Glacier |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2024. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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Tuesday, July 8, 1986 Grizzly attack in Glacier NP late 7/7/86. Two young men from North Carolina left Siyeh Trail and flushed a small grizzly (sex unknown) a few feet off the trail. G.S., 28-year-old resident of Durham, N.C., was severely chewed in the thigh. He was taken to a hospital in Cardston, Alberta, Canada, and is believed to be in satisfactory condition. His companion, S.H., also of Durham, was unharmed. Glacier also reports snowfall in the higher elevations.
Location: Going-to-the-Sun Hiway, 1/2 mi NE of Road Camp Summary: Motor vehicle accident: R.A.R. was found 350' below road, where he ended up after being thrown from vehicle; car found 600' down. Patrol rangers were looking for vehicle just prior to accident because of report of erratic operation.
Summary: Ms. G.J. was riding in a concession horse train when several horses spooked for unknown reasons. Two young riders and a wrangler received minor injuries; Ms. G.J. died of multiple head trauma.
Location: 1/4 mile E of Logan Pass Mr. and Mrs. Y.V.W. stopped at a scenic overlook on the Going To The Sun Highway. She was standing at the edge of the overlook so that he could take a picture of her when she slipped and fell 100' and rolled another 50'. She was still alive when rangers reached her, but expired while they were attempting to revive her via CPR.
Location: Just below Granite Park Chalet Mr. J.B. and Ms. P.D. were hiking a trail in the park when they came around a corner and surprised a grizzly. The bear attacked both hikers, moving back and forth from one to the other, then left. J.B. had both arms broken and flesh shredded from the arms; P.D. suffered punctures and scratches and also had flesh shredded from one leg. They were able to walk to help, and both were in shock. They were evacuated to Kalispell Hospital.
Location: Elk Mountain Mr. C.G. and his wife day-hiked to Ole Creek in the park. On their way back, they spotted a female and three yearling grizzlies high on Elk Fountain. C.G., who was an avid wildlife photographer, asked his wife to return to the car and told her he was going to try and get seme close-up slots. This was at 5 pm; when he had not returned by 10:15, his v/ife notified the park. A. search was mounted at first light, and bis body v/as found at 3:10 pra on the 26th. There were extensive injuries, but no predation. Although C.G. had a history of heart problems, injuries seem the probable cause of death at present. He was carrying a .45 semi-automatic Colt handgun, but it apparently was not fired. An autopsy and board of inquiry are both to be held.
Location: Going to the Sun Road just above Triple Arches B.J.C. was the driver of a motorcycle when it hit guardrails at the side of the road. The motorcycler along with B.J.C., flipped over an embankment and fell approximately 275'. B.J.C. was riding with 2 companions one who went to get help. The first ranger on the scene could find no pulse on B.J.C.. B.J.C. had also sustained severe head injuries. He was not wearing a helmet. The body was carried out by litter. Next of kin will be notified by the Calgary Police Department.
Location: Mini Glacier Area A search for a missing helicopter from Great Falls Montana began on Saturday morning in the park. The Mercy Flight crew had participate! in a training session with park personnel on Friday, 6/5. The Bell Long Ranger took off at approximately 7:10pm on Friday with the pilot, a flight nurse, and 2 physicians on board. One of the physicians is the park medical advisor. The flight was to reach Great Falls Montana by 9p.m. as two of the passengers were to report to work at that time. Thunderstorms occurred in the park that evenings. It is thought they may have flown in a pattern to avoid the storms. As of today, 6/8, the search has centered in a area east of the park, near the town of Valier. Park personnel are not involved today. Park personnel had been involved in air and ground search over the weekend.
Location: near Gibson Reservoir Wreckage of the Bell Long Ranger helicopter was found yesterday, 6/9, by a USAF plane. Location of the wreckage is approximately 60 miles north and west of Great Falls, MT, and approximately 115 miles south of the park. Since Monday the search had been conducted by the Montana State Aeronautics Division. The ship apparently hit a mountain ridge, and burst into flame upon impact. There were no survivors. The two physicians on board were the medical directors for the emergency rooms of two hospitals in Great Falls. Also killed in the crash were a nurse and the pilot.
Location: Elk Mountain On April 25th, Mr. C.G. and his wife were hiking in the park. C.G., an avid wildlife photographer, spotted a female grizzly and three cubs and went to take photos of them while his wife returned to their car. When he failed to return, a search was begun. His badly mauled body was found the next day. A board of inquiry was held and the report has been issued. A reconstruction of events based in part on the photos found in C.G.'s camera led to a determination that C.G. had unduly provoked the grizzlies. He had taken 39 photos of them from 8 different positions, the closest at 168'. Each time the bears had moved away from him, he had pursued, closing the distance each time. C.G. finally got too close for the mother, who, in protecting her cubs, turned on him. Although C.G. tried to climb a tree, the bear pulled him down and severely mauled him. There was no predation. C.G. bled, to death, and the bear and her cubs moved on. No management actions will be taken.
Location: 1 mile from Many Glacier Hotel R.H. had been drinking with M.S.B. at the hotel. Following a disagreement, he left on his motorcycle, went off a curve one mile down the road, and flipped over. The bike landed on top of him. A park paramedic was the first person on the scene; despite efforts to save him, Hall died.
Location: 2 miles north of Many Glacier Hikers discovered the remains of a human body identified to be those of G.G., a hiker who had been missing since July 25 of this year. The body was found 1/2 mile north of Natahki Lake. The remains appear to have been disturbed and buried by bears. No autopsy will be performed. The area is described to have cliffs where G.G. may have fallen. A camera with 12 exposed frames was found with the remains. The film is to be developed in an attempt to determine what may have taken place. Next of kin have been notified. G.G. was employed as a night auditor at the Swift Current Inn within the park and had reportedly gone hiking without registering for a permit. A board of inquiry will be held at a later date.
Location: Going to the Sun Highway Over the past week there have been isolated reports of gunfire in the vicinity of Going to the Sun Highway. Nothing has been found upon investigation. At 10 am yesterday morning, an NPS ranger on patrol in a marked vehicle may have been shot at, but he was unable to confirm this with certainty. On three separate occasions later in the day the park received reports from individuals who believed that they had been shot at while driving in the same area. At 4:30pm on the same day a maintenance vehicle driven by a maintenance employee was struck by a small arms round, but the employee was not injured because the bullet disintegrated as it came through the door. This morning, 7 rangers, 1 Kalispell city policeman and dog, and 2 FBI agents searched the area for the alleged sniper. Going to the Sun Highway has been closed temporarily. The search team reported hearing 5 shots which were fired approximately 1/2 mile from their location at 10:21 am. The latest report from the park states that a suspect has been apprehended and is now in custody. No further details are known at this time. Follow-up The man who was apprehended has been identified as C.S.S. of Dix, Illinois. He is 32 years old. Investigators have found that Illinois police have been searching for C.S.S. as a suspect in a serious felony which occurred in their state. A magistrate has ordered that C.S.S. undergo psychiatric examination. C.S.S. has so far refused to make any statement. He has been charged with attempted murder, and is under a $100,000 bond. Investigation has also confirmed that another government vehicle had been hit by a bullet in the rear wheel well, and that two visitor vehicles which had suffered flats had also been hit by sniper bullets. Follow-up It has been confirmed that a total of two government and four civilian vehicles were shot and struck by the sniper. Investigation has also revealed that the bullet which hit the maintenance man went through the driver's door, struck the steering wheel and ricocheted into a can of snuff in his pocket. C.S.S. is still incarcerated on attempted murder charges.
Location: Granite Park Chalet A young adult female grizzly died while being relocated from the Granite Park Chalet area. The bear was tranquilized with M-99 and then transported by sling load to the relocation area. Upon arrival at the relocation area, the bear was checked and found to be dead. It is suspected that the bear may have suffocated during transport or that she received an accidental over dose. The University of Montana has the carcass and while do an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The park is conducting a board of review in the incident. Follow-up; 7/25 Autoposy results indicate that the bear died as a result of a reaction caused by sensitivity to the tranquilizer M-99. The death was not due to an over dose or suffocation.
C.S., who was arrested for shooting at and hitting several vehicles and one employee in Glacier in October of 1987, has been convicted of the kidnapping, sexual assault and first-degree murder of a ten-year-old girl by a jury in Jefferson County, Illinois. C.S.'s conviction was based on information developed by the NPS during the investigation of the Glacier incident. The entire murder case rested upon the legality of an inventory of property which a seasonal commissioned ranger had conducted of C.S.'s abandoned vehicle. The property was allowed as evidence in the trial because of the Service's mandatory requirements for inventorying the contents of impounded vehicles. C.S. has been serving a term of 15 years in federal prison for the offenses committed in Glacier. (Tom McDonnell, RAD/RMRO, via CompuServe massage to all regions and WASO).
Four gray wolves (an adult female, her two female pups and another older male) recently trapped on private ranch land west of Kalispell were translocated to a remote drainage in south-central Glacier on the 14th. Initially, the wolves were to be relocated to USFS land in the Great Bear Wilderness; due to pressure from the Wool Growers Association, however, Montana Governor Stan Stephens requested that the animals be relocated where wolf populations are already confirmed. As of Wednesday, the adult female had travelled approximately 40 miles southwest of the original drop site. Her two female pups were still in the vicinity of the relocation site and the older male had moved downstream a few miles. All wolves are radio- collared and the USFWS is monitoring their movements regularly. The animals will be removed if there should be any conflict with livestock. (CompuServe message from Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC).
At approximately 8:30 p.m. on the evening of the 2nd, park rangers found the body of B.S., 50, of Whitefish, Montana, in Lake McDonald on the west side of the park. B.S.'s husband had reported her missing; because she was known to frequent the park, a search was initiated by rangers which led to the discovery. An investigation is underway, but homicide is not believed to have been the cause of death. (Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, via telefax from park, noon EDT, 4/3/90).
Nine-year-old S.O. of Dayton, Wyoming, was injured by a mountain lion in the Apgar picnic area on Lake McDonald just before noon on July 23rd. The boy, who was with his parents, was playing with other children on the beach near the picnic area when the lion apparently attacked him. His parents were summoned to the beach by one of the other youths, and the mountain lion ran off as they approached yelling. S.O. received lacerations and puncture wounds to his head, face, neck and right arm. Rangers temporarily closed the picnic area while an investigation was conducted. The incident appears to have been unprovoked. The cat was reported to be full grown but small in size. Rangers are searching the area and plan to bring in a mountain lion hunter with dogs to help track and destroy the animal. S.O. is reported to be in stable condition. Further details will be provided as they become available. (CompuServe message from Bob Andrew, CR, GIAC).
Around 11 p.m. on the night of the 31st, concession employees M.A., 23, and D.M., 22, were hiking on the Iceberg-Ptarmigan Lake Trail in the Many Glacier area when they surprised a bear. The bear attacked and seriously mauled both of them - M.A. suffered bites and lacerations the length of his right leg and bites on his upper right arm, D.M. received bite wounds on her upper right arm and arm pit, her right chest and right side, and her right leg and hip. They were able to hike out, and have since been hospitalized. Both are reported to be in stable condition. It is unclear whether the bear was a grizzly or a black bear. Although bear prints at the scene of the incident were small, it is believed that the bear was probably a grizzly. The trail has been closed. No action against the bear is presently planned. M.A. and D.M. work at Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier. (Telephone report from Jim Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 7/31, and Associated Press report, 8/1).
On July 23rd, nine-year-old S.O. received lacerations and puncture wounds to his head, face, neck and right arm when he was attached by a 40- pound yearling mountain lion in the Apgar picnic area on Lake McDonald. Park rangers subsequently brought in a mountain lion tracker and his dog. The tracker found the cat within 100 yards of where the incident occurred, and rangers killed the animal. The body was subsequently taken to a state lab for a necropsy and rabies testing. The latter proved negative. The stomach contents included a piece of fabric which was not from S.O.'s clothes; it's source has not been determined. There have been no observations of mountain lions in the area since the incident, and the picnic area has been reopened. S.O. had minor surgery to a puncture wound near his left eye, and will remain in the hospital in Missoula over the weekend. (Telephone report from Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs, GLAC, 8/2).
The injuries that M.A. and D.M. received during the confrontation with the bear have been characterized by doctors as being relatively slight. Both are still in the hospital following minor surgery, and are to be interviewed by rangers today or tomorrow. The Iceberg- Ptarmigan Lake Trail is closed from the trailhead to Ptarmigan Tunnel - a stretch of about ten miles - and will remain closed until it's been determined that a repeat incident is unlikely. Rangers are still trying to ascertain what species of bear attacked the pair. There have been no further sightings of bears anywhere in the area. (Telephone report from Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs, GLAC, 8/2).
On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 31st, D.L., 26, of Falls Church, Virginia, and a companion were camped at Gunsight Lake when D.L. told his friend that he'd decided to take a solo hike to Jackson Glacier. He took no supplies with him. When he failed to return by Wednesday morning, his companion hiked out and reported him missing. A hasty search was begun that afternoon, then expanded into a full search the following day. The park employed 20 field personnel, a helicopter and tracking dogs in the effort to find Lemmon. At 11:30 on Friday morning, a helicopter crew spotted D.L. in the Upper St. Mary River drainage in the vicinity of Florence Falls. He was suffering from hunger, exhaustion, hypothermia, a chest injury and kidney complications. D.L. was evacuated to Kalispell Regional Hospital by helicopter. (Telefax from Bob Andrew, CR, GLAC, 8/6).
On August 8th, 29-year-old N.W. of Kerrobert, Saskatchewan, went off the Going-To-The-Sun Road with his motorcycle and fell approximately 100 feet to his death. The accident occurred in the vicinity of Triple Arches, about two miles down the west side of the highway from logan Pass. N.W. was apparently westbound at the time. N.W. was pronounced dead at the scene. (Telefax report from Amy Vanderbilt, RAO, GLCA, 8/9).
When concession employee B.M., 21, of New Providence, New Jersey, failed to show up for work at the St. Mary Lodge on the morning of the 8th, park rangers began a search for him. B.M.'s car was soon located at Logan Pass, and it was learned that he had intended to make a solo climb of either Mt. Gould or the Bishop's Cap. A ground search of the area was conducted, and a helicopter was called in to provide assistance. Early in the afternoon, B.M.'s body was spotted by the helicopter crew above the Garden Wall on the north side of Bishop's Cap. It appears that he fell at least 100 feet. B.M. was an avid climber who had climbed many peaks in the park, including most of those surrounding Logan Pass. He had also attended an orientation session in June in which climbing hazards had been discussed by park personnel. Although he was carrying a small day pack with water, food and a rain jacket, he was not prepared to camp overnight and did not have climbing equipment. B.M. had not registered his intended climb with park personnel. (Telefax from Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 9/9).
