NEWBERRY — The fortunate availability of a cellphone early Wednesday morning provided a lifeline for two snowmobilers stranded miles away from the nearest town in Luce County.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Justin Vinson received a call from Central Dispatch at 1:30 a.m. reporting two men, approximately 65 years of age, were lost in northern Luce County.

The two snowmobilers were from Minnesota and Iowa and were not new to snowmobiling, but they were unfamiliar with the area. Their sleds had run out of gas.

With high winds, heavy rain and temperatures in the mid-30s, the two men were soaked and sought shelter in an outhouse at Holland Lake State Forest Campground, which is situated about 5 miles south of the Lake Superior shoreline and about 25 miles north of Newberry.

Officer Vinson used his DNR patrol sled to reach the stranded men at about 2:45 a.m.

“They said they had no idea where they were or where they had left their vehicle,” Vinson said.

The two men had begun their snowmobile riding at about 11 a.m. Tuesday, after parking their truck and trailer at the intersection of Alger County Highway 58 and the Adams Trail on the Kingston Plains, east of Munising.

The incident illustrates the importance of knowing trail and weather conditions before heading out on a snowmobile trip.

The men could have benefited from a map and a compass or a GPS unit, Vinson noted.