There is another small twist to this story that I forgot to mention.

When the snowmobile first broke-down I called my wife on the cell and told her the situation but that I was going to try and contact a friend of mine to see if he could come out on the lake with his snowmobile and a sleigh, that way I would not have to carry all my gear. Unfortunately my friend was not available (he was out ice fishing) so when I called home the second time I reached my teenage son who was to relay the message to my wife that I needed rescue in one hour.

When my wife picked me up at the abandoned factory on the edge of the highway I was surprised that she was alone, I thought my son would have been with her? I had not told him to come but assumed that he would to both help me and lookout for his mother.

I arrived back home to find my son on the couch playing video games and I had a "discussion" with him about how in an emergency situation everyone pitches in to help. I explained that in an emergency there are many unknowns (e.g. stuck vehicle, go through ice, aggressive people) and that often an extra pair of hands or eyes is beneficial.

He is normally a very helpful, responsible kid so I was not too hard on him, we will see what his priorities are like in the next situation.

Mike

P.S. I took the snowmobile in to the dealer today, repairs sound expensive.