On June 7th, S.O. and R.T. arrived in the park and obtained a backcountry permit for three nights in the Quartz area. The hikers reportedly lost the trail in Cummings Meadow and became separated while trying to regain it. Neither party had a map, but Trosper had a compass and was able to find his way back to the trailhead. He waited a day and a half for Obert to return before reporting him missing to park rangers. Trosper also confessed that S.O. had two 15-month-old gray wolves with him and that he intended to release them in the park. It was also determined that S.O. had little food, but was well equipped and very experienced at survival. A helicopter and two dog teams were brought into the park to begin a search for him on June 10th, but S.O. returned to the Quartz Creek trailhead before the dog teams could be deployed. Rangers met him there. The wolves had been roaming freely while S.O. had been in the backcountry, but had returned to him on several occasions; he was able to successfully capture them and bring them to the Polebridge Ranger Station that evening. S.O. was charged with introducing wildlife into a park area and improper disposal of refuse. He appeared before a U.S. magistrate on the 11th and pled guilty to both charges. The magistrate fined him $500 and sentenced S.O. to six months in jail for each of the two charges, but deferred sentencing pending S.O.'s successful transfer of ownership of the wolves toa credible institution within 30 days. The magistrate also said that he would deduct any cost S.O. incurs in legally relocating the wolves from the $1,000 fine, and told S.O. that it would be up to the park to decide whether recovery of search costs approximately $3,400 would be made a part of the sentence. Superintendent Gil Lusk has stated that the park will pursue restitution of all costs associated with the incident. During the investigation of the case, rangers learned that S.O. had purchased the male/female pair as small pups in his home state of Tennessee and that he had raised them on mountainous property in the eastern part of the state. S.O. claimed that they were full-blooded wolves and said that they had been taught to hunt small game and existed only on what they caught. He intended to leave the wolves to establish a new pack rather than to join the existing Camas pack. It is likely, however, that the introduced animals would have been killed by wolves from that pack; even if this hadn't happened, the wolves could have introduced diseases or wolf hybrids conditioned to people among them. Further details on S.O.'s sentence will be released as information becomes available. [Telefaxed news release from Amy Vanderbilt, GLAC, 6/12]
Two hikers, L. and A.S. of Canfield, Ohio, were attacked by a bear on the Avalanche Lake Trail around 10:30 a.m. on July 17th. The two sustained serious injuries, but survived the attack. Park medic Gary Moses and EMT Conrad Ervin arrived at the scene of the attack about 20 minutes after it occurred and began emergency medical care, including advanced life support. A rescue team carried the victims approximately a half mile to the trailhead, where they were picked up by an ambulance and a medevac helicopter. The victims initially thought that the bear was a black bear, but now think it may have been a grizzly. An investigation by park rangers is underway. No management action is planned against the bear, which was a female with a young bear with her. The incident is considered to be a surprise encounter which resulted in natural defensive behavior on the part of the bear. [Telefax from Bob Andrew, CR, GLAC, 7/29]
Three cars were broken into in a park campground in the early morning hours of July 26th. The thief or thieves took approximately $850 in cash from purses that were either in plain view or under the cars' seats. Slim jims were apparently used to gain entry to the vehicles. Ranger Ron Bryan is investigating. [Telefax from Bob Andrew, CR, GLAC, 7/29]
A passenger van went off a steep section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the evening of July 24th and rolled numerous times before coming to rest at a point 750 feet below the highway. All six occupants were wearing seatbelts; none were killed, but three had serious injuries. Ranger Shelagh More and park medic Gary Moses, who were the first on the scene, began triage and organized the rescue efforts. Approximately 30 park employees and numerous passing park visitors including a trauma surgeon, a nurse and an EMT were involved in the rescue effort. Three ambulances and medevac helicopters from Kalispell and Great Falls were summoned to the scene to evacuate the victims. The rescue effort was complicated by the fact that four of the victims spoke Italian and no English. Park visitor Michelle Jacobo of Muenster, Indiana, served as a translator. The rescue involved the setting of hand lines, litter belays, and a park winch to raise the litters up a steep slope. The three victims who sustained multiple fractures and lacerations were L. and R.T. of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and C.G., of Milan, Italy. The less seriously injured victims, who suffered multiple abrasions and lacerations, were L., E. and C.G., all of Milan, Italy. [Telefax from Bob Andrew, CR, GLAC, 7/29]
E.F., 52, of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, was killed on the afternoon of August 3rd when his 1991 Ford Explorer went off the roadway of the Going-to-the-Sun Highway just east of Logan Pass. E.F. was thrown through the vehicle's sun roof for a distance of 140 feet. [Bob Andrew, CR, GLAC, via telefax from RAD/RMRO, 8/5]
D.L., 62, and his wife, L.L., both of Holland, Michigan, were hiking on a trail about a half mile from Iceberg Lake on the afternoon of August 30th when a female bear and two yearlings of uncertain species emerged on the trail below them. The adult bear immediately charged the couple from a distance of approximately 100 feet. They both dropped into fetal positions, but L.L. went on the offensive when the bear attacked her husband. She hit it on the head several times with her binoculars, and the bear reportedly departed shortly thereafter. Initial emergency medical assistance was provided at the scene by several other hikers with various emergency medical skills, including an EMT and two nurses. A hiker reported the incident to rangers at the Many Glacier Ranger Station about an hour later, and they arrived at the scene by foot and helicopter within 90 minutes. D.L.'s injuries included lacerations to his chest and right wrist and puncture wounds to his back and right thigh. He was stabilized and transported by helicopter to a regional hospital in Kalispell, where he is now recovering. The Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Lake trails from the Swiftcurrent trailhead to the Ptarmigan tunnel are temporarily closed until further notice. Because of the surprise nature of the incident, no action will be taken against the bear. Rangers are monitoring the area, but there have been no further sightings in the vicinity of the incident. Bear scat was gathered at the scene which may help determine the species. [Telefax from Amy Vanderbilt, GLAC, 9/3]
Some time between midnight and 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 12th, six vehicles were broken into in the Apgar Campground. A slim jim or similar device appears to have been used to gain entrance through the vehicles' doors or wing windows, so there was no damage to the vehicles themselves. The thief or thieves took approximately $500 in cash, but did not take any of the travelers' checks, credit cards, photographic equipment or other items that were in the vehicles. Most of the cash was taken from wallets or purses, especially those under passenger seats or in glove boxes. The vehicles were only 20 feet from sleeping campers when they were entered; one pickup was broken into without disturbing a dog in the bed of the truck. Some campers reported hearing footsteps near their tents between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m., followed by the sound of a car door closing. One shined a flashlight in the direction of his vehicle and heard someone run away. The only suspect in the case is an unknown transient who had been observed in the area. [Telefax from Bob Andrew, CR, GLAC, 9/16]
D.J., 31, and R.A., 27, both residents of Montana, were hiking on Trout Lake Trail on October 6th when they spotted two grizzlies on the trail. One of the bears charged from about 50 yards away and attacked Johnson. When R.A. went to his assistance, the bear attacked her, then left the area. Both suffered multiple puncture wounds, and one of D.J.'s elbows was broken. The couple hiked four miles back to their car, then drove for help. They are now in a hospital in Kalispell and are reported to be in stable condition. The park closed trails in the area near the attack and planned to send a patrol to the scene of the incident to try and pinpoint where the attack occurred. Punitive action against the bear is not planned. [Associated Press report, 10/7]
On the afternoon of November 9th, visitors looking at a mountain goat through binoculars from a bridge over the Middle Fork of the Flathead River heard a gun shot and saw the goat fall to its death. They subsequently reported the incident to rangers and an investigation into the incident was begun. At 3:00 a.m. the following morning, rangers Kyle Johnson, Charlie Logan and Curt Frain arrested D.M., 38, and J.R., 34, in the Walton area and charged them with illegally killing an adult female mountain goat and with illegal possession of weapons in the park. A 1983 Chevrolet Camaro was seized at the time of the arrest, and a 1990 Dodge Dakota pickup was subsequently seized during the execution of a search warrant. The pair appeared before a magistrate on November 12th and pled not guilty to the poaching charges. Bail was set at $1,000 for each defendant. [Telefaxed press releases from Amy Vanderbilt, GLAC, 11/12 and 11/13]
On January 13th, D.M., 38, and J.R., 34, of Columbia Falls, Montana, pled guilty to charges associated with the killing of a mountain goat in the Walton area of the park last November. They were convicted on charges of hunting in the park, conspiracy to hunt in the park, and possession of a weapon in the park. The following NPS sentencing recommendations were accepted by the court: - sixty days in jail with credit for time already served (four days for
D.M. and three days for J.R.), with the balance suspended contingent on
fulfillment of probation requirements; The convictions stem from an incident which occurred on November 9, 1991, in which an adult female mountain goat was shot and killed in broad daylight a few hundred yards north of U.S. Highway 2 near the Walton Goat Lick. The incident was initially reported to ranger Kyle Johnson by two park visitors. Johnson began an investigation and organized a round-the-clock surveillance of the crime scene after he determined that the goat carcass had not yet been retrieved and a rifle had been stashed in a nearby tree. Rangers Johnson, Curt Frain and Charlie Logan arrested D.M. and J.R. the following afternoon when they returned to the scene to pick up the goat carcass and rifle. The two visitors who initially reported the incident will share a $500 reward from the NPS for providing information which led to the arrest and conviction of the two men. [Telefax from Bob Andrew, CR, GLAC, 1/29]
A Grumman AA5 crashed on relatively flat ground 600 feet southeast of the Logan Pass visitor center late on the morning of February 12th, killing W.S., 57, and his wife, M., 54, both of Lacombe, Alberta. A tour aircraft piloted by M.S. of Strand Aviation picked up the ELT signal around 3:30 that afternoon, and the park received an official notice of an overdue aircraft shortly thereafter. M.S. helped locate and confirm the actual crash site; Canadian military search and rescue personnel subsequently joined the search effort and confirmed the fatalities. Recovery efforts and an investigation into the crash were to be conducted on the 13th. The last communication received from the S.'s came at 10:50 a.m. on the 12th when they requested weather information from the Lethbridge Flight Service Station in Alberta. At that time, the plane was 15 miles north of the station at an altitude of 8,000 feet. [Telefaxed report from Amy Vanderbilt, GLAC, 2/12]
Rangers shot and killed a subadult female black bear in the vicinity of Bowman Lake Campground early yesterday morning because of its food-conditioned behavior and the property damage it had inflicted at the campground. At about 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, J. and R.S. of Billings, Montana, were awakened when a black bear swiped at their tent, tearing the tent's back and front window screens. Although the bear reportedly woke R.S. when it hit her head with its paw, she was not injured. Approximately 15 minutes later, the bear woke C.F. of Chatham, New Jersey, when it swiped at his tent's rear screen and tore its side. When C.F. went to his truck at 7:00 a.m., he reportedly saw the bear enter his tent and take a water bottle. Investigating rangers also learned that numerous campers had seen the bear wandering through the campground the previous evening licking fire grates and chewing on water bottles. A baited trap was sent in the campground, but the bear eluded it. The bear was located early Wednesday morning and destroyed because of its conditioning to human food and its aggressive behavior. The campground has been restricted to hard-sided camping until further notice. Rangers will continue monitoring the campground to assure no other bears are frequenting the area before it is reopened for tent camping. Park personnel indicate that the bear was similar in appearance to one that reportedly bit the toe of a camper in the same campground last summer, but it is impossible to determine if the same bear was involved in both incidents. The bear's carcass is being taken to a taxidermist in order to obtain a study skin which will be used by ranger naturalists for educational purposes. [Telefaxed report from Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/10]
On the afternoon of June 22nd, rangers from St. Mary were transporting Hudson Bay district naturalist Lynne Murdock and her husband Sean to a hospital in Kalispell when it became evident that delivery was imminent. Lake McDonald rangers met the westbound vehicle at Logan Creek pit on Going-to-the-Sun Road, just ahead of an ambulance from Columbia Falls, and a request was also transmitted for assistance from an A.L.E.R.T. helicopter and medical team. The medical team, assisted by rangers and ambulance personnel, delivered a healthy baby girl at approximately 2:10 p.m. Both mother and baby were transported to the hospital via the A.L.E.R.T. helicopter and are reportedly in fine condition. [Amy Vanderbilt, GLAC, 6/22]
Shortly before noon on July 19th, J.S., 20, of Kalispell, Montana, fell to his death while climbing the west face of Mount Gould along the park's Garden Wall area north of Logan Pass. J.S. started the climb from the Weeping Wall with two partners, but was apparently behind them at the time of the fall. After reaching the summit, the climbers waited for Skibsrud to arrive, then descended to look for him. They found that he'd fallen into a scree field about 800 feet above the Highline Trail near the saddle east of Haystack Butte. Both climbers hiked back to the Logan Pass visitor center, where they reported the accident. Rangers were flown to the scene and recovered J.S.'s body. J.S. was an avid and experienced climber who had climbed numerous peaks within the park. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 7/24]
A mountain lion attacked 12-year-old N.M. of Cornville, Arizona, about three and a half miles from the foot of Lake McDonald on the Going to the Sun Road at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 12th. N.M. suffered serious lacerations to the face and puncture wounds to the chest and arm during the attack, which lasted about ten seconds. The boy and his father were in the woods about 20 feet from the road when the lion attacked the boy, who was about 15 feet behind his father. N.M.'s father was able to kick the lion off the boy. Park medics and EMTs provided medical assistance and an medevac helicopter transported the boy to Kalispell Regional Hospital. A local mountain lion tracker and dog handler was called in to track the lion. He was joined by rangers, who shot the lion when it was found. The animal will be sent to a state lab for a necropsy. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 8/13]
About 100 members of the Blackfeet tribe held a peaceful demonstration in front of the Many Glacier Hotel protesting park and concession hiring practices and other issues on the afternoon of August 10th. Representatives of the tribal business council subsequently met with the NPS advisory board, which was holding its semi-annual meeting at the hotel, and discussed these issues with them. Glacier rangers and a RMR special events team were on hand to provide law enforcement and manage traffic and parking at the demonstration site. Initial information indicated that the demonstration and other actions by some tribal members might be disruptive, but potential problems were defused through effective communications between the park and the demonstration's organizers, the presence of sufficient rangers, and the willingness of the board to meet with representatives of the tribal council. The event ended on a positive note and the park and tribe are continuing to work together to resolve tribal concerns. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 8/13]
Between midnight and dawn on August 13th, a thief or thieves broken into four vehicles in the Fish Creek campground and took approximately $400 in cash and about $1,000 in jewelry. None of the travelers' checks, credit cards, photographic equipment or other items in the vehicles were touched. All of the cash was taken from wallets or purses, especially those under passenger seats or in glove boxes. A slim jim or similar device was apparently used to gain entrance through the vehicles' doors or windows, and there was little damage to the vehicles themselves. Some of the vehicles were only 20 feet from sleeping campers. The modus operandi is almost exactly the same as that employed in car clouts which occurred in Glacier last year. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 8/14]
R.R. 47, of Cannon Beach, Oregon, and D.M. of Seattle, Washington, were hiking towards Swiftcurrent Pass on the afternoon of August 21st when they came upon a group of four bears, described as grizzlies, above the trail. The lead bear stood up as three smaller bears trailed behind, then dropped down and charged the couple while the other three bears ran in another direction. Both hikers dropped into fetal positions. The bear attacked R.R., who eventually began to roll down hill. The bear followed him briefly, then left. R.R. suffered multiple puncture wounds and lacerations to his right side, primarily his hand, shoulder, back, thigh and knee. D.M. was not injured. The hikers continued down the trail until they met two fishermen at Bullhead Lake. One remained with the couple while the other went for help. He encountered a concession-run horse ride near Red Rock Lake; that group included a nurse, who rode to the scene with a wrangler and provided initial medical care to R.R.. Another wrangler left to notify rangers, who responded, provided further care, and transported R.R. by litter to the Many Glacier area. He was subsequently taken to a hospital in Great Falls, Montana, where he is currently reported to be in good condition. Rangers are attempting to locate and identify the group of bears. The attack appeared to be a natural defensive response on the part of the bear, and no action is intended against it. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 8/28]
J.P., 40, of Madison, Wisconsin, was killed by a grizzly bear on the park's Loop Trail approximately a half mile below the Granite Park Chalet area on the morning of Saturday, October 3rd. Wildlife photographer Buck Wilde was heading down the trail that afternoon when he came upon a day pack, cap, camera and tripod along the side of the trail. He soon found further evidence, including blood, which led him into the brush, where he discovered J.P.'s body. Wilde could not obtain a pulse, but noted that J.P.'s body was still warm. He ran to get a coat to cover J.P.; when he returned three to four minutes later, the body was gone. Wilde posted several notes at key locations to alert other hikers to the incident and remained at Granite Park to turn other hikers around. Numerous hikers reported the bear attack to park personnel. Two rangers were flown by helicopter to the scene Saturday evening, located the scene of the incident with Wilde's assistance, and found J.P.'s body. Evidence indicated that an adult female grizzly with at least one cub-of-the-year were probably responsible. J.P. sustained major trauma and numerous puncture wounds from head to toe, but the exact cause of death was unclear. Evidence indicates that the incident was a surprise encounter, but the bears subsequently lingered in the area and displayed aggressive and predatory behavior. While assessing the scene and preparing to move the body, the three men were charged by a female grizzly with at least one cub. The charge occurred within close proximity to the location where the attack had occurred. The grizzly stopped her charge about 50 feet from the group. Loss of light and the fact that grizzlies were known to still be in the area prompted the group to stay at the Granite Park patrol cabin that night. Other rangers were flown in on Sunday afternoon to assist with the body recovery and complete an investigation of the accident scene. All trails leading into Granite Park remain closed until further notice. J.P. had taken four pictures with his camera; the film will be developed and examined. After consultation today with other bear experts today, park officials will decide on a course of action. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 10/5]
Following consultation with park bear biologists and bear experts from other agencies, park officials decided yesterday to attempt to remove the family of grizzly bears believed to have been involved in the death of J.P. last Saturday. All agreed that the entire family should be destroyed because they had fed on the victim. Evidence indicates that the incident was initially a surprise encounter and that predation was not the cause of the attack. Zoo and research facilities are not viable options. J.P., the ninth person to be killed by bears in the park since 1967, was day-hiking by himself when he encountered the grizzlies. He was carrying a day pack with gear but no food. J.P. reportedly had 15 years of extensive backpacking experience, including hikes in bear country. His visit to Glacier was his last stop on a three week vacation, most of which was spent in the Canadian Rockies. The Granite Park area and all trails leading into the area remain closed until further notice. Rangers were unsuccessful in attempts to find the bears yesterday afternoon, but will resume efforts this morning. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 10/5]
While hiking down the loop trail on the afternoon of October 7th, rangers came upon tracks of an adult grizzly with cubs and numerous fresh diggings in the area near where J.P.'s body was found. It's believed that these are from the family group of bears responsible for J.P.'s death. Rangers and Montana state biologists plan to return to the scene as soon as possible and resume their efforts to locate and destroy the adult female grizzly and her two cubs. An attempt to snare the bears failed late on Tuesday when a lone adult grizzly took the road-killed deer meat left as bait and ran off with it. The bear met the description of one seen by a hiker on Highline trail on October 3rd and is not the adult implicated in J.P.'s death. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 10/8]
On October 11th, park rangers and a state biologist located and shot the adult female and two cubs believed responsible for the death of J.P. Baited snare traps had been set in the vicinity of Granite Park since Friday, but the bears were located elsewhere in the Bear Valley by a helicopter pilot. Rangers were then able to locate and shoot the bears. The bears' carcasses were sling-loaded by helicopter and taken by vehicle to Bozeman for autopsies. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 10/11]
