child, who is almost 2-years-old. 

Eric, an Eagle Scout, said being an outdoorsman is just a part of his life. While back in Wisconsin, he often hunts deer and duck, and has traveled to North Dakota to hunt as well. Ben recently was in Alaska fishing salmon, and also considers himself an outdoorsman.

Both are appreciative that their spouses recognize their passion for the outdoors, and allowing them to continue to go on these adventures, despite young children being in the picture. 

The hunting partners met through Eric’s cousin, who came up with a crew to go on an annual hunt. They then split off into pairs, as it’s easier to work together that way. Far from home, camping in a 16-foot by 16-foot tent and no cell phone reception for a week, “You have a lot of time to get to know a guy,” Ben said. Last year, they also found success grouse hunting in Idaho.

Neither hunter had ever imagined being positioned to rescue a stranger on a hill, and neither considers himself a hero, saying they didn’t going above and beyond the normal call of duty in the situation they found themselves in.

“We just did what we needed to do. We did what we think anyone would have done,” Eric said.