“Perfect Storm Averted.”

That’s what Skamania County Undersheriff  Pat Bond said about a stranded woman near Trout Lake this week.  Maria Becerra was traveling from Bend back to her home in Puyallup Washington this week when she relied on GPS to direct her. She ended up near Trout Lake, stuck in the snow, on a Forest Service Road. Her Cadillac Escalade was 4-wheel drive but did not have snow tires. What made things even worse is that there was a language barrier and she had a hard time telling 911 dispatchers exactly what was going on. The cell connection was weak too. The Sheriff’s Office is urging drivers not to rely too much on their navigation systems in snowy weather. Undersheriff Bond says if you are not familiar with the area, and you don’t see tracks in the snow on the road ahead of you, turn around.   Too many times, this kind of a story has a tragic ending.  This time, thankfully, it did not.