Portions of the feature-length film, "Beethoven's 2nd", will be filmed in the park beginning June 7th. This sequel to the original film features a St. Bernard named Beethoven in a comedy plot centered around a small mountain resort. A permit was issued under the park's revised commercial filming policy, which is similar to other commercial filming policies in Rocky Mountain Region. An in-park all-risk management overhead team and support personnel will be utilized to oversee the filming and ensure adequate traffic control and flow, crowd management, and visitor and media information. The permit provides for full cost recovery for all park operations involved in overseeing the project. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 6/3]
More than 50 NPS employees and campground hosts participated on the ICS team overseeing the filming of "Beethoven's 2nd" in the park between June 7th and 19th. The filming ran very smoothly; all management objectives were met, there was no resource damage, and normal visitor activities met with only minimal interference. The director and producers allowed extensive behind- the-scenes access to the public, media and employees. Countless visitors had their pictures taken with Beethoven (a.k.a. Chris) and the scores of puppies on hand throughout the filming. All park expenses for oversight and management of the filming will be recovered through a commercial filming agreement. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/23]
On the afternoon of Friday, July 23rd, a 21-year-old male slipped on some wet rocks while hiking with friends above the Wilbur Creek horse bridge at Many Glacier and was swept about 30 feet down the creek. The swiftly- flowing water pinned him against a large rock and he was unable to move without the risk of being swept over some waterfalls just a few feet away. His friends alerted rangers, and a rescue team was quickly assembled. A Tyrolean traverse was utilized to reach the victim and extricate him from the river. He had been in the 42-degree water for over an hour and was suffering from hypothermia. He was treated for hypothermia and minor injuries and released. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 7/26]
A 48-year-old woman from Rivergreen, Colorado, apparently fell in Upper McDonald Creek on the afternoon of July 24th and drowned. The incident was not witnessed. The woman had been reported as a missing person by her husband, so a search had been initiated. Her body was found about 100 yards from the point where it's believed that she fell into the water. CPR was immediately begun and both ground and air ambulances were summoned to the area. Advanced life support was continued en route to the hospital, where the woman was pronounced dead. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 7/26]
L.H. and T.H., ages 51 and 53, were day-hiking on the Cracker Lake trail about four miles from the trailhead in Many Glacier Valley on August 1st when they were injured in a surprise encounter with a grizzly bear. The couple first saw the bear approximately 20 to 30 yards away as it crested a rise in the trail and was charging toward them. The female grizzly was accompanied by two subadults who reportedly left the trail. The female first encountered L.H. where she had dropped behind a nearby tree into a protective fetal position. She sustained a wound to her right thigh and puncture wounds to her left knee and head. T.H. attempted to distract the bear by yelling at it. When it turned on him, he dropped into a fetal position. The bear inflicted puncture wounds to T.H.'s right wrist, left chest and left buttock. The bear then left the area. The H.s dressed their wounds and were hiking out of the area when they met a concession-operated horse ride. A member of the horse party was a medical student wand was able to provide additional first aid at the scene. One of the two wranglers rode ahead to notify rangers, while the other wrangler and members of the party assisted the H.s at the scene and evacuated them to Many Glacier on horseback. Rangers met the party as they were approaching the trailhead. The H.s were taken by separate air ambulance helicopters to Columbus Hospital in Great Falls. The last such incident on the Cracker Lake trail occurred on July 17, 1989. The bear's reaction clearly appears to have been defensive, and no action against the bear is planned. The trail has been closed and will remain closed in accordance with the park's bear management policy until several consecutive patrols have occurred without sightings or evidence of bears remaining in the immediate area. Signs notifying hikers of grizzly frequency had been posted on the trail prior to the incident. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 8/1]
Rangers began an aerial search of Mount Jackson late on the morning of Sunday, August 8th, after a two-man party of day-climbers failed to return home. The two men, who had little climbing experience, were poorly equipped, had not registered their climb, and were not using a climber's guide, had gotten off route during their ascent of the mountain and had turned back at the 7,800-foot level (about 2,000 feet below the summit). The spent seven hours descending to the 6,900-foot level, where they bivouacked in a high-angle section of cliffs between two snowfields on the mountain's northwest face. The men were not prepared to bivouac and had only a minimal amount of the requisite gear with them. Before the rangers arrived on scene, the two climbers were helped off the mountain by two former Denali climbing rangers and their backcountry party, who were camping at Gunsight Lake. The party had seen the climber's flashlight signals for help and had notified a park trail crew which was in the area. They then hiked and climbed to the men, belayed them through the cliffs, and helped them back to Gunsight Lake, where they signaled to rangers who were searching the area by helicopter. The rangers landed and were advised that the climbers were safely off the mountain and were uninjured. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 8/9]
Sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. on September 5th, car clouters struck Fish Creek campground and stole cash, compact disks, and one portable tape/CD player with a total value of $1,600. The method of entry fits the profile of other, similar incidents that have occurred in Rocky Mountain and Western Regions over the past few years. For the most part, the thieves selected vehicles owned by tent campers, and a tool was used to roll down windows to gain access. One car window was broken; a small amount of blood was collected from it which may be from one of the clouters. [Gary Moses, GLAC, 9/7]
On Tuesday, May 10th, law enforcement officers from numerous federal, state and local agencies served arrest and search warrants on H.M.H., 51, of Gresham, Oregon, who is suspected of committing over 1,200 burglaries of vehicles belonging to visitors camped in NPS, California state park, Forest Service and other camping areas around the United States, including Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic, Glacier and about 20 other NPS units. He's also suspected of committing hundreds of auto burglaries in dozens of California parks. H.M.H. is currently being held on a federal detainer for violation of probation and cannot be released from jail. Over the next few days and weeks, H.M.H. will be charged with numerous counts of theft, burglary, and other related criminal offenses. Additional charges may be filed following analysis of truck loads of evidence seized during the execution of the warrants. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of suspected stolen property was taken from his home and a storage locker in Oregon. NPS investigators have been working for approximately three years on this single investigation, which was initiated by the NPS and California State Park Service but eventually evolved into a multi-agency task force effort. The following agencies participated in the investigation: National Park Service, California State Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Gresham Police Department (Oregon), Regional Organized Crime Narcotics Agency (Oregon), California Highway Patrol, California Department of Justice, California Department of Forestry, FBI, Multnomah County Office of the District Attorney (Oregon), Hillsboro Police Department (Oregon), Washington County Sheriffs Department (Oregon), Oregon State Police, and numerous California county law enforcement agencies. [Paul Ducasse, SA, RAD/WRO, 5/11]
M.C., 20, and a companion, Drew Wren, were hiking back from an overnight stay at Lincoln Lake on June 5th when M.C. became seriously ill about three miles from the trailhead. Wren left M.C. in a tent along the trail and went for help. He arrived at the trailhead just before 6 p.m., drove to the Lake McDonald Lodge, called 911, and reported the emergency to the county sheriff's office. They in turn notified rangers, who were dispatched to the scene. They found M.C. semi-conscious and only slightly responsive and concluded that he was likely suffering from a diabetic emergency. The park medic at the scene contacted Kalispell Regional Hospital and received approval to administer the necessary medication. M.C.'s condition quickly improved and stabilized. He was taken out on a wheeled litter, then transferred to an ambulance for the trip to the hospital. He is now in stable condition. The quick action of Wren and park rangers averted a potentially very serious situation. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 6/9]
On June 30th, C.S., 23, of North Liberty, Idaho, slid down both snow and scree fields while descending from the north slope of Mt. Siyeh and sustained significant injuries. One of his two companions hiked out to report the incident to rangers while the other stayed with him. A helicopter ambulance was dispatched to retrieve the pair, but was prevented from landing by turbulence and darkness. Rangers hiked in, arriving at the scene at 2 a.m. the following morning. C.S. was stabilized, moved to a landing area near Siyeh Pass, then flown to a waiting ground ambulance. All three of the hikers were St. Mary Lodge employees. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 7/6]
Three park visitors were injured, two seriously, when the four-wheel drive pick-up they were traveling in went over the side of the Going-to-theSun Road on August 11th. S.F., 68, of Emory, Texas, and his wife, C.F., 61, were eastbound on the highway with their two sons, J.S., 20, and T.S., 22, both of Florence, Colorado, when their truck left the roadway one mile above Haystack Creek. T.S. was reportedly driving the truck; his parents were in the single cab, while J.S. rode in the truck bed. The three in the cab were all thrown from the truck approximately 100 feet below the roadway, but J.S. apparently was able to jump out onto the pavement before the vehicle left the road. Rangers and ranger medics treated both F.s at the scene with the assistance of a local doctor; they were then taken to Kalispell Regional Hospital. S.F. sustained a dislocated hip and fractures to the scapula, clavicle and pelvis; C.F. suffered significant facial lacerations and fractured ribs, nose and tail bone. Both are listed in serious but stable condition. Tom Shaffer suffered a fractured wrist. None of the occupants of the truck was wearing a seatbelt. After they were thrown from the truck, it continued rolling downhill and eventually came to rest about 1,200 feet below the highway. The cause of the accident is not known. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 8/15]
On August 15th, J.C., 28, of Whitefish, Montana, an employee with Glacier Wilderness Guides, a park concession, slipped on wet rocks while hiking on the Red Gap Pass trail and fell about 75 vertical feet down cascading rocks. J.C. suffered facial lacerations and a number of serious bruises. An eight-person rescue team comprised of rangers from the Many Glacier areas evacuated him to a landing zone, where a helicopter picked him up and took him to a regional hospital. J.C. was one of two Wilderness Guides escorting a group of six visitors on a four-day backcountry trip from Belly River to Many Glacier Valley via Poia Lake. This is J.C.'s third season as an employee with Glacier Wilderness Guides. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 8/15]
An extended investigation into the theft of nearly $30,000 worth of merchandise from the Many Glacier Hotel gift shop has culminated in indictments and/or convictions of several former Glacier Park, Inc., employees - R.F., 20, of Raleigh, North Carolina; J.C., 21, of Glen Ellyn, Illinois; M.W., 21, of Atlanta, Georgia; A.H., 22, of Centralia, Illinois; L.M., 35, of Las Vegas, Nevada; D.T., 21, of Miami, Florida; and A.P., 21, also of Miami. R.F., J.C., M.W. and A.M. were charged with misappropriation of property and convicted in magistrate's court in Great Falls last August. L.M. was indicted in December on felony charges of theft and conspiracy; A.H. was indicted for possession of stolen property and conspiracy. D.T. and A.P. have been issued summons and are to appear before a federal judge this month. Assisting in the investigation, which was led by Glacier rangers, were criminal investigators from Lake Mead, detectives from Overland, Missouri, and investigators from the New York State Police. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 1/23]
J.S.R., 20, of Cut Bank, Montana, was charged in federal court last week with the illegal shooting and killing of a four-point bull elk near Snowslip Mountain on November 20, 1994. Rangers received two anonymous tips about the poaching the day J.S.R. allegedly killed the elk, and a third tip a few days later. A joint investigation by rangers and state game wardens was begun, which culminated with an interview of J.S.R. at his residence and the execution of a search warrant at another location. J.R., 46, J.S.R.'s father, will be charged with aiding in the transportation of the illegally- taken animal. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 1/23]
An exceptional amount of rain and heavy, wet snow fell on the park early this week, causing flooding, road washouts, and countless downed trees throughout the park. Rainfall measurements ranged as high as ten inches in 24 hours. Flooding at St. Mary's on Tuesday prompted activation of the emergency action plan for that area. About 22 campground and concession employees were evacuated. Crews worked through the night to cut two diversion trenches across the newly-paved Going-to-the-Sun Road to prevent damage to the visitor center and entrance/ranger station. The creek is being closely monitored for rising water that could flood the government maintenance and housing areas. Yesterday, flooding and unstable road conditions prompted the closure of roads into Many Glaciers and Two Medicine Valley and the evacuation of about 15 campers from the area. More than 125 concession employees were relocated due to water damage to Many Glacier Hotel's sewage system and lift station. Many Glacier Road has been substantially undercut and eroded in places, and is also being closely monitored. Rangers and maintenance employees worked through Tuesday night to clear trees from west side roads, where flooding is more localized. A half dozen park employees and campers can't leave the Bowman and Kintla Lake campgrounds until washouts are stabilized and flood waters recede. Weather conditions have moderated substantially, however. Full damage and repair estimates are pending, but preliminary estimates suggest a minimum of $50,000 to $75,000 will be needed to repair roads and about $100,000 to repair or replace bridges and trails (ten bridge washouts have so far been confirmed). [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/7]
The weather in western Montana has improved significantly and creek and river levels are slowly dropping. The area flood watch was canceled yesterday, and parkwide assessments are underway to determine the overall scope of road, structural and backcountry trail and bridge damage. Washouts and other types of damage have been detected in various locations along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, including stress fractures and the loss of a 60-by-80 foot section of the highway. A geotechnical expert and representative of the Federal Highway Administration will be in the park today to inspect roads. At least 31 of the park's 200 trail bridges have washed out. Backcountry travel has been strongly discouraged due to high water levels and the uncertainty of trail conditions throughout the park. All visitors have been accounted for; no injuries or property damage have been reported. A time table is being developed for reopening of sections of the park. Although many park roads remain closed, facilities and services are open at Lake McDonald and Two Medicine. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/8]
A.M., 19, a concession employee working at the Rising Sun Motor Inn, sustained relatively minor injuries around 1:20 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, June 10th, when she encountered a bear of unknown species on the beach near the Rising Sun picnic area. A.M. and coworker Brandon Sigety were the last of a group of employees to leave the informal campfire area, which is frequently used by concession employees for approved campfire gatherings. The employees had had no campfire that night, though, so A.M. and Sigety were sitting in the dark and talking when they heard a noise. Their flashlights revealed a dark object; as it moved toward them, they realized it was a bear. The bear showed no aggressive behavior, instead approaching slowly, sniffing as it walked. The two stood up, talking to the bear in a calm manner as they did so. When the bear was from six to ten feet away, they both dropped into fetal positions, protecting their heads and stomachs - a technique they'd learned from park rangers at a safety orientation on Thursday evening. The bear picked A.M. up several inches off the ground and dragged her about 15 feet. At that point, Sigety stood up, made loud and aggressive noises, and shined his flashlight in the bear's face. The bear dropped A.M., and walked off into the woods without further incident. A.M. suffered single puncture wounds on the underside of her right arm and around her shoulder. They reported the incident to the campground ranger. A park medic treated A.M., who was subsequently taken to a local hospital. Investigation revealed that there had been no food or beverages at the beach, and that A.M. was probably protected from additional injury by the several layers of clothes she was wearing. The picnic area and campground have been closed until further notice. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 6/10]
Federal Highway Administration engineers have examined several flood damaged locations along Going-to-the Sun Road, including the 60-foot length of outside lane that washed out below the west side tunnel. Although a total parkwide estimate of repairs is still pending, engineers have determined that it will cost from $300,000 to $600,000 in temporary repairs to open that highway and the Many Glacier access road. Permanent repairs at these and other sites have yet to be designed, and final costs have yet to be determined. The engineers report that the road bed at the washout below the tunnel is stable enough and wide enough to allow two lane traffic by moving the traffic lanes closer to the hillside. Dead Horse Point on St. Mary Lake, where road shoulders were weakened, and Rose Creek Bridge, where some of the shoulder riprap washed away, will be open to visitors while being repaired, but the bridge will be closed to commercial traffic until further notice. The Many Glacier access road will be open to visitor traffic while repairs are completed. And the entire length of Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass will be reopened as soon as crews finish plowing the "Big Drift" and the visitor center parking lot. This could occur as soon as next week. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/14]
K.L., 20, an employee of Glacier Park, Inc. (GPI), a park concessioner, sustained four puncture wounds to his left side in an encounter with a bear of an unidentified species about two miles up the Cracker Lake trail on the morning of June 19th. As K.L. and three other GPI employees rounded a bend in the trail, they saw the bear about 40 yards away. The bear immediately charged them. K.L. and a companion dropped onto the trail while the other two hikers stepped off the trail before dropping to the ground. The bear bit K.L., then left the area. He was taken to a hospital in Browning, where he was treated and released. Though the hikers were making noise, they said that they felt that the bear had been surprised. Rangers are monitoring the area, but no management action is planned because of the apparent surprise nature of the encounter. The trail and campground have been closed until further notice. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/19]
A rock slide triggered by an avalanche took the life of 24-year-old L.B. of New York City on June 21st while she and two friends were hiking off-trail above Avalanche Lake. The three had stopped along the trail to look out over the lake when a rock hit L.B. in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. Neither of her companions were trained in first aid; one stayed with her while the other went for help. Meanwhile, dispatchers received a phone call from a visitor who reported seeing the avalanche and rockslide from across the lake. A rescue effort was begun which involved many rangers and trail crew members. When rangers arrived at the scene, they found that other hikers in the area had begun CPR on L.B.; such efforts had been underway for about 90 minutes by the time rangers established a phone patch with emergency room physicians at Kalispell Regional Hospital, who advised that CPR be discontinued. The survivors were evacuated from the area by helicopter. There was no indication that the group triggered the slide. The park received a great deal of rain in June, which may have caused the fall. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 6/21]
Rangers and FBI agents are investigating the apparent abduction of a female park employee on the evening of September 5th. As she got out of her car at St. Mary dormitory, an unidentified man came up behind her, said he had a knife, and ordered her back into the car. He then got in the back seat and told her to drive to various locations outside the park. The woman was subsequently released at Kiowa Junction. She drove herself to the hospital in Browning, where she was treated for superficial lacerations and contusions, then released. BIA and Blackfeet tribal police conducted the initial investigation. The incident was reported to rangers the following morning. Surveillance has since been stepped up at entrance stations, visitor centers, government housing areas and campgrounds. The name of the victim is being withheld pending conclusion of the investigation. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC]
Park carpenter Lester Ashwood and his wife Rita were charged by a grizzly bear in a surprise encounter just north of Fifty Mountain campground around 8 a.m. on September 12th. Lester Ashwood, who was not on duty at the time, suffered puncture wounds to his neck, shoulder, hands and buttocks. Rita Ashwood was not injured, and hiked to Granite Park to report the incident, arriving around 6:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Lester Ashwood received emergency first aid at Fifty Mountain backcountry campground from a hiker trained as an EMT. He was flown out that evening, and is in good condition at a local hospital. Rangers were to remain overnight at Fifty Mountain to close trails and contact other hikers. The area around the campground is temporarily closed. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC]
