Around 8:30 Thursday night, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office received an SOS signal from a couple from the Bay Area in a 2025 Mercedes 4WD G-Wagon. They were attempting to reach a relative’s house in Meadow Valley, but their navigation software directed them over the Bucks-Oro Highway, which is not maintained for vehicular traffic during the winter months. Two members of the Plumas County Search and Rescue (PCSAR) responded in a tracked Polaris UTV to Soapstone Hill. They were able to extract the couple and turn them around. The UTV escorted them as far as Walker Plain to ensure they reached dry pavement safely, then returned to Quincy around 1:30 AM. While SAR volunteers can sometimes feel frustrated with inaccurate GPS navigation, they are always glad to avert the kind of life-threatening emergencies that can occur in such situations when help is not summoned.
