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Snow angels rescue stranded family Thursday Jan 12, 2017 at 4:43 PM Jan 12, 2017 at 4:43 PM By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier Last week the snow piled 30 inches high outside the cabin in Tartar Gulch where Chris Lamas, 22, and Brecca Claitor, 26, moved only two weeks ago. It was an easy measure: Their 9-month-old baby boy, Aluco, stands 27 inches tall. Aluco had heart surgery when he was 3 days old, and Tuesday afternoon his parents learned the boy had another doctor's appointment Wednesday in Grants Pass. Thanks to Josephine County Search and Rescue volunteers and Deputy Jason Stanton — not to mention a Sno-Cat — the family made it. They're also getting a week at the Shilo Inn if they need it. It's just one example of dozens of good deeds done by deputies, search-and-rescue teams and other citizen volunteers in the wake of the epic snowstorm that left behind drifts that still plague the county in some areas. Since Jan. 4, the county has responded to 30 welfare checks, 23 public assists, three medical assists and evacuations of 15 people and three dogs from snowed-in residences, according to the sheriff's office. "They're all giving their time, out in the cold, and volunteering for the community," Stanton said. "It's what the search-and-rescue people love to do." Many of those rescued people had no power for days, and some were running out of food. "We've been out since last Tuesday with all kinds of things, from taking medicine to bringing food," said Dan Gillen, one of the search-and-rescue volunteers who rescued the baby Wednesday. "I didn't talk to anybody who was absolutely out of food, but some were getting close. I've been with search and rescue for 10 years, and we've been on a lot of snow situations, but not this long." Gillen, Buck Newman and Ted Santa Maria are all in their 70s, providing an example of how to stay active in retirement. They joined Stanton and fellow volunteer Lucky Leavitt, who is much younger, on Wednesday's adventure. Two weeks earlier, when Lamas, Claitor and their young son moved to the cabin about 10 road miles from Cave Junction, Lamas stocked up on supplies, figuring they'd get snow. The Holland Store is five miles down the road, too. But the volume of snow brought by the storm caught them off guard. "I've never seen snow like this," said Lamas, who grew up in Southern California. They share the cabin with another man who's training Lamas to be a logger, and another five or six people live in nearby cabins in this remote spot in the Althouse Creek drainage. Lamas said he and his mentor, first name Pat, made three round trips to the Holland Store on foot, taking six hours, because they couldn't even get a pickup down the snowbound road. Lamas had already slid his Bronco off the road on the first try. The young family had food, water, a generator and heat from a woodstove, and "we spent some quality time together" during their snow ordeal, Lamas said. Lamas and Claitor got the call about their son's doctor appointment Tuesday afternoon. They didn't think it was a good idea to carry the boy on foot to the Holland Store, so they got on the phone. Later that evening, their Department of Human Services caseworker was in contact with Sheriff Dave Daniel, himself no stranger to search-and-rescue missions. Last summer he spent weeks searching for the wreckage of a plane from Grants Pass that crashed off the Oregon Coast near Brookings, killing all three occupants. Wednesday morning Stanton and the search-and-rescue team drove five miles in a Sno-Cat and another tracked vehicle, because they needed room for gear and seven people. Everything went smoothly. Later in the day, young Aluco was given a solid bill of health from the doctor. "He's doing great; he's gaining weight, and his heart is doing fabulous," Lamas said. "A million times better than expected." They'll go back home when more snow melts, and are thankful for their rescuers. "They were all awesome. They didn't make us feel like a burden or anything," Lamas said. A news release from the sheriff's office said deputies will continue to respond to calls for assistance, but are unable to deliver firewood, propane, gas and groceries, and do not plow driveways or tow vehicles. In other rescues during the past nine days, a couple was rescued from a mining claim, as was a woman who was providing security for a logging operation in the lower Grave Creek Road area, Daniel said. She was snowbound for a week above 3,000 feet. She had supplies for a few more days, but Daniel said it was decided it would be better to get her out before more snow fell. She and her two dogs were taken to a hotel in Grants Pass. — Reach reporter Jeff Duewel at 541-474-3720 or [email protected]