Park carpenter Lester Ashwood, 38, is recovering at the Kalispell Regional Hospital after undergoing surgery to clean puncture wounds he sustained in a surprise encounter with a grizzly bear on Tuesday morning. Ashwood and his wife had camped at Fifty Mountain on the night of September 11th. He had taken off by himself for a day hike early the next morning, and was identifying wildflowers along the trail about a mile north of the camp when he looked up and saw a grizzly charging him from about 150 yards away. Ashwood dropped into a fetal position just as the bear reached him. During the attack, which lasted no more than 20 seconds, the bear bit him on his head, neck, shoulder, hands and buttocks. After the attack, the bear sat on Ashwood's legs for several minutes, then left the area. Ashwood made it back to the campground around 8:45 a.m., where he received first aid from a camper trained as an EMT. Ashwood's wife, Rita, later hiked the twelve miles south to Granite Park Chalet to get help, arriving at 6:30 p.m. Ashwood was subsequently picked up by an ambulance and taken to the hospital. Ashwood, who had viewed grizzlies from the Granite Park Chalet where he'd worked all summer as a historic restoration carpenter, described the bear as small, medium to dark brown in color, and possibly a sub-adult. He did not see any cubs. Rangers will continue to monitor the area to determine when it should be reopened to hikers and backcountry campers. Once the investigation into the incident is complete, the park will determine what action, if any, to take regarding the bear. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC]
Just before 4 a.m. on the morning of September 13th, park dispatch received a phone call reporting a fire in the upper dormitory near the Many Glacier Hotel. Residents employed extinguishers on the fire until rangers from Many Glacier and St. Mary could arrive on scene with two fire engines and a number of support vehicles. Local personnel were on scene within six minutes of the initial call. The fire was under control by about 5:15 a.m. Two dorm rooms sustained both smoke and structural damage from holes made to ventilate the building, but full damage assessment has not yet been completed. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The hotel closed for the season last Monday, so the only occupants of the dorm were seven employees engaged in routine winterizing and closing procedures. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC]
D.R., 41, was injured in a surprise encounter with an adult grizzly bear and cub in the Preston Park area just before noon on September 16th. D.R. and companions Mike Ware and Paul Monteith heard the bears behind them, stepped off the trail, and huddled down in some low brush as both bears charged from about 100 yards away. The bears went by them, but the adult returned and attacked D.R. Ware sprayed it at close range with pepper spray, and it left the area. D.R. received seven puncture wounds and several lacerations in his right shoulder and lower back. Members of another hiking party provided first aid; the three men then hiked to the road and drove to the St. Mary visitor center. D.R. was treated by park medics and taken to a local hospital. In accordance with the park's bear management policy, all trails leading into Preston Park have been closed, including the Piegan Pass trail, the Baring Creek trail from Sunrift Gorge, the Siyeh Pass trail, and the Continental Divide trail from Jackson Glacier overlook. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC]
While tent camping at the Lake Louise campground in Banff National Park in Canada on the morning of September 25th, two seasonal Glacier NP employees were mauled by a bear. Names are not currently available. The bear, believed to be a sow grizzly, went to three separate campsites, where it attacked the sleeping campers through their tents. Of the six people involved in the encounter with the bear, four - including one of the two seasonals - sustained serious lacerations and punctures. That evening, Canadian park wardens successfully trapped the female grizzly and cub believed to have been involved in the attacks. Both animals were destroyed and taken to a wildlife laboratory for examination for additional evidence linking them to the attacks. [CRO, GLAC]
During the summer of 1995, the park received four $100 entrance fee checks from tour companies called, variously, M. Discovery Enterprises, M. Discovery Travel and The Discovery Experience - but all owned by P.M.M. of Hinsdale, Illinois. The four checks were drawn on three different banks and were all returned unpaid. Letters of collection have been sent to the company, but no payment has yet been received. Unpaid checks have also been received by Glacier Parks Incorporated, the park's primary concessioner, and by Yellowstone and Yosemite. A background investigation on P.M.M. revealed an extensive criminal history involving check kiting and bank fraud, including probation on a 1992 conviction. Parks are advised to check with their remittance/budget office personnel to determine if they have unpaid checks from P.M.M.'s companies. If your park has received such checks, please contact the law enforcement office at Glacier, which is coordinating an investigation with the FBI. [CRO, GLAC]
Rangers discovered remains of a freshly killed deer along the Camas Road on November 5th. Investigation led to the identification of B.S. of Columbia Falls, Montana, as the probable suspect. B.S. has been charged with taking of wildlife, possessing unlawfully taken wildlife, and possessing a loaded weapon in a vehicle. Each of these charges carries a fine of up to $500 and six months in jail. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC]
T. "T." S., 26, was killed in a fall while descending the northeastern face of Mount Jackson late on the afternoon of January 12th. T.S., a student at the University of Montana, had worked his first season in the NPS as a ranger naturalist at Glacier in the summer of 1995. He had completed an ascent of the mountain with fellow students K.B. and S.O. earlier that day. During the ascent, the three were roped together and used anchors for protection, but they had unroped and were making an unbelayed descent when the accident occurred. T.S. was above the other two climbers when he apparently slipped on ice and hard-packed snow. He tried unsuccessfully to arrest his slide down the slope with his ice axe and fell over at least two cliff bands and an additional 500 feet when he came to rest. T.S.'s companions climbed down to his location, taking about 20 minutes to reach him. He was sitting up and conscious when they arrived, but was seriously injured and in great pain from a broken leg, lacerations and internal injuries. He was given extra clothing and placed in two sleeping bags in a snow trench which his companions quickly dug to protect him from wind and cold. K.B. stayed with him, while S.O. snowshoed 12 miles out in the dark, descending about 5,000 feet in seven hours, then drove to Apgar Village and summoned help shortly after midnight. High winds and unsafe conditions prevented flights until the morning. When rangers arrived on scene at 8:30 a.m., T.S. was dead and K.B. was hypothermic. K.B. was airlifted to West Glacier, then taken to an area hospital, where he was treated for frostbite and released. An autopsy revealed that T.S. died from multiple internal injuries. T.S.'s parents have asked that donations be made to the "Glacier National Park Backcountry Preservation Fund" on behalf of their son. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC]
K.L., 70, was mauled by a grizzly bear near the Avalanche Lake trail head on June 5th. K.L. suffered numerous lacerations and puncture wounds from head to toe. He was stabilized at the scene by a park medic and concessions nurse and flown to a hospital in Kalispell. Wildlife management rangers investigating the incident determined that K.L. probably encountered two bears - an adult and a sub-adult - and that he was probably attacked by the former. K.L. is currently in stable condition. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC]
F.S., 45, of Keene, New Hampshire, and his hiking partner, Anthony Iovino, encountered a grizzly on the Piegan Pass trail about two miles west of the pass on the afternoon of July 24th. The bear charged the two men from a distance of about 20 yards, and they both dropped to the ground and went into fetal positions. The bear bit F.S. on the right wrist and forearm, inflicting four puncture wounds, then disappeared. F.S. estimates that the attack lasted no longer than three seconds. Neither F.S. nor Iovino saw a cub or cubs with the bear. The two men hiked out to their vehicle at Siyeh Bend and drove 15 miles to the St. Mary visitor center, where they reported the incident and received emergency medical treatment from rangers. Shlauter was then taken to a hospital in Browning for additional medical treatment. Because of this incident, the park has temporarily closed the Piegan Pass trail from Siyeh Bend to Feather Plume Falls, the Baring Basin trail at Sunrift Gorge, and the spur trail from Jackson Glacier overlook to the Piegan Pass trail. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC]
A search was begun late Monday evening for D. "E." E., 25, of Trion, Georgia, whose car has been parked at the Lincoln Lake trailhead on Going-To- The Sun road since Wednesday, June 18th. D.E., who reportedly has limited outdoor experience, did not obtain a backcountry camping permit. Fifteen park employees are currently involved in the search. The Lincoln Lake trail and Snyder Ridge have been swept by foot, and the Lake McDonald shoreline has been checked by boat and by foot. The search team will expand as needed, and will include ground, aerial and aquatic operations. Two dogs were employed yesterday afternoon. They picked up a scent and followed it to the opposite side of Going-To-The-Sun road, but then lost it. The dog teams are still being utilized. Investigation revealed that D.E. left nearly all of his belongings in his car, including his camping equipment. The possibility that he has left the area has not been ruled out. [Amy Vanderbilt, IO, GLAC, 6/24]
Just as plans were about to be implemented for an expanded search for D. "E." E., 25, whose car had been at the Lincoln Lake trailhead since June 18th, park dispatch received a phone call from D.E. in response to a message from searchers that he had found attached to the winshield of his car. D.E. told searchers that he'd lost the Lincoln Lake trail that afternoon and that he'd spent six days and nights in a clearing in the dense lodgepole pine forest. D.E. had not made plans to spend the night in the wilderness. He had no food, foul weather protection, clothing or shelter, but did have a bottle of water. He was able to make several fires at night with his cigarette lighter. D.E. had not obtained any park literature, visitor information or trail condition reports prior to starting out, and was wearing only a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. When contacted, he was very tired and hungry and was suffering from severe mosquito bites and swollen feet, but had no visible injuries. IC for the search was district ranger Charlie Logan. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 6/26]
Seasonal trail crew workers Mark Robison, 24, of Columbia Falls, Montana, and Chris Foster, 24, of Whitefish, Montana, were killed in a fall from the rugged north face of Rainbow Peak late last week. Searchers located their bodies at the mountain's 8,000-foot level on Saturday, July 5th. Foster and Robison departed from Bowman Lake early on Thursday morning, July 3rd. They told park rangers that they intended to climb to the 9,891-foot summit of Rainbow Peak and return that same day. Both men were very experienced and highly skilled climbers; given their high level of experience and exceptional physical condition, it was feasible for them to succeed in reaching the summit and descend the challenging climb in one day. Based on tracks and other evidence, rangers believe Robison and Foster were near the summit when they fell. The last signature in the summit register was on June 28th. Based on tracks at the scene, rangers believe the two men were climbing the upper third of a steep snow-filled couloir on the northwest face of Rainbow Peak. It is not clear what caused the fall. Both were wearing crampons and may have been using ice axes at the time of the accident. Initial search efforts began at on Friday afternoon when it was determined that Foster and Robison had not returned to their vehicle. By Friday evening, 15 park employees were involved in the search, which included an aerial reconnaissance of the area and transportation of search teams to the Rainbow Peak area to begin a ground search. Another search team started climbing Rainbow, following the route Robison and Foster were believed to have taken. This two-person team bivouacked at 7,000 feet and resumed searching at first light Saturday morning. At approximately 7 a.m., a backpack was found by the searchers near the 8,000-foot level. Robison and Foster were located shortly thereafter. Due to the steep, rugged terrain and other potential hazards, helicopter assistance was used to recover and transport the victims off the mountain. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 7/7]
A search is underway for a missing Glacier Park Lodge employee who planned to make a solo climb of Sinopah Mountain in the park's Two Medicine Valley on Saturday, July 5th. Co-workers told rangers that M.T., 25, of Lexington, Michigan, left the men's dormitory in East Glacier at 11 a.m. on Saturday with the intent of completing a solo day-climb of the 8,271- foot high mountain. M.T. was not prepared for an overnight trip, and had arranged to meet friends that evening at Two Medicine Lake. When he failed to return by Saturday night, co-workers notified area rangers that he was overdue and initial search efforts began. A ground and aerial search was conducted by park personnel on Sunday, following the standard trail and climbing route up Sinopah Mountain. Search personnel encountered a female grizzly bear with two cubs on the south slopes of Sinopah, but, after a brief wait, the bears moved on and they continued searching without incident. Searchers found no sign or evidence of M.T. on either the South Shore Two Medicine Lake trail or on Sinopah Mountain. The search expanded yesterday and now involves 30 park employees. Nearly 20 field searchers have been assigned to search high probability areas on Sinopah Mountain and adjacent peaks in the area. M.T. was thought to be wearing a long sleeved shirt, jeans, and sneakers and may have been carrying a day pack. He was not carrying overnight equipment or supplies, and his hiking and climbing experience have been described as limited. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 7/7]
Search efforts for missing concession employee M.T were further expanded on July 9th. M.T. has been missing July 5th, when he reportedly headed out for a solo day climb of 8,712-foot Sinopah Mountain. More recent field reports indicate that he could have adjusted his plans after assessing the difficulty of the climb. Over 50 park and concession employees are participating in the search. Dog teams and helicopters are also being employed. [CR, GLAC, 7/9]
On Tuesday, September 2nd, Glacier NP rangers and Waterton Lakes NP wardens recovered the body of R.N.D., 62, of Kalispell, Montana, from the east face of Stoney Indian Peaks in Glacier National Park. Shortly after midnight, rangers were notified that R.N.D., a member of a two-person party, had fallen while climbing down from an ascent of Mount Cleveland late Monday afternoon. The other member of the climbing party, M.P. of Whitefish, hiked out to the Goat Haunt ranger station and reported the accident. Rangers flew to the site by helicopter at first light and located R.N.D.'s body at the bottom of a series of cliffs. Due to the steep angle and exposed location of R.N.D.'s body and the attendant hazards to rescuers, the rangers requested the assistance of Canadian wardens to effect a shorthaul recovery. Parks Canada wardens are extremely proficient in the use of this specialized rescue technique. Since the helicopter could not land in the area, wardens were attached to a rope fixed underneath a Canadian helicopter and were flown to the site, where they recovered R.N.D.'s body at approximately 11 a.m. R.N.D. and M.P., both experienced climbers, had successfully climbed Mt. Cleveland before the accident and were on their way back to their campsite. They had planned on and were well-prepared for a climb of this complexity and were headed down the same route they used earlier in the day. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 9/4]
Vice president Al Gore visited the park on September 2nd to highlight the issue of global climate change. Gore spoke to 300 invited guests and park visitors on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake outside the Many Glacier Hotel. After the speach, he took an eight-and-a-half mile round-trip hike to Grinnell Glacier to get a first-hand look at the possible effects of global climate change. Senator Max Baucus, superintendent Dave Mihalic, Biological Resources Division global change research coordinator Dan Fagre, park interpreter Dave Casteel, park rangers, Secret Service agents, and local and national media accompanied the vice president on the hike. The park managed the incident under ICS and worked closely with the Secret Service and with White House staff. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 9/11]
J.K., 40, of Marion, Montana, made an illegal BASE jump from the summit of Mount Siyeh on September 24th. He immediately experienced problems and flew into the rock face. His parachute got snagged on rocks and he ended up dangling beneath it at a point about 400 feet below the summit. J.K.'s partners - two on the summit and one on the ground below - immediately called for assistance on the portable radios they were carrying. The emergency call was picked up by an individual near Browning, Montana, who eventually made contact with park dispatch through the Glacier County sheriff's office. Rangers responded via helicopter. One of the rangers rappeled to J.K. and stabilized him. They were both then lifted to the summit, where J.K. was picked up by helicopter and taken to a local hospital. He was treated for soft tissue injuries to one of his legs, then released. The eight park employees involved in the technical rescue were flown off the mountain at dusk. J.K. will be cited for the offense. [Fred Vanhorn, GLAC, 9/29]
J.K., a parachutist who illegally jumped off the summit of Mt. Siyeh last September 24th, has pled guilty to federal charges filed against him. J.K. experienced problems immediately after jumping and flew into the rock face of a sheer 3,000-foot cliff. His parachute got snagged on rocks and he ended up dangling beneath it at a point about 400 feet below the summit. He hung there for several hours until rangers were able to rescue him. Following the conviction, the federal magistrate placed J.K. on two years' probation and ordered him to pay nearly $9,000 to cover the costs associated with his rescue. The conditions of J.K.'s probation require that he not violate any state, federal or local law; that he sell his parachute and apply the proceeds to the cost of his rescue; and that he stay out of the park during the period of his probation. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 3/26]
A search was begun for 26-year-old concession employee C.D. on the evening of Monday, May 18th, when he failed to report to work as scheduled. Co-workers had last seen C.D. the previous afternoon; friends reported that he'd planned on making a day hike on Sunday and that he was not prepared to camp out. C.D.'s car was soon found at the Scenic Point trailhead. A hasty team searched the area but found no sign of him. On Tuesday morning, a total of 50 people - park and concession employees, volunteers and area residents - began an expanded search of Two Medicine Valley. C.D.'s body was found near Appistoki Falls off the Scenic Point trail at an elevation of 6,000 feet on Wednesday morning. Scavenging by bears or other animals had occurred, but the actual cause of death is still under investigation. Investigators are in the preliminary stages of analyzing evidence (bear scat and hair) collected at the scene to see if there's any way to determine which bear or bears scavenged on C.D.'s remains. The material was sent to a laboratory for analysis yesterday; an autopsy is also pending. Telemetry indicates that a collared female grizzly and her two, two-year-old cubs were in the general area of the investigation on Wednesday. Rangers and biologists from the park and the Blackfeet tribe are closely monitoring the location of these bears. Various trails in Two Medicine Valley are temporarily closed due to the on- going investigation and the proximity of these bears. C.D.'s employer, Glacier Park, Inc. (GPI), provided support for the SAR and recovery operation, including volunteers, meals and other logistical support. Three dog teams and two helicopters were also employed. Two Medicine subdistrict ranger Dona Taylor was the IC for the search and continues in that capacity in the on-going investigation. GPI will hold a memorial ceremony and wake this evening for C.D.'s family, employees and friends. Due to the onset of the spring snow melt, park personnel have also resumed the search for GPI employee Matthew Truszkowski, who disappeared while en route to a solo climb of Sinopah Mountain in the park's Two Medicine Valley last July (97-308). [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 5/20]
The park is still awaiting results from DNA tests that may confirm the identity of the bear or bears who were in the vicinity of C.D.'s body when it was discovered last week. On Saturday, May 23rd, rangers hazed a radio-collared 13-year-old female grizzly and her two, two-year old cubs in order to keep them from entering the Two Medicine campground. This collared female is thought to be the same bear whose telemetry signal was detected in the Appistoki Valley above Scenic Point on the 19th. Although these bears are thought to have scavenged at the site, no action will be taken until DNA tests verify this assumption. Park officials are also consulting with various independent grizzly bear experts regarding the incident and the circumstantial evidence. In the interim, the park has closed all of the Two Medicine Valley backcountry and is temporarily restricting camping at the Two Medicine campground to hard-sided campers. Pathology results from C.D.'s autopsy will not be available until next week, but preliminary assessments indicate that he suffered no head trauma or other injuries that would be caused by a fall. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 5/26]
Efforts are underway to remove the three grizzly bears - an adult female with two cubs - believed to have scavenged at the scene where concession employee C.D.'s body was found on May 20th. Although the park is still awaiting the results of DNA tests to confirm the identity of the bear or bears involved in scavenging on the body, the removal was deemed an appropriate preliminary action. The decision was made following review of the park's bear management plan and consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, and international grizzly bear experts. The adult female has had a history of habituation to people and of frequenting trails and developed areas. She was trapped last year just outside the park on Blackfeet tribal lands after approaching people and licking barbecue grills in the area. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/2]
The 13-year-old female grizzly bear believed to have killed concession employee C.D. was destroyed near No Name Lake on June 4th. One of the bear's two sub-adult young was also trapped. Although the autopsy results have not yet been received, growing circumstantial evidence indicates that the bears killed C.D. Results from DNA tests confirmed the bears' presence at the scene. Other new information included recent reports from hikers who found C.D.'s pack on the Scenic Point trail on May 19th, a day or two after C.D. was killed. At the time they found the pack, the hikers saw human footprints in the snow which appeared to head straight downhill to a point directly above the location where C.D.'s body was later found. The hikers said they also saw signs in the snow which could have been tracks of a bear running downhill. The hikers took the pack with them, but left a coat which they found inside hanging from the Scenic Point trailhead sign. The hiker's failure to report the information until recently cost the search and investigation two days' effort and the loss of meaningful clues. Rangers are also investigating other reports from hikers who were in the approximate area of the incident that Sunday and have only recently come forward with information. Glacier has reiterated its STRONG recommendation that people not hike alone in the park. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/5]
