For his part, David said the family was struggling with the death but believed a greater meaning was behind his brother's loss, explaining that their mother had also died recently.

"I believe it was time for him to go. I honestly believe God and my mother called him home."

Gerald Garner said David Davenport also reassured him that his brother, an outdoors enthusiast, had died doing what he loved to do and that the ordeal had brought about happy reunions.

Later, law enforcement authorities said a subsequent aerial search this morning revealed the location of the Garners' abandoned truck — about 10 miles north of the Iron/Beaver county line.

Some Beaver County search and rescue workers were going to snowmobile out to the truck, which Tom Garner said when he last seen it it was buried up to its cab in snowdrifts.

He said he and his wife have decided to leave the truck where it is, wait for the snow to melt and possibly try to retrieve it in another six to eight weeks, adding that it is not worth the risk of having anyone get injured.

Reflecting on the ordeal, he said, "The hardest part about this is realizing the implication of your own actions ... It was like I had signed my death warrant, my wife's death warrant."

Much learning and realization came of the experience, however.

"The biggest lesson I learned is you have to have an itinerary," he admitted, "and when the sign says the road is closed, that's what it means."

And in the aloneness of being stranded from the rest of the world for 10 days, Tom said the ordeal brought him and his wife closer together.

Next month, they plan to renew their wedding vows.

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E-mail: preavy@desnews.com