Rescued logger recalls ordeal

A man who nearly perished in bitter cold conditions on a snowmobile trail north of the Sault has contacted SooToday and shared some details of his ordeal.

Andy Leversedge, a logger from southern Ontario, had been stranded for two days when snowmobiling Sault residents found him near his disabled logging vehicle (known as a buncher) and took him safely back to their camp. 

“They were a huge help and I’m very grateful for what they did,” Leversedge said.

He was located by the Sault’s Tanya Martin, her husband, two children and two family friends the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 17, while on their way to Halfway Haven Lodge, 140 kilometres northeast of Searchmont.

“After they picked me up on their snowmobiles they took me back to their camp, they were great, they gave me some dinner…great people, can’t say enough about them,” Leversedge said.

Later Saturday, Leversedge was able to get to his truck and contact his wife.

“She was relieved. She was concerned, but on the other hand she trusted I was able to take care of myself.”

Leversedge said he is also grateful to acquaintances in the logging industry who knew he was missing and had been searching for him.

“I trusted them. I just didn’t know, given the storm, how long it was going to be before they were able to get to me, whether it be two days or up to four days…I am very grateful to them.”

“They (the other loggers) did send someone in on a snowmobile and the OPP were on their way as well, but the search was called off after they found out I was okay.”

“I got as far out as I could possibly get and I got a small hydraulic leak so I had to shut the buncher down,” Leversedge recalled. 

“I took a SPOT satellite messenger (a GPS tracking device, which lost or stranded people may use to send out distress messages) and I fired off a mayday signal with that, but it didn’t get through.”  

“The snow came in quicker than I was anticipating after my buncher broke down.”

Fortunately, Leversedge had made sure he had packed all necessary equipment to help him survive until aid arrived.

However, he had eaten only a Granola bar on the day Martin, her family and friends reached him.

“My rations were starting to get low,” Leversedge said, adding he had his rifle ready to start hunting for food.

“My biggest concern was ‘how cold was it going to get?’ but I trusted I would get out.”

“I enclosed the buncher with pine tree boughs so it was more or less wind proof, I had an axe with me so I cut and split wood and I kept a small fire going near the buncher.”

“It wasn’t tropical by any means…I kept the fire going and I didn’t get a lot of sleep because I kept stoking the fire every hour.”

“I’m glad I got out when I did because Saturday evening (Dec. 17) it turned bitter, bitter cold.”

“Needless to say I was pretty happy to see them, I was quite relieved and surprised there were people snowmobiling out to Halfway Haven in that cold weather…I knew at some point I would see a snowmobiler but I thought it would be the loggers I knew.”

“It was definitely quite an experience for my first northern Ontario winter.”

Leversedge said he would “absolutely” keep in touch with Martin and her family.

He is currently staying at a Sault hotel and will be travelling back by snowmobile Thursday to the spot where his buncher still sits.

He will not be travelling alone.

Planning to be accompanied by a Sault cottager, Leversedge plans to fix the buncher’s leak, then go on his way to another logging camp north of the Sault.

“Despite this mishap, I feel I’m pretty good at logging, it’s kind of addicting work, when everything’s up and running the money is good.”

Leversedge, 36, is a Picton, Ontario native who has moved north to work in the logging business.

Leversedge’s wife and three children still reside in Picton, while he works in the logging industry for much of the year away from home.

“The logging industry back home completely crashed, so I decided I had to go where the wood is… but I’ve got to say the attitude up here among the cottagers is they’ll help out no matter what, it’s refreshing, I like it up here.”