The two-year-old female grizzly implicated in the death of concession employee C.D. and recently captured in the park has been humanely put down by rangers. The grizzly's mother was shot and killed at No Name Lake last week. The young female was being held in an attempt to lure her male sibling into a trap - an effort that proved fruitless. Additional DNA test results received over the weekend confirmed the presence of human DNA in the majority of bear scat samples collected at the scene of the incident. Human DNA was also identified in samples that contained the adult female grizzly's genotype. Hair samples previously taken from the male grizzly in 1997 were matched to hair samples collected where C.D.'s body was found. The two-year- old female's DNA was also matched with that of samples collected at the scene. Since no approved zoos or research facilities wanted the bear, the animal had to be either returned to the wild or destroyed. Grizzly bear experts agree that food-conditioned bears are very dangerous; once they are conditioned to unnatural food or garbage, they will continue to seek it out. The decision was made to remove the entire family group based on the group's previous history, evidence collected at the scene, and the DNA evidence. The male was last seen on may 31st. Searches have resulted in no evidence of that bear's location. Efforts to find it continue. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 6/8]
Late last week, rangers shot and killed the third of the three grizzlies that consumed the remains of hiker C.D. in May. The bear's mother was shot and killed shortly after the incident; the other cub, a two-year-old female grizzly, was captured and put down in early June. The search for the third bear was resumed on June 24th after it bluff charged and circled a group of 17 hikers as they left a tour boat at the head of Two Medicine Lake. The bear was not seen again until the following evening, when it was spotted by a ranger. Rangers hiked closer and confirmed the bear's identity through an ear tag and an identifying ear notch before shooting it. Experts agreed that the three bears could not be allowed to remain in the wild after predating on a human. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 6/26]
C.L., 47, of Polsen, Montana, was riding with her husband and two other friends on the Ptarmigan Tunnel trail on the morning of Sunday, July 5th. The foursome stopped about 25 yards from the north side of the tunnel, and C.L. dismounted to take a picture. As she was doing so, her horse stumbled and fell on top of her. They both rolled over a three-foot retaining wall and fell about 200 feet. C.L.'s husband rode out to Many Glaciers and reported the accident. Rangers were notified and responded with a helicopter and ground teams. Her body was recovered at 10 p.m. An autopsy may or may not be conducted. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 7/6]
A 27-year-old male visitor fell to his death while hiking near Red Gap Pass yesterday afternoon. Initial reports indicate that he fell about 150 feet. Rangers were notified at 5:30 p.m. and flew by helicopter to the scene. The victim's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 7/15]
The victim of the falling accident near Red Gap Pass on Wednesday has been identified as 27-year-old B.D.-N. of Seattle, Washington. According to reports from his companions, the group had hiked across a bridge on the trail when B.D.-N. stopped, took off his pack, and walked below the bridge to get some water. He slipped on wet rocks and fell about 150 feet. When the rest of the party reached him, he was unconscious but appeared to be breathing. They later performed CPR on him, but were not successful. The park has put out a reminder to visitors to be particularly careful around streams and waterfalls. Since the park's establishment in 1910, Glacier has tallied 24 fatalities from people falling, but only ten deaths from encounters with grizzly bears. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 7/16]
J.W., 50, and a companion were hiking on Starvation Ridge on the afternoon of Sunday, July 19th, when they decided to take two different routes back down from the ridge. J.W. stayed high on the ridge to avoid the thick vegetation while her companion continued traversing downward towards Kintla Lake. The two hikers were able to see and talk with each other at the outset, but eventually lost contact altogether. When J.W. failed to return, rangers were notified and a hasty search was begun. Ground teams searched until dark, then resumed efforts the following morning. Twenty NPS personnel were assisted by volunteers from two local SAR organizations, two search dog teams, and a helicopter. Campground host John Davis, a member of one of the search crews, spotted J.W. near the confluence of Starvation Creek and the North Fork of the Flathead River shortly after noon and guided her out. J.W. told rangers what had happened to her. As she hiked down the ridge, she evidently veered north onto an old fire trail. She crossed both Starvation Creek and Kishenehn Creek to the north of the ridge before stopping at a monument marking the Canadian border, where she spent the night. At first light, she hiked down the Kishenehn trail to the North Fork, entered the river, and, aided by a large but mostly empty pack, floated about three miles down to the river's confluence with Starvation Creek, where she climbed out and soon met Davis. Although J.W. had a fair amount of backcountry experience, she had no protective clothing, no foul weather gear, no map or compass, and very little food. She was carrying a few matches, though, and was able to start a small fire to keep warm. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 7/20]
A storm with high winds and heavy rain caused three large rock slides which closed the upper Logan Pass section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the evening of Tuesday, July 28th. The largest of the slides, estimated at 40 tons of rock and debris, covered both sides of the road a mile east of the Jackson Glacier overlook. The second slide fell about 100 feet further west, and the third occurred a quarter mile from the east side tunnel. No injuries or property damage were reported. Between 10 and 15 cars were stranded on the roadway for about two hours, when the road was finally cleared enough for them to get through. The road reopened just after noon the following day. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 7/30]
Kim Taylor, a 26-year-old seasonal ranger-naturalist at Glacier NP, was injured in a fall on the west face of 9,553-foot Mount Gould at 1:45 p.m. on the afternoon of August 11th. The park received the report at 4:30 p.m. and dispatched a rescue team of 13 park rangers to the mountain. Eight of the team members climbed to her location near the summit to provide emergency medical care and assistance. Taylor had fallen between 100 and 150 feet and suffered a broken arm, multiple lacerations, and bruises. Due to the precarious and precipitous location, the park sought assistance from the air rescue unit at Malmstrom AFB. The helicopter arrived at the scene around 10 p.m., but was unable to lift her off the ledge due to nightfall and inadequate light. She was picked up the next day and transported to a hospital in Kalispell. Taylor is an experienced climber. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 8/12]
E.V.R., a 32-year-old resident of Manhattan, New York, sustained severe injuries after he slipped and fell in an unnamed waterfall near the Red Gap Pass trail around noon on August 14th. E.V.R. was hiking with his fiancee and another couple when he stopped to filter water from the stream. He slipped and fell 40 vertical feet down the waterfall. E.V.R. lost consciousness, but regained it after a few minutes. The others in his party got him to safety and put him in sleeping bags to keep him warm. A hiker who was not with the party hiked to the Belly River ranger station; nobody was there, so he left a note explaining what had happened. The ranger at Belly River, who was on patrol at the time, found the note at 6 p.m. and reported the incident. A private helicopter transported a rescue team from Many Glacier to within a 30-minute hike of the accident scene. The team reached E.V.R. at 7:40 p.m. and provided medical aid. Because E.V.R. was in a ravine where a helicopter could not land, a call went out to wardens at Waterton Lakes NP in Canada, who are equipped to perform short-haul rescues by helicopter. E.V.R. was lifted out, transferred to another helicopter, then flown to a regional hospital where he was treated for a fractured skull and fractured, dislocated hip. On July 15th, B.D.-N. of Seattle was killed after slipping and falling into the same waterfall about 150 yards above the site where E.V.R. fell (98-401). B.D.-N. was also at the edge of the stream collecting water. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 8/21]
In early August, a 50-year-old woman from South Bloomington, Minnesota, stole a car and a set of license plates, forged several prescriptions for painkillers, and set out on a vacation crime spree in Grand Teton and Yellowstone NPs. Grand Teton rangers who arrested her for possession of the stolen car and license plates discovered that she had between $5,000 and $7,000 worth of stolen merchandise in the car which had been taken from gift stores in Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Jackson, Wyoming. Due to a couple of legal technicalities, the assistant U.S. attorney declined to prosecute her for possession of the stolen car and plates. Bob Maguire, the law enforcement specialist for Grand Teton, helped her acquire a rented car in Jackson and learned that she was headed for Glacier NP. He called the park with a heads-up that she was en route, and continued to work with a suburban Minneapolis police department on filing felony charges for the false prescriptions. Several days later, Glacier assistant law enforcement specialist Steve Dodd spotted the woman near Logan Pass on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Surveillance was begun, and she was arrested shortly thereafter when she stole several items from Apgar Village stores and gift shops. She was charged shortly thereafter with possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription and falsely obtaining a Golden Access Passport. She also returned $279 in cash taken in a theft from a former friend's residence in Billings, Montana, which she took while traveling from Grand Teton to Glacier. She forfeited bond on all three Glacier charges a week later in U.S. magistrate's court and returned to Minnesota. [Fred Vanhorn, GLAC, 9/20]
Three hikers were found cold but alive early on the morning of Sunday, October 11th, after spending an unplanned night in winter conditions on the west face of Reynolds Mountain. K.S., 18, K.B., 18, and R.B., 13, departed from the Logan Pass visitor center parking lot around noon on Saturday for a hike to Hidden Lake. They decided to turn back about half way to their destination due to heavy fog. On their way back, they took a cross-country route with the intent of intersecting with the trail above them, but became disoriented and eventually got lost in the fog. They stopped just before dark, built a fire, and spent the night in the protection of a small cluster of trees. Snow began to fall around 2 a.m. and continued to fall until rangers found them at about 9 a.m. on Sunday. All three were cold and hungry when found, but in good condition and able to walk out on their own. [Charlie Logan, PR, GLAC, 10/12]
Hikers T.P., 23, and her husband, M.P., 26, were about a mile from Cracker Lake on the afternoon of Saturday, October 24th, when they encountered a grizzly bear at close range. When they first spotted the bear, it was about 50 feet away and running toward them. The bear attacked T.P. first, knocking her to the ground and biting her left thigh. M.P. Ptried to draw the bear away by running off the trail. In doing so, he fell and the bear caught up with him, biting him in the left calf and clawing his right leg. M.P. sprayed the bear in the face with a full can of pepper spray. The bear ran off and again attacked T.P., who was retreating down a hill. She assumed the fetal position after the bear knocked her down. During this second attack, she sustained puncture wounds, lacerations, and abrasions, primarily to her left side and shoulder. She also received puncture wounds on her head. The grizzly reportedly laid on her for a short time before leaving the area. M.P. hiked out to the Many Glacier developed area and reported the attack. Rangers responded, provided emergency medical treatment, and transported both to a hospital in Browning. They were treated and released that night. Both P.s are experienced backcountry hikers who have taken frequent hikes in the park. Although they were making noise and paying close attention to signs of bear activity, they evidently surprised the bear. Investigating rangers have determined that the grizzly was probably the same one as was seen in the area the following day. The bear was accompanied by two cubs, and was evidently protecting them. No management actions will be taken against the bears, but the Cracker Lake trail will likely remain closed for the rest of the season. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 10/26]
Rangers provided support to the Native American Youth Conference which was held on the Blackfeet reservation in Browning from May 24th to the 27th. The traveling conference promotes drug and alcohol free lifestyles for young Native Americans. This was the first time the conference had been held on an American Indian reservation since its inception 24 years ago. Two Medicine subdistrict ranger Dona Taylor, who grew up on the Blackfeet reservation and dealt with many of the problems facing today's youth, spoke to the conference groups about establishing goals early in life to achieve one's aspirations. Ranger staff provided security and support as needed. The park and reservation share a common boundary along the park's east flank and also share a sense of cooperation in addressing the needs of Native American youth in order to help them succeed. [Dave Mihalic, Superintendent, GLAC, 5/26]
An early morning fire on Sunday, July 11th, destroyed the park's outdoor amphitheater at Apgar campground near West Glacier. The structure, used in the presentation of interpretive programs to the public, was completely destroyed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The fire was reported by campers around 3 a.m. Park structural and wildland fire crews responded soon thereafter. By the time they arrived, the wooden structure was totally engulfed in flames, so their efforts centered on containing the fire to prevent it from spreading to the surrounding forest. Built in the early 1960s, Apgar Amphitheater is used by park naturalists to conduct interpretive programs for visitors. The building that was destroyed consisted of a stage with a backdrop containing a large slide projection screen and a storage area containing audio-visual and other interpretive equipment. A monetary value has not yet been established for these losses. The associated bench seats were not destroyed. [PIO, GLAC, 7/13]
A sewage overflow occurred in the Apgar area on July 29th. It's not known how much sewage overflowed, but the total is estimated to have been between 100 and 200 gallons. The apparent cause was debris clogging the sewer line. A vacuum pumper truck and tanker truck were brought in to clean the areas around the leaking manholes and flush them out. A manhole near the village Inn, which is next to lower McDonald Creek, also overflowed. Two sewage lift stations were immediately shut down to relieve the amount of sewage entering the lines and reduce the overflow. There was no indication of sewage directly entering the creek. There were no closures, and the associated problems appear to have been resolved. [PIO, GLAC, 8/4]
D.K., 49, of Polebridge, Montana, left for a day-hike to Long Bow Lake in the North Fork area of the park at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, August 3rd. He was reported overdue by his wife early the following morning. Ground crews, a helicopter, and two dog teams were quickly dispatched to the area by IC Scott Emmerich. The lake is located in a remote section of the park with no trail leading to it, so ground crews had to bushwack their way through thick woods and fallen timber in an attempt to locate D.K. At 3 p.m., ranger Chuck Cameron made verbal contact with D.K. and found him shortly thereafter. D.K. was exhausted, severely dehydrated and had lost a considerable amount of blood from a number of severe lacerations on his face. He also suffered from an intestinal problem that would not allow him to keep food or fluids down. He did not remember how he got the lacerations and doctors believe that he may have been unconscious for a period of time. Because of his condition and the distance to the nearest trail, D.K. was evacuated by helicopter to a waiting ambulance and transported to North Valley Hospital in Whitefish. He is expected to make a full recovery. Considering his condition and the remote location and rugged terrain, D.K. was fortunate to be found and rescued. [David Eaker, Assistant PAO, GLAC, 8/6]
On August 13th, three out-of-state hikers in two separate parties were injured in a surprise encounter with a female grizzly bear and a cub on the Scalplock Lookout Trail in the Walton area of the park. The park received a report around noon that a lone male hiker, B.G., 42, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had been attacked. He suffered numerous puncture wounds and lacerations on his shoulders and arms. The report came from park maintenance workers traveling on horseback to Scalplock Lookout. The maintenance workers treated B.G. and were transporting him to the Walton Ranger Station on horseback when they encountered M.S., 43, of Barrington, New Hampshire, who reported that he and his female companion, S.R., 35, of South Portland, Maine, had also been injured by a bear further up the trail. One of the maintenance workers continued to the ranger station with the first individual, while the other went back to assist the second party. M.S. had bite marks and scratches on his back; S.R. had puncture wounds, lacerations, and an injured right knee. They were treated and also transported by horseback to the ranger station, where park medics met them and continued treatment. B.G. was flown to Kalispell Regional Hospital. S.R. was also flown out, while M.S. was taken by ambulance. Rangers closed the Scalplock Trail and made a sweep of the trail to make sure there were no other hikers in the area. The rangers also escorted two maintenance workers who were working at the lookout back to the ranger station. In accordance with the park's bear management guidelines, a full investigation, including in-depth interviews with the victims, was conducted. Based on the descriptions of the attack, the bear's actions, park bear sighting records, and the investigation, the attacks are considered defensive behavior of a female protecting her young. No management action will be taken against the sow or her cub. Rangers will patrol the trail looking for the bears or other indications that bears are in the area and will reopen the trail only when it is determined to be safe for visitors. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 8/19]
H.A., 74, of Greensboro, North Carolina, fell to his death along the Going-to-the-Sun Road on August 13th. H.A. had stopped his vehicle to take a photo near the Eastside Tunnel, one mile east of Logan Pass. He stepped over a roadside retaining wall, lost his balance, and fell between 400 and 500 feet down a steep, rocky slope. A ranger rappelled down the slope and confirmed that he'd died. Rangers temporarily closed a section of the road near the accident site during the body recovery. [Steve Frye, CR, GLAC, 8/19]
Rangers, FWS agents and Blackfeet tribal officers are investigating the killing of several bighorn sheep rams in the Two Medicine Valley area of the park. Several leads are being pursued. Anyone with information on the incident should contact the park at 406-888-7800. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 1/26]
Park staff are working with the Montana Aeronautics Division in their search for a single-engine aircraft with one person aboard which was last seen on radar on the afternoon of Sunday, April 16th. The plane left the southwestern shore of Flathead Lake around 3:40 p.m. that day and was en route to Lethbridge, Alberta, when it dropped off of radar near Many Glacier Valley, which is within the park. An ELT was picked up Sunday evening from the Crow's Nest Pass area in Alberta. The park was notified of the search on Monday morning and soon joined in. No further details are currently available. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 4/17]
The wreckage of the private, single-engine plane which disappeared over the park on April 16th was found on Wednesday, April 19th, in a rugged backcountry area of the park. The plane was spotted on the northern slope of Mount Henkel by the crew of an Air Force helicopter. It was at about the 6,500-foot level of the 8,770-foot peak. A Canadian search crew reached the site in the afternoon and found that the pilot, D.L., 42, of Plains, Montana, had not survived the crash. A team of five rangers was flown to the site on Thursday to recover the body. The exact cause of the accident is not yet known. The plane's wreckage will be removed at a later date. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 4/20]
J.S., 24, of Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, was injured in a black bear attack on the south shore trail at Two Medicine Lake near East Glacier on the afternoon of June 26th. J.S. and his wife Ja.S. were returning from a day hike when they encountered two black bears, both ahead of them on the trail. Although they moved off the trail when they saw the S.s, one bear began to circle the couple. The S.s retreated back up the trail and started yelling and throwing rocks at the bear (neither was carrying bear spray, which is recommended by the park). It did not respond to these actions, continued to draw closer, then charged J.S. He dropped to the ground and covered his head with his hands. The bear sniffed him, grabbed one of his boots and pulled it off, and bit the upper area of both of J.S.'s arms. At this point, J.S. decided to fight back. He lunged at the bear with his car keys in his hand, striking the animal. The bear backed off, giving J.S. time to stand up and retreat down the trail. The bear disappeared. During the attack, Ja.S. ran up the trail to the concession boat dock at the head of Two Medicine Lake and sought help. The park was immediately notified and a ranger, a volunteer and a boat concession paramedic responded. The puncture wounds on Ja.S.'s arms were treated; he was taken to a hospital in Browning, where he received further treatment and was released. Rangers could find neither of the bears, but will continue to patrol the area and search for evidence of bears. If found, a decision on appropriate action will be made based on the bear's behavior. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 6/27]
The black bear involved in the June 26th attack on J.S., 24, was shot and killed by rangers on July 1st. The bear appeared on the porch of the boat concessioner's residence near Two Medicine Lake that evening and attempted to enter through both the windows and doors. Rangers were notified and shot the bear shortly thereafter. The bear was destroyed because of its aggressive behavior toward humans and in accord with the park's bear management plan. Trapping and relocating was not an option because of this behavior. Two photos J.S. had taken of the bear were used to confirm its identity. Evidence indicated that this was the same bear that had prompted a short-term closure of the Two Medicine auto campground on June 13th, and that it was also the same bear that had been reported by numerous hikers along the South Shore trail just prior to the attack on J.S. Black bear encounters resulting in human injury are uncommon in the park. The last such incident occurred in 1978 at Trout Lake, when a camper was bitten while in his sleeping bag. There has never been a human fatality associated with a black bear in Glacier NP since it was created in 1910. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC, 7/3]
An adult female grizzly and her cub were seen digging and grazing about 30 feet from two tents in the backcountry campground at Old Man Lake at 9 p.m. on July 15th. The adult demonstrated no awareness of humans and appeared to be preoccupied with digging and feeding. Campers began yelling and throwing rocks in an attempt to chase the bears away. After a few minutes, the adult instead approached an unoccupied tent and caused some minor damage. A backcountry ranger camped at the same location fired a round from his handgun over the bear's head, but this did not deter her. After a second shot, the bear ran a short distance, stopped, pawed the ground, then walked off in the direction her cub had taken. Rangers instructed all seven campers to break camp and leave the area and escorted them to the Two Medicine Ranger Station, arriving at about 1 a.m. The campground and the trail from Dry Fork Junction to Pitamakin Pass has been closed until further notice. Park officials have consulted with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee on the bear's behavior; rangers are now closely monitoring the area to see if she shows any aggression or other behavior that might indicate conditioning. The park's bear management guidelines differentiate between habituated and conditioned behavior. This bear displayed habituated behavior, which is defined as becoming accustomed to and frequenting developed areas, backcountry campgrounds, trails or roadsides but still retaining natural foraging behavior. Rangers are monitoring the adult bear for signs of conditioned behavior, which include obtaining non-natural foods, destroying property, displaying aggressive behavior towards humans or becoming overly familiar with humans. Conditioned behavior may lead to more drastic management actions, including possible removal from the park. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 7/17]
E.P., 75, of Whitefish, Montana, fell while climbing in the Logan Pass area on the afternoon of July 27th, sustaining head lacerations, multiple fractures to both legs, and a ruptured kidney. E.P. was climbing with five others in the saddle between Reynolds and Heavy Runner Mountains when he evidently lost his footing, fell 15 to 20 feet over a rock ledge, then rolled another 100 feet down a steep snow field. E.P.'s companions climbed down to him and stabilized his injuries; some of them then hiked out to the Logan Pass VC and notified the park. Park staff in the vicinity hiked to the area and treated E.P. Other park personnel, including park medics, were flown to the scene along with requisite rescue gear. Because of the steep terrain, E.P. had to be belayed about 200 feet down a slope to the nearest safe landing zone. He was flown by helicopter to Kalispell Regional Hospital, where he was last reported to be in critical condition. [Public Affairs, GLAC, 7/28]
Concession employee C.W., 26, of Astoria, New York, died yesterday morning as a result of massive head trauma sustained in an accident that occurred late on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 8th. C.W. was swimming with other concession employees just below a waterfall in Swiftcurrent Creek when a 20-pound rock fell about 50 feet and struck him in the head. Rangers were notified by other swimmers and responded quickly. They had to employ technical climbing methods to reach C.W. and raise him from the creek. He was then flown by air ambulance to a hospital in Great Falls, where he succumbed to his injuries. [Public Affairs, GLAC, 8/9]
K.K., 26, and K.T., 27, both from Ann Arbor, Michigan, were hiking down the Swiftcurrent Pass trail on the morning of August 14th when they rounded a bend and encountered a dark brown adult bear coming towards them in a full-blown charge. K.K., who was in the lead, dropped into a fetal position just as the bear hit him. K.T. dropped to the ground and curled up in some bushes just off the trail. During the 10-second attack, K.K. sustained laceration and puncture wounds to his thighs and hips and his pack and sleeping pad were damaged. The bear then approached K.T., but left her alone and departed. Investigating rangers believe that their response minimized K.K.'s injuries and probably prevented the bear from mauling K.T. They told the rangers that they were very glad that they had watched the park's backcountry video, as they otherwise would not have known what to do during a bear attack. K.K. was transported by litter to the trailhead, then taken by ambulance to Browning Hospital for treatment of his injuries. The attack occurred in an area of thick sub-alpine fur near the head of Bullhead Lake. The trail has been temporarily closed between Swiftcurrent Pass and the trailhead in Many Glacier Valley. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 8/14]
On November 1st, B.P. of Browning, Montana, was convicted in federal district court for illegally killing two bighorn sheep rams in the park earlier this year. The jury found him guilty of two felony provisions of the Lacey Act which apply to crimes in which there is intent to sell illegally-taken wildlife parts. The jury acquitted G.H., also of Browning, on all charges of Lacey Act violations and conspiracy. B.P.'s defense included motions for dismissal on all charges that were based on disputation of the placement of the park's boundary and his perceived retention of hunting rights within the park as a member of the Blackfeet Tribe. These motions were rejected in pre-trial proceedings. The two men were indicted last May for conspiring to kill three bighorn sheep for the purpose of selling their curled horns. The incident took place on January 18th on Spot Mountain in Two Medicine Valley. The three carcasses were seized at the scene; the head of one of the rams was recovered on the Blackfeet Reservation. The investigation was conducted jointly by the NPS and Fish and Wildlife Service with the cooperation of the Blackfeet Tribe. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 11/3]
A worker for a construction company paving part of Going-To-The-Sun Road contacted the park on the afternoon of June 14th and reported that a visitor had just notified him of a falling accident at Crystal Point. D.H., 85, of Salt Lake City, had fallen several hundred feet from the point. An EMT-certified employee working at the site had reached D.H. and found that he'd died from severe trauma suffered in the fall. Investigating rangers determined that D.H. and several members of his family had stopped at the turnout, and that D.H. stepped out of the vehicle and fell only moments later. The fall was not witnessed. [Public Affairs, GLAC, 6/15]
A park employee had to use pepper spray to deter a charging grizzly bear near Cracker Lake in the Many Glacier Valley on the morning of July 10th. No one was injured in the incident, but the trail was temporarily closed until the bears move out of the area. A park biological technician and three volunteers were hiking on the Cracker Lake trail when they encountered a female grizzly and two cubs. The bears were only 10 feet away at the time, and the female reacted by charging the group. The biologist discharged her pepper spray toward the bear; upon encountering the cloud of spray, the bear immediately retreated and disappeared into the brush. The group then slowly backed up the trail, keeping alert for the bears. The animals were not seen again. [Public Affairs, GLAC, 7/11]
A cooperative investigation by rangers, Postal Inspection Service investigators, Montana Department of Corrections probation and parole officers, and Flathead County deputies has resulted in the arrest of C.E., 20, for the July 22nd burglary of the Lake McDonald post office. C.E. was charged with burglary, stealing or rifling through U.S. mail, and theft; he was also charged with assault in a separate incident that occurred the same evening at a park concession dormitory at Lake McDonald Lodge. He is currently in custody at the Flathead County Detention Center. A court date has not yet been set. [Public Affairs, GLAC, 7/26]
D.O., 30, of Whitefish, Montana, was killed on August 6th when he and his bicycle flipped over a rock wall along the Triple Arches section of the Going-to-the-Sun highway and fell about 250 feet. D.O. and a companion were cycling down from Logan Pass just after 1 a.m. when D.O. evidently lost control of his bike and went over the edge. The accident was witnessed by both the driver and two passengers in an eastbound vehicle traveling up to Logan Pass to begin a bike ride. An investigation is underway. Speed was a likely factor; poor visibility may also have been a contributing factor. Evidence indicates that D.O. was not using either a headlight or headlamp, although a small flashlight was found on the road where D.O. went off. It also appears that he wasn't wearing a helmet, though that would not likely have prevented his death or injury in this case. The park has again emphasized that bicyclists are required to have headlights and rear reflectors, and that helmets are strongly encouraged. The last serious bicycle accident in the park involved a Whitefish resident also bicycling at night during a full moon in the early 1990s. That incident involved a high impact collision of a downhill cyclist, travelling at a high rate of speed, with a cyclist peddling uphill. The downhill cyclist sustained life-threatening head injuries as a result of the collision as well as injury to the other cyclist. In that incident, the downhill cyclist was not wearing a helmet. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 8/7]
On Wednesday, August 15th, rangers recovered the body of a 22-year old man who apparently died from massive trauma received in a fall that occurred two days previously while he was descending from the summit of Mt. Jackson (10,052 feet). There had been an ongoing search for the man, a Polish national, since his companion reported him missing on August 14th. The two young men started out to attempt a climb of Mt. Jackson on Monday. The pair split up near Gunsight Pass at 1 p.m., with the victim continuing on toward the summit of Mt. Jackson. When his climbing companion failed to return at a predetermined site and time, the other climber hiked back down to Gunsight Lake, where he encountered a park trail crew around 8 p.m. With the assistance of Minuteman Aviation of West Glacier, rangers began a helicopter search of the Mt. Jackson area at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. No sign of him was seen, so a ground search was begun. It continued through the day without any positive results, other than a determination that the climber had reached the summit of Mt. Jackson and signed the register there. The search resumed on Wednesday and his body was spotted early in the afternoon below the mountain's west ridge. Rangers descended to the site and recovered the body. The incident is still under investigation, but it is presumed that he fell while descending from the summit of the mountain and died from massive trauma. [Public Affairs, GLAC, 8/15]
On Wednesday, August 15th, rangers recovered the body of a 22-year old man who died from massive trauma received in a fall that occurred two days previously while he was descending from the summit of Mt. Jackson (10,052 feet). He has been identified as W.K. of Warsaw, Poland. W.K. was an employee of St. Mary Lodge in St. Mary, Montana, and was participating in Work Experience USA, a program that brings foreign students to the U.S. for summer employment. [Public Affairs, GLAC, 8/16]
Gerald "Jerry" Nelson, 60, the park's fee program/filming coordinator, died following an intense struggle with colon cancer on Tuesday, November 28th. The notice got waylaid by the Internet shutdown. Jerry was involved with revising NPS-22 and was very active in other aspects of the Service's fee program and campground reservation system. Memorial services were held on Monday, December 3rd, in Kalispell, Montana. Jerry is survived by his mother, ex-wife, son, two daughters, and several grandchildren. Condolences may be sent to his son, J.N. [Mary Lou Fitzpatrick, Personnel Specialist, GLAC, 12/5]
Over the weekend of June 8th and 9th, an unseasonable storm dropped several feet of snow in the mountains and along the park's east side, causing power outages and closures. Through concerted efforts by park staff, facilities and services reopened within several days. Electrical power was restored at Many Glacier Valley on the evening of June 11th, making it possible to open the Many Glacier Hotel for the season on schedule. Two Medicine Valley had reopened by June 13th, but temporarily without services. Going-To-The-Sun Road reopened for vehicle traffic on the east side of the Divide as far as Jackson Glacier overlook, a distance of 14 miles from St. Mary's. Hikers and bikers could travel another two miles to Siyeh Bend. On the west side of the Divide, the road was opened to Avalanche Creek, 16 miles from West Glacier. Bicyclists and pedestrians could travel several miles beyond Avalanche Creek. The area just above Siyeh Bend was hit by a massive slab avalanche, the largest ever seen by veteran road crew members. Avalanche debris is estimated to be an eighth to a quarter mile long and 20 to 30 feet deep. It will therefore take some time to clear. Crews working the west side of Going-To- The-Sun Road counted a total of 72 avalanches, some of which reached the road. Warm weather has returned to the area, with temperatures in the 80s. Park staff are accordingly closely monitoring stream and river levels throughout the park. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC, 6/14]
Late on the afternoon of Monday, July 22nd, D.W., 42, of Spokane, reportedly ventured beyond the fence above Upper McDonald Falls, slipped, fell into Upper McDonald Creek, went over the falls, struck a rock, and then came ashore below the falls. His family sought help from others nearby, one of whom provided two sleeping bags. The group then wrapped D.W. in the bags to help prevent hypothermia. A construction crew was flagged down on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, who in turn reported the accident via radio to park headquarters at approximately 6 p.m. Three park rangers and a local ambulance were dispatched to the scene. After preliminary assessments, D.W. was placed in a cervical collar as a precautionary measure, then placed upon a backboard while being treated for hypothermia. He was transported to a hospital via, where he was treated and released Monday evening. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC]
A 38-year-old woman from Michigan was rescued from nearly drowning in Virginia Falls on the afternoon of Sunday, July 21st. B.M. and her husband R.M. were at Virginia Falls Bridge when she slipped and fell about 15 feet into Virginia Creek. He dove into the water and rescued her. B.M. had aspirated water and sustained bruises, a laceration to the back of her head, and possible internal injuries. An off-duty paramedic hiking the trail and other visitors provided first aid until a team of 14 park employees arrived on scene about an hour later. Rangers administered oxygen, provided cervical spine stabilization, and treated her for hypothermia. B.M. was then evacuated by air to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where she was in critical condition at the time of the report (Monday). The park has expressed its appreciation to the many visitors who provided assistance during the incident. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC]
A search was begun on July 24th for 17-year-old T.H. of Franklin, Tennessee, who fell into Hudson Bay Creek above Red Eagle Lake on the park's east side. He and other members of his Boy Scout troop were exploring off-trail along the creek when the accident happened. Scouts who were with T.H. saw him being swept down the creek and over a waterfall, where he became lodged in a logjam in the 30-foot-deep whirlpool at the base of the fall. Members of the group contacted a trail crew working nearby; they in turn reported the incident to park headquarters. Efforts were begun to dislodge the logjam from the point where he was last seen. Mechanical winch and hoisting devices and explosives were successfully employed to break up the jam. Rangers then began dragging the whirlpool, but without success. Waters in the creek and the pool are very high due to heavy runoff from melting snow, making diving too dangerous. The operation has been scaled back, although the pool is being kept under surveillance. [Amy Vanderbilt, PAO, GLAC]
M.W., 20, of Orange Park, Florida, died in a climbing accident on the Hidden Lake side of Reynolds Mountain on the night of Monday, August 5th. The fatality is under routine investigation, but it appears that he fell over two cliff bands, rolled down a rock slope, and died from massive trauma. Snow was reportedly not a factor in the accident. M.W. was a seasonal employee at St. Mary's Park Café and had been working there for about three weeks. This was his first summer working in the region. Although climbing in the park is legal, it is not a recommended or promoted park activity due to the loose and unstable nature of the rock and the snow and ice encountered on most peaks and climbing routes much of the time. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC]
A search was begun on July 24th for 17-year-old T.H. of Franklin, Tennessee, who fell over a waterfall on Hudson Bay Creek near Red Eagle Lake. Efforts were made to find and recover his body from the waterfall pool, but the water pressure of the cascading waterfall and the volume and depth of water in the pool made diving unsafe. Rangers continued monitoring the site, however, and waited for the water to recede. By August 12th, it had become safe enough to enter. Three North Valley SAR divers, assisted by four rangers, searched the pool for T.H.'s body and were able to find and recover his remains. [Amy Vanderbilt, PIO, GLAC]
Backpacker S.S., 45, of Huntsville, Alabama, was found by a search team on the Dawson/Pitamakan loop trail on the afternoon of September 2nd following an extended search by the park. He was suffering from severe dehydration, fatigue and minor injuries. S.S. had been reported overdue from a solo two-night backpacking trip on the evening of Friday, August 30th. By Monday, search efforts involved more than 60 park staff, community volunteers and USGS personnel, three dog teams, and a helicopter from Minuteman Aviation. Teams scoured the search area throughout the Labor Day weekend, but without luck. At noon on Monday, a search team member on the trail near Dawson Peak saw a man fitting S.S.'s description walking toward him and confirmed that he was indeed the lost hiker. Investigating rangers determined that S.S. apparently lost the trail he was following the previous Friday after leaving No Name Lake campground. He became disoriented and descended into the Nyack Creek Valley behind Mount Morgan, where he fell and sustained minor injuries while walking down the steep drainage, looking for water. S.S. realized he was stuck at the bottom of the drainage and began rationing his food and keeping close to a water source. S.S. said that he'd heard the helicopter overhead on Saturday, and that he realized by Monday that he'd have to climb out of the steep ravine if he was to survive. He described to rangers how he slowly crawled up the nearly vertical slope, then discovered the loop trail on which he'd originally been hiking. S.S. was treated by a park medic and reunited with his parents. [Public Affairs, GLAC]
S.M., 20, of Kila, Montana, was climbing Going-To-The-Sun Mountain on August 18th when he was struck on the arm by a boulder dislodged by one of his two climbing companions, causing an open compound fracture. Four Canadian park wardens, assisted by at least nine Glacier NP staff, rescued S.M.. A Kruger helicopter with NPS personnel aboard provided logistical support; a team of Banff and Waterton-based Canadian park rescue and climbing specialists were called in due to their ability to perform short-haul helicopter operations and their expertise in technical rescues. An Glacier NP medic climbed to the site and provided treatment while the Canadians were in the process of responding. The Canadian team conducted a technical rescue operation that involved bolting in anchors and lowering S.M. to a safer area on the mountain. The Canadians then short-hauled S.M. and rescue personnel and gear to the Siyeh Bend area in Glacier. [Submitted by Public Affairs]
E.W., 33, of Seattle, Washington, was climbing the east face of Mount Wilbur on August 29th when he slipped and fell 60 feet, suffering leg and head injuries. His companion employed a cell phone to call 911 and the Park Café in St. Mary; a party at the latter reported the accident to the park. A Minuteman Aviation helicopter took two rangers - one an EMT - to the mountain. The helicopter deposited the rangers at a small, primitive landing site. They climbed 400 vertical feet from that point to reach E.W., who was at the 8,500 foot elevation. The EMT treated him and he was evacuated by air to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. [Submitted by Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer, Glacier NP]
Rangers are investigating the whereabouts of a missing person after
finding an abandoned 1998 dark blue GMC truck at the Rocky Point
trailhead on the west shore of Lake McDonald. Truck owner L.T.K.,
40, of Dorr, Michigan, is now reported as 'missing' by the
sheriff's department in his home county. Rangers are seeking information
or clues regarding L.T.K.'s whereabouts. He is described as 'tall and
slender' at 6'1" tall, weighs approximately 150 to 160 pounds, has brown
hair and eyes, and wears glasses. When last seen by family members, his
hair was mid-shoulder length and worn in a ponytail and he was
clean-shaven. L.T.K. reportedly smokes 'Swisher Sweets' cigars and may
have been wearing black steel-toed work boots. No other information is
known regarding his whereabouts or what he was wearing. The first
verified report of the abandoned dual-wheeled truck was documented by
park rangers during the third week of June. Once it was ascertained that
the vehicle remained unattended overnight, rangers began monitoring
daily. The truck was impounded by rangers on Monday, June 23rd. At that
time, the vehicle's owner was identified and rangers made contact with
relatives and authorities in Michigan to glean possible clues as to
L.T.K.'s whereabouts. A park entrance receipt was located in the vehicle
dated May 29, 2003, but no evidence or leads have been found as to
L.T.K.'s activities or whereabouts between May 29th and mid-June. During
the initial investigation, rangers determined that L.T.K. did not have a
backcountry permit or camping equipment in the vehicle and that there
were no records of him lodging recently in or near the park. L.T.K. is
not known to have any summertime outdoor interests, nor was his travel
itinerary known by any family members. While the investigation
continues, rangers have been searching in the immediate area and on
trails in the vicinity. On Friday, June 27th, a land-certified search
dog team was brought into the Rocky Point area through cooperation with
the Flathead County Sheriff's Office and Flathead County Search and
Rescue. On Sunday, June 29th, a water-certified search dog team (two
dogs and two handlers) from the Missoula County Sheriff's Office
assisted rangers in searching the Lake McDonald area without providing
any leads. A 'missing person' poster is been prepared and will be posted
on park trailheads in the general vicinity of the Rocky Point trailhead
and distributed elsewhere around the park.
Rangers are continuing their investigation into the disappearance of
40-year-old L.K. The Michigan resident's truck was discovered
in mid-June near the Rocky Point trailhead, but L.K.'s whereabouts
remain a mystery. On Thursday, July 10th, two dog teams, each consisting
of a dog handler, a ranger and the search dog, were used to conduct a
ground search in the Rocky Point area. A grid search will be conducted
today by six rangers in the area around the trailhead where L.K.'s
truck was found. Previous searches by trained dogs and dive teams failed
to locate L.K.. In addition, rangers are continuing to interview
L.K.'s family and friends and searching his truck for additional
clues.
Rangers rescued an injured climber from Mt. Siyeh last Thursday
evening. L.G. of Mountlake Terrace, Washington, was
scramble-climbing on the mountain with two other climbers when he was
struck by a falling rock. After being hit, L.G. fell approximately ten
feet. One of the climbers stayed with L.G. while the other went for
help. Fifteen people and both Alert and Minuteman helicopters took part
in the rescue. L.G. was airlifted off Mt. Siyeh by helicopter and
transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. His condition was not
known at the time of the report. With its peak at 10,014 feet, Mt. Siyeh
is the fifth highest mountain in Glacier National Park. Though climbing
in the park is legal, it is not a recommended or promoted park activity,
due to the loose and unstable nature of the rock and, at times, ice and
snow encountered on most climbing peaks and climbing routes.
The investigation into the disappearance of 40-year-old L.T.K.
of Dorr, Michigan, continues. Rangers are working with other law
enforcement agencies and L.T.K.'s family and friends in an effort to
develop leads in the case. L.T.K.'s abandoned 1998 dark blue GMC truck
was discovered at the Rocky Point trailhead on the west shore of Lake
McDonald last month. A park entrance receipt dated May 29th was found
inside the vehicle, but there is no indication as to L.T.K.'s activities
between May 29th and mid-June, when his truck was spotted. Land and
water searches have failed to turn up any sign of L.T.K.. The most
recent search took place on July 20th. Park employees combed through
thick vegetation in the Fish Creek area where L.T.K.'s truck was found,
but did not find any clues to his whereabouts. Rangers plan to
periodically enlarge the search area, but at this point have no new
leads upon which to focus. FBI agents are providing expertise in
preserving evidence and searching for clues in L.T.K.'s truck. Allegan
County (Michigan) sheriff's deputies are developing background
information about the missing man. Staff from the Flathead County
Sheriff's Office and search and rescue volunteers from Missoula and
Libby have conducted land and water searches for L.T.K..
Late in the afternoon of Thursday, September 25th, park personnel
received word of an injury on the Triple Divide Pass Trail in the
Cutbank area. Long term seasonal ranger-naturalist Ginny West had been
hiking with her husband and another park employee when she was knocked
off her feet by a sudden gust of wind about a mile below Triple Divide
Pass. Sustained high winds were blowing along the east side the park all
day. According to witnesses, West fell approximately five feet, then
tumbled an additional five feet before coming to rest below the trail.
Attempts were made to have rescuers transported to the scene via
helicopter, but were unsuccessful due to the sustained high winds. They
were instead shuttled via helicopter to nearby Medicine Grizzly Lake
from St. Mary; a litter team also responded by foot from the Cutbank
Ranger Station. Rescue personnel were able to reach West around 7 p.m.
She was treated for injuries, raised to the trail and evacuated
approximately seven miles by wheeled litter to the ranger station.
Browning Ambulance transported West to Browning Hospital at
approximately 2 a.m.. The rescue involved 18 park employees. Assisting
were Minuteman Aviation of West Glacier and Browning Ambulance. Hudson
Bay DR Pat Suddath was IC.
On the afternoon of September 27th, K.H., 48, of Bozeman,
and K.R.W., 20, of Browning, where hiking on a game trail
near the northwest face of Cataract Mountain when they encountered a
grizzly bear. According to the account they later provided to
investigating rangers, the women head a woof, followed by what sounded
like teeth gnashing. K.H. pulled out her bear spray and had it in
hand when she was hit from behind by the bear and pushed into a fir
tree. The bear then attacked K.R.W., pulling her to the ground and
biting her on the shoulder. When the bear turned on K.R.W.,
K.H. discharged her can of bear spray at the bear, which immediately
left the area. The entire incident lasted only 10 seconds or so. Both
women sustained puncture wounds, scratches, bruises and contusions.
K.H. also had a strained or sprained ankle. Despite their injuries,
they were able to hike unassisted for about six miles to the ranger
station at Many Glacier, where they were treated by a ranger-medic. They
were then taken to a hospital, treated and released. Both women are
experienced hikers. They said that they followed the bear precautions
recommended by the park; they believe that they may have inadvertently
awakened the bear, despite these precautions. Park managers believe that
the attack was consistent with a defensive response on the part of the
bear, rather than a predatory attack, so no wildlife management actions
are planned. Rangers have posted the Piegan Pass with bear notices and
closed the north side of the Piegan Pass to its junction with the
Grinnell Lake trail to all off-trail hiking.
A park maintenance worker found J.R., 28, a Canadian
citizen, inside the Goat Haunt Ranger Station bunkhouse on the afternoon
of October 7th. All visitor services had ended for the season at Goat
Haunt on October 5th. J.R. had forcibly entered the building. She was
transported to Waterton Townsite, where she was met by a Glacier NP
ranger and a Waterton Lakes NP park warden. After initial interviews,
she was taken to Canada and placed in the custody of the RCMP and
Canadian Customs. Background checks on J.R. revealed an extensive
criminal history, with several outstanding warrants in both countries
for fraud and money laundering to the tune of $700,000. J.R. remains
in RCMP custody on charges of drug trafficking. The break-in is under
investigation as part of a larger investigation, so additional details
are not yet available.
Three men — C.E., 34, M.K., 43 and K.K.,
18 — were apprehended by rangers on Monday, May 10th, while in the
act of illegally harvesting morel mushrooms in the Fish Creek area of
the park. The men were each cited and released, and about 13 pounds of
morels were confiscated. C.E. and M.K. were also cited for
illegal possession of loaded weapons. Each citation carries up to a
maximum fine of $5,000 and/or six months in jail or both. In 2003, large
wildfires burned about 136,000 aces within the park, creating excellent
conditions for morels and attracting commercial harvesters. The park has
been working to educate the public on the importance of leaving them in
place. Mushrooms provide an important seasonal food source to park
wildlife, including grizzly bears, black bears, white-tailed deer, mule
deer, elk, moose, red squirrels, ground squirrels, other rodents, and a
wide variety of insects. Many species of birds are drawn to recent burns
to nest and feed on insects and seeds; some birds are dependent on
recent burns. Many trees and other plants are dependent on mushrooms, as
they help provide water and nutrients through their underground
mycelium. The mushrooms and the spores they produce are also essential
for reproduction of new mushrooms; mushroom nutrients not consumed by
park wildlife return to the soil.
A father and his two sons — one three, the other five —
began a canoe trip on the Middle Fork River around
6:15 p.m.on May 26th. It was rainy and about 48 degrees at
the time. The canoe capsized just below the put-in point. The father was
able to find his older son, but the three-year-old was missing. He
climbed to the highway and flagged down a motorist who was able to make
a 911 call from a nearby business. Shortly after dispatch put the call
on the air, ranger Kevin Hammonds launched his kayak from the Walton
Ranger Station, about 200 yards from the point where the accident had
occurred. Hammonds searched the river for about a mile and found the boy
against a rock in the river. He was not breathing and had no pulse.
Hammons began CPR and continued it for ten minutes until rangers, rescue
personnel and a medevac helicopter and crew from Kalispell arrived.
Advanced life support measures were begun, and the boy was flown to
Kalispell. CPR was continued until 10:30
p.m., at which time the boy's pulse resumed. He was then flown to Sacred
Heart Hospital in Spokane, Washington. At the time of the report, he'd
recovered fully, with no deficits. The incident has generated
considerable interest in cold water near-drownings, the associated
"diving reflex," and the prospects for recovery once the victim is
warmed and oxygenated.
A.A., 24, of Orlando, Florida, survived a fall and cold
water immersion in Reynolds Creek on June 16th after his companion,
other park visitors and nearly a dozen park personnel came to his
rescue. A.A. and Valerie Sudlow were hiking near Deadwood Falls on
the Gunsight Lake Trail, approximately a mile from the trailhead on the
Going-to-the-Sun, when A.A. climbed some rocks above the falls. He
slipped and fell into the pool and was reportedly submerged underwater
for several minutes. Sudlow ran down to the pool below the falls and
found A.A. unconscious and not breathing. She reportedly pulled him
from the water and administered CPR for approximately five minutes
before he began breathing on his own. Don Scharfe, owner of Rocky
Mountain Outfitters in Kalispell, came upon the scene with several
climbing companions and assisted by starting a small fire and treating
A.A. for hypothermia. NPS personnel were notified shortly thereafter
and responded. Park interpretive naturalists and trail crew members
assisted rangers by providing clothing to warm A.A. and later
carrying him to the trailhead via litter. An air ambulance was requested
and landed at the Jackson Glacier overlook pullout on Going-to-the Sun
Highway. Flight nurses further stabilized A.A. while the helicopter
flew to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where he was given additional
medical care.
A.A., 24, of Orlando, Florida, survived a fall and cold
water immersion in Reynolds Creek on June 16th after his companion,
other park visitors and nearly a dozen park personnel came to his
rescue. A.A. and Valerie Sudlow were hiking near Deadwood Falls on
the Gunsight Lake Trail, approximately a mile from the trailhead on the
Going-to-the-Sun, when A.A. climbed some rocks above the falls. He
slipped and fell into the pool and was reportedly submerged underwater
for several minutes. Sudlow ran down to the pool below the falls and
found A.A. unconscious and not breathing. She reportedly pulled him
from the water and administered CPR for approximately five minutes
before he began breathing on his own. Don Scharfe, owner of Rocky
Mountain Outfitters in Kalispell, came upon the scene with several
climbing companions and assisted by starting a small fire and treating
A.A. for hypothermia. NPS personnel were notified shortly thereafter
and responded. Park interpretive naturalists and trail crew members
assisted rangers by providing clothing to warm A.A. and later
carrying him to the trailhead via litter. An air ambulance was requested
and landed at the Jackson Glacier overlook pullout on Going-to-the Sun
Highway. Flight nurses further stabilized A.A. while the helicopter
flew to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where he was given additional
medical care.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 27th, the park received a report
that a 46-year-old man had fallen into an ice crevasse on Grinnell
Glacier. The report was received by interpretive ranger Bob Schuster,
who had just finished a guided tour at the edge of the glacier and was
returning to the trailhead. He and off-duty interpretive ranger Ginny
West immediately called the incident to park dispatch and returned to
the glacier, where they located the crevasse with help from the
reporting party. Rangers from the Many Glacier area responded via the
park's contract helicopter. West guided the helicopter to a narrow
landing zone between numerous crevasses. Rangers rappelled into the
crevasse, which was less than 18 inches wide near the victim, with ice
water running down the both sides. The victim, later identified as
H.C. of Columbia, Maryland, was buried under three feet of snow,
wedged in the narrow opening. H.C. was unresponsive but groaning weakly
when rangers reached him. Access and extrication were extremely
difficult due to the narrow opening and unstable ice and water flowing
down around him. Rescuers had to be rapidly rotated out of the opening
due to extreme wet and cold conditions. Additional rangers were flown in
from several areas of the park to replace fatigued rescuers. H.C.
continued to slip further down the narrow crevasse with each exhalation.
Ranger Gary Moses eventually managed to secure a line to H.C. and he was
successfully extricated about four hours after the accident occurred.
CPR was begun immediately upon extrication. H.C. was transported by
Alert Air Ambulance to Kalispell Regional Hospital, where attempts to
revive him continued. He was eventually pronounced dead due to multiple
injuries. More than 25 NPS personnel from West Glacier, Many Glacier and
St. Mary were involved in the rescue.
A large rockslide in the Haystack Creek area closed the Going-to-the-Sun (Sun) Road from the Loop to Jackson Glacier Overlook around 2:30 a.m. early Saturday morning. The rockslide, reported by a visitor who was driving through the area when it occurred, was about 150 feet wide and 10 to 12 feet deep in places. The slide intercepted Haystack Creek, causing the creek to flow over the road. The visitor sustained some vehicle damage, but no injuries were reported. Road crews began clean-up efforts early this morning. Park rangers have since opened the east side to Logan Pass, but the Sun Road will remain closed on the west side from the Loop to Logan Pass for most of the day. Since the Sun Road closure, there have been two additional smaller rockslides at Triple Arches and Crystal Point, just above the Loop. For current road conditions, weather and other park information, please visit the park's web site at www.nps.gov/glac/ whatsnew/gttsroad.htm or call park headquarters at 406-888-7800. More information will be provided when the road is reopened in its entirety. Additional photographs of the slide are available in the website photo gallery.[Submitted by Lindy Allen]
On Tuesday, June 7th, rangers responded to an accident in which North
Fork trail crew leader Greg Knutson, 43, of Columbia Falls, sustained
injuries caused by a falling tree during tree felling on the Kintla Lake
Trail. Rangers were notified by another trail crew member around 1 p.m.
Three EMT-qualified rangers were dispatched immediately to the scene,
about a half mile up the Kintla Lake Trail, where first aid was
administered to treat Knutson's several injuries. Knutson was
stabilized, taken by boat to the foot of Kintla Lake, transferred to a
Columbia Falls ambulance, then transferred again to a medevac helicopter
at Round Prairie and flown to Kalispell Regional Medical Center for
additional medical care.
On Monday, June 27th, rangers shot and killed two food-conditioned black bears at the foot of Elizabeth Lake. This action was authorized only after consultation with the park's wildlife biologist and was in accordance with Glacier National Park's bear management plan. Two backcountry campers reported that on Saturday morning, June 25th, a black bear entered their camp site at the Elizabeth Lake campground while they were preparing breakfast and had obtained food. A second group of campers also spotted a bear in the campground, but they described the bear differently. Due to this bear activity, the three backcountry campgrounds in the area, as well as the area trails - Dawn Mist Falls to the foot of Elizabeth Lake and the foot of Elizabeth Lake to Red Gap Pass - were closed. Rangers were dispatched to the area to investigate. Although no bears returned on Sunday, the rangers observed two black bears entering the campground area on Monday. The bears were not deterred by the rangers' presence or their shouts. Both bears exhibited food-conditioned behavior, searching for food at the food preparation area and at the food storage areas. In accordance with the bear management guideline, the bears were shot and killed by the rangers. Both were black bears - one an adult female weighing approximately 140 pounds, and the second an adult male weighing approximately 170 pounds. "We hate to kill any park wildlife, but these bears had clearly become food-conditioned," said deputy superintendent Stephanie Dubois. "The potential for a serious future encounter could not be overlooked. They had likely received food rewards prior to this incident. This incident underscores the importance for all park visitors to store, prepare, and dispose their food properly." The Elizabeth Lake area campgrounds and trails reopened yesterday. [Submitted by Melissa Wilson]
On August 11th, the park received a request from the Flathead County Sheriff's Office for assistance in stopping a vehicle involved in a high speed pursuit on U.S. Highway 2 that was headed toward the park. The suspect vehicle was reported to be traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph and against traffic. Rangers Gary Moses and Ron Goldhirsch immediately set up a roadblock in the eastbound lane of Highway 2 just west of the junction with the Going to the Sun Road, utilizing parked patrol vehicles to constrict the road width. The driver, subsequently identified as J.H., an escaped convict from Nebraska, attempted to breech the roadblock and in the process struck Moses' vehicle at a high rate of speed. After striking the patrol vehicle, J.H. lost control of his car, which skidded across the oncoming traffic lane, flipped, and came to rest just west of the railroad bypass tunnel leading into the community of West Glacier. J.H. fled on foot into that community. Rangers immediately established containment of park access routes and pursued J.H. on foot, following him into a densely wooded area by the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, directly across the river from the park housing area. Ranger Stephen Willis found J.H. hiding in the dense brush and placed him in custody without further incident. The vehicle that J.H. was driving was reportedly stolen in Columbia Falls, Montana, earlier that day. The Montana Highway Patrol estimates that J.H. was traveling in excess of 96 mph when his car hit the ranger vehicle. [Patrick Suddath, West Lakes District Ranger]
S.R. of Eagle Point, Oregon, recently pled guilty to charges of partner assault that stemmed from a incident that occurred in Apgar Campground on July 8th. Camp hosts reported that they were approached by a woman who claimed that her boyfriend had assaulted her. She then fled the area. Based on the report from the camp hosts, rangers located the woman and identified S.R. as her assailant. Through extensive interviews, rangers determined that the woman was the victim of a long history of abuse which had accelerated nightly prior to their arrival in Glacier. She eventually signed a complaint against S.R. and was transported to Flathead Regional Medical Center for treatment of her injuries. S.R. was fined $500 and sentenced to five weeks in jail, with credit for time served. S.R. has a lengthy criminal history, including prior convictions for assault, drug possession, violating a restraining order, and contempt of court. The victim currently has a restraining order against S.R. through Flathead County, Montana. She has credited rangers for helping her to escape her abusive situation. Ranger Steve Dodd was the primary case agent. [Patrick Suddath, West Lakes District Ranger]
Two park visitors, a man and a woman, were injured on the morning of August 25th in a surprise close-range encounter with a female grizzly and her two cubs. The hikers reported that they surprised the bear at a distance of approximately five feet. To avoid a continued attack, they apparently rolled off the trail, falling approximately 30 to 50 feet down a steep, rocky area below the trail. This fall may have aggravated their injuries. The incident occurred on the Grinnell Glacier Trail, approximately two miles above the head of Josephine Lake. Due to the nature of the injuries and the steep and difficult terrain, the victims were transported from the scene via helicopter to an area were the helicopter could land and further medical care could be provided. Both were later flown to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. The Grinnell Glacier Trail was closed immediately after the incident was reported. It will not be reopened until there are two patrols by rangers with no bear sightings, nor any evidence of bear in the area. Other area trails were also temporarily closed for safety concerns; they will be reopened as deemed appropriate. Park rangers, including bear management rangers, are investigating the incident. Park managers will review their findings in the context of the park's bear management guidelines and determine if any further actions need to be taken. This is the first instance of a bear-related injury this year in the park. [Submitted by Public Affairs]
On September 28th, backcountry personnel returning to Belly River Trailhead reported that their crew-cab pickup and 20-foot-long horse trailer were missing. The vehicles had last been seen at 3:30 p.m. on the 27th. In addition, the personal vehicle of a backcountry ranger had been broken into and the steering column cracked during an apparent attempted theft. Since Belly River Trailhead is only 100 yards from the Canada-US border at Chief Mountain, the investigating ranger contacted US and Canadian customs and discovered that two other vehicles had been stolen the previous day in Canada, then abandoned in succession, with the second vehicle pushed off the shoulder of the road just three-quarters of a mile from the border. The incidents are assumed to be related, and RCMP agents and NPS officers are cooperating on the investigation. Later on the 28th, a cell phone which had been in the stolen truck was found near Helena, Montana, and on the evening of the 29th the trailer was recovered by Glacier County officers near Browning, Montana. The truck, a white 2004 Ford 350 crew-cab with Interior plates I-410875, remains missing. Anyone with information should contact Kathy Krisko at 406-732-7726 or 7734. [Kathy Krisko, Chief Mountain Subdistrict Ranger]
On November 2nd, a former Glacier Park Inc. employee was sentenced on federal assault charges in Missoula, Montana, stemming from a September 22nd incident at Lake McDonald Lodge. Rangers arrested the man following an early morning callout for an injured concession employee. On scene, rangers determined that the victim had been struck multiple times in the face and head in an unprovoked attack. The victim and other witnesses identified the man as the attacker. The victim of the assault suffered numerous injuries that required surgical intervention and extensive rehabilitation. The concession employee pled guilty to federal assault charges on September 27th; he was sentenced to 15 days incarceration, with credit for five days served, and ordered to pay a total of $14,592.14 in restitution for medical expenses. He will remain on supervised federal probation for three years following his release. [Patrick Suddath, West Lakes District Ranger]
Late on the afternoon of November 21st, the park received a 911 call reporting that a man had fallen into Upper McDonald Creek and had not resurfaced. Responding rangers found that the incident had occurred at Platform Pullout, a popular pullout on Going to the Sun Road about 14 miles from the west entrance with an observation platform that overlooks a series of waterfalls along Upper McDonald Creek. The victims fiancé and sister reported that he had crawled over the railing of the overlook and was standing by the creek at the head of the falls when he slipped on a wet rock and fell into the creek. They saw him clinging to a fallen log at the bottom of the falls for a few moments, then he disappeared. Rangers conducted a hasty search of the immediate area and the creek below the falls. The park fire brigade also responded, along with Columbia Falls Ambulance, the Flathead County dive team, and a Flathead County search dog and handler. Park staff secured the foot of the falls, provided technical rope rigging to support the dive team, and lighting from a structural fire engine. Divers located the mans body in a large pool under 21 feet of water at the bottom of the falls, approximately three hours after he was last seen. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Approximately 27 rescuers from three agencies participated in the incident. [Patrick Suddath, West Lakes District Ranger]
A park concession employee from Mule Shoe Outfitters was seriously injured in a pack string accident on Tuesday, June 27th. The 60-year-old summer employee was returning with supplies from Granite Park Chalet with a pack string of mules when the accident occurred. About two miles from the trailhead at the Loop, the pack string was startled, likely due to a problem with one of the propane tanks the mules were carrying. The packer fell from his horse, and may have sustained additional injuries when the mules bolted. All mules are back with Mule Shoe Outfitters. Two emergency room nurses hiking the trail and one emergency room doctor near the Loop assisted the park rangers who responded to the incident. The packer was brought to the trailhead in a wheeled litter. He was then transported by an ALERT helicopter to Kalispell Regional Medical Center for treatment. Traffic on the Going-to-the-Sun Road was delayed approximately 20 minutes to allow the helicopter to land at the Loop. The incident is under investigation. [Melissa Wilson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the night of July 20th, park staff rescued a 22-yeard-old man from Michigan who'd fallen to a ledge above Hidden Lake. Ben Evans was evidently taking a short-cut off-trail to Hidden Lake from the Overlook when he stumbled and fell about 15 feet to a ledge. He was unable to get off the ledge and began calling for help. A fisherman heard his call and notified the Logan Pass Visitor Center around 6 p.m. The rescue was a team effort and included employees from protection, a trail crew, maintenance, interpretation, resource management, and a park volunteer. Rescuers determined that Evans could not be reached from below and that a technical rescue would be required. A team of four rappelled approximately 100 feet to the ledge, assessed Evans condition, and determined that he'd sustained only cuts and bruises. Evans was then placed in a seat harness and lowered about 80 feet to the base of the cliff via a tandem rappel. Evans and the rescuers hiked back to Logan Pass, where they arrived just before midnight. [Melissa Wilson, Public Affairs]
An injured hiker was rescued from the Atsina Lake area in the Belly River drainage on Tuesday, August 1st. While hiking with his companions, the man apparently fell from 30 to 40 feet, sustaining an array of injuries. The incident was reported to park staff via satellite phone by a Glacier Wilderness Guides group leader, who came upon the accident just after 1 p.m. A helicopter assigned to the Red Eagle Fire flew park staff to the accident area. The hiker was flown out in an ALERT helicopter and taken to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center. [Matt Graves]
At approximately 2:15 am on August 1st, a ranger was dispatched to the Many Glacier Hotel to investigate a report of an injured person. Upon learning that the patient was going into shock, the ranger asked for additional assistance, including an ambulance. Two more rangers responded. A Glacier County paramedic ambulance that was staged for the Red Eagle fire was also sent. Rangers found a 25-year-old man who was apparently intoxicated and had been injured by a fall down some stairs. Since this type of accident made a c-spine fracture possible, efforts were made to immobilize the man on a backboard. He became combative, though, and jumped quickly up from the board, striking out with his arms while swinging his upper torso and head. Both rangers tried to restrain him and were struck while doing so. They were also splattered with blood after he hit his head on the wall, causing his laceration to again bleed profusely. He continued his combativeness while being secured to the board and hit the two paramedics, but neither rangers nor paramedics were injured. The third ranger at the scene provided crowd control, as there was a large group of intoxicated bystanders. The injured man was taken to a local hospital. During the ambulance transport, a chemical restraint had to be used on the man because of his continued combativeness. After his release from the hospital, he was arrested and taken to the Flathead County jail for processing. The man will be charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault against federal officers, two counts of misdemeanor assault against officers assisting federal officers in the performance of their duties, and public intoxication. [Jan Cauthorn-Page, Acting Chief Mountain Subdistrict Ranger]
Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road) has been closed at Lake McDonald Lodge due to high water and flooding from recent rains and melting snow. As of 10 a.m. yesterday, the horse bridge over upper McDonald Creek was underwater and over two feet of water was reported on the Sun Road one mile above Avalanche Creek. Due to these conditions and a forecast for additional rain and snow at higher elevations, it was uncertain when that segment of Sun Road would be reopened. On the east side of the park, Sun Road is currently open to Rising Sun. Additional road closures may occur at any time as conditions warrant. Current road conditions are available on the park's web site (click on "More Information" below) or by calling 1-800-226-7623. [Matt Graves, Public Affairs Officer] HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm"
Rain and rapid snow melt over the past two days have resulted in significant
damage in several areas of the park. Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road) east of
the Eastside Tunnel was washed out in three separate locations. Damage includes
loss in some areas of one or both lanes of road on the east side of Logan Pass.
Asphalt and road bed material on the road one mile above Avalanche Creek were
eroded away by flood waters from McDonald Creek. Geotechnical engineers are in
route to the park to assess the extent of the damage. High water from
Swiftcurrent Lake flooded the basement floor of the historic Many Glacier Hotel.
At the height of the flood, water was flowing two to three feet deep over the
Swiftcurrent Creek bridge, which provides access to the hotel. A team will
assess the damage as soon as waters recede enough to provide safe travel to the
hotel. Sun Road is open on the west side to Lake McDonald Lodge and on the east
side to Rising Sun. The Many Glacier Road is closed at the park boundary and the
Two Medicine Road is closed at the Running Eagle Falls parking area. The Quarter
Circle Bridge Road is also closed. Current road conditions are available on the
park's Web site at:
http://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm. Conditions are
also available by calling 1-800-226-7623. For a series of photos of the flood,
please go to the two following web pages: http://www.nps.gov/
archive/glac/gallery/110706.htm [Submitted by Matt Graves, Public Information Officer]
Cleanup and repair operations are continuing in the park following last week's flooding. Contract and park crews are currently clearing debris, repairing erosion damage, and restoring culverts. Thanks to the efforts of employees who worked through the holiday weekend, emergency bank stabilization is 30 percent complete at lower elevations on the west side. Going-to-the-Sun Road was reopened as far as Avalanche on Thursday. The park has also extended its appreciation to the Federal Highway Administration, Sandry Construction and seasonal park workers who returned to assist with the recovery effort. "Our labors will be weather driven - we will move forward with our intensive repair efforts until winter weather prevents continuation," said superintendent Mick Holm. "We will then commence with the same vigor as soon as conditions permit in the spring. Our goal is to have the emergency repairs completed with minimal impact to park visitors. However, we realize that weather conditions play a key role in any work we do in the park no matter what time of year. If we do not achieve our goal, it will not be from lack of effort on our part." Most of the park was not affected by the flooding and is operating as usual. [Melissa Wilson, Public Affairs Officer]
On November 24th, a member of the park's road crew encountered a man in white camouflage walking along the Going to the Sun Road about seven miles past its winter closure point. Heavy snow had fallen the previous day and more was in the forecast. The man said that he intended to campout for several days, but did not appear to have camping equipment with him. A ranger was notified and contacted the man, a British citizen, after tracking his footprints off the road in the fresh snow. The man told the ranger that he'd been dropped off very early that morning by his girlfriend, and that he intended to walk over to the other side. The ranger convinced him that his plan was unrealistic and dangerous, given existing snow conditions, and offered to shuttle him back to Lake McDonald Lodge, where he could contact his girlfriend. While en route, the man made additional statements that led the ranger to believe that he was in the country without a valid visa. The ranger drove him back to the park headquarters, where a second ranger was waiting. When rangers told the man that they needed to frisk him prior to allowing him to enter the building, he became agitated and attempted to withdraw from them. He then stuck his arm inside his jacket, as if he was reaching for something. Rangers immediately grabbed his arm and prevented him from removing his hand from the jacket. During the struggle that followed, the man said that he had a gun in his hand and that he intended to use it. The rangers were eventually able to force him to the ground and handcuff him. During the subsequent search, the rangers retrieved a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun from a shoulder holster under his jacket, along with three loaded magazines and three large knifes, all with blades longer than six inches. One appeared to be an ornamental dagger with an eight-inch sharpened blade. Subsequent interviews revealed that the man allegedly entered the country illegally in 2000, and that he had been living as a transient at renaissance fairs since then. He told rangers that he had been diagnosed with cancer and had come to Glacier to commit suicide. He said that he had stolen the gun and intended to force the rangers to shoot him. Though the gun was not entered into NCIC, rangers subsequently contacted the gun's owner, who reported that she was not aware the gun had been stolen. Multiple federal charges are pending. The case is being jointly investigated by NPS rangers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. [Patrick Suddath, West Lakes District Ranger]
On the afternoon of Saturday, April 14th, members of the National Resource Defense Council exercised their First Amendment rights in a peaceful demonstration in the park. The group applied for and received a special use permit to assemble for the purpose of "global warming awareness" under the title of "Step it Up 2007." Approximately 110 members of the group gathered in the town of West Glacier, entered the park, and marched two-and-a-half miles along the Going to the Sun Road to Apgar Village. The park managed the event under the incident command system, with ranger Brad Blickhan as the incident commander. Rangers and Glacier's special park use manager coordinated with event organizers and state and local law enforcement and emergency service providers. Rangers utilized proactive radar enforcement (radar signs and high visibility patrols) and traffic control while the group marched along the route safely and without incident. After a group photo along Lake McDonald, the group disbanded around 4:30 p.m. [Brad Blichan, Lake McDonald Area Ranger]
On Wednesday, June 13th, R.S., 48, and a male friend entered the park at the Walton Ranger Station and headed into the Park Creek drainage to hike to Battlement Mountain. While hiking off-trail through tall brush the following afternoon, the two became separated. R.S.'s companion looked for her for several hours, but could find no sign of her. On Friday morning, he reported her missing to park dispatch. He said that he'd last seen her around 3 p.m. near Rotunda Cirque. Park staff, drawn in from all across the park and from several divisions, immediately began a search by air and by foot. Joining in the effort were personnel from Customs and Border Protection air operations, the Border Patrol, Flathead Search and Rescue, the Forest Service, and Minute Man Helicopter. Around 5 p.m. R.S. was spotted from the air on a saddle in the area between Mount St. Nicholas and Striped Elk Lake. The helicopter picked her up and brought her back to West Glacier. R.S. said that she'd suffered no serious injuries and declined medical treatment. [Melissa Wilson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the morning of Thursday, June 28th, park staff responded to a report from Federal Highways that an 18-year-old construction worker had fallen down a steep slope while working at a construction site on the Going To The Sun Road. The worker had been pushing a wheelbarrow filled with 65 pounds of steel when the wheel struck a rock and tipped. The worker's legs were struck by the handles, causing him to tumble approximately 45 feet down a steep, rocky slope. NPS responders were able to rescue the man by scrambling down the slope and attaching a safety line to haul him out. An ALERT helicopter from Kalispell Regional Medical Center was able to land near the scene and fly him to a hospital, where he was later reported to be in stable condition. [Submitted by Ann Marie Chytra, Hudson Bay District Ranger]
On the evening of June 28th, rangers responded to a report from Glacier County dispatch of two men struggling in the water after their canoe capsized on Lower St. Mary Lake, which is located outside the park. The rangers spotted the overturned canoe approximately 200 yards from shore. An off-duty Glacier County deputy who lived nearby was able to pull one man to shore with his personal Wave Runner watercraft. He was taken to a hospital. The second man was retrieved from the water with the assistance of ranger Jan Cauthorn-Page and the deputy with the Wave Runner. An ALERT helicopter was dispatched to the scene. CPR was begun immediately and continued for approximately 30 minutes before rangers Dave Page, Jan Cauthorn-Page, and Phil Basak discontinued efforts after contacting a physician at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. The victim had been in the water for approximately 30 minutes before CPR was begun. [Ann Marie Chytra, Hudson Bay District Ranger]
M.C., 40, of Bangor, Maine, drove into and around a traffic control sign and up to a closed window at the West Entrance station at 8:45 p.m. on Friday, July 6th. An entrance station employee, suspecting that he was intoxicated, told M.C. to wait there, then called park dispatch. Just as ranger Brad Blickhan arrived, M.C. made a U-turn and headed out of the park at a high rate of speed. Blickhan followed and attempted the stop it by turning on his lights and siren as it reached speeds of 60 mph in a 25 mph zone and exited the park into the crowded area of downtown West Glacier. M.C.'s vehicle slid into a traffic island, nearly colliding with two cars at the intersection of Highway 2, then headed west toward the town of Columbia Falls some 15 miles away. As M.C.'s vehicle reached speeds in excess of 90 mph, Blickhan broke off his pursuit and asked for assistance from the Flathead County Sheriff's Office. Shortly thereafter, a county deputy took up the pursuit and was joined by two Columbia Falls police cars as M.C. roared into their city. A Montana Highway Patrol trooper deployed stop sticks inside the city, but M.C. drove on at about 45 mph with two flat tires. The Columbia Falls police chief joined the pursuit - as he blocked M.C.'s vehicle, his car was struck in the rear end. This collision stopped M.C. and he was taken into custody by the deputy who had been pursuing him. M.C. complained of chest pains, was transported to a local hospital by Three Rivers EMS, then incarcerated by rangers at the Flathead County Detention Center. M.C. has been charged by the NPS with fleeing and eluding, with the case still under investigation and additional charges pending. He has also been charged in Flathead County District Court with two felony counts of criminal endangerment, one count of felony DUI, a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief, and a misdemeanor count of fleeing and eluding police. His bond was set at $75,000 and the state of Maine has an extradition detainer on him for several warrants in that state, including fleeing and eluding police. Local media interest was high. [Steve Dodd, Law Enforcement Specialist]
Rangers from Glacier National Park and wardens from Canada's Banff National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park cooperated in the rescue of an injured hiker on July 3rd. The hiker, D.T., 68, from Whitefish, Montana, had taken a 15-foot pendulum fall while leading a technical rock climb on the "Gendarme" in Glacier late on the afternoon of July 2nd. D.T.'s fall was stopped by his climbing partner. The uninjured partner lowered D.T. a short distance to a ledge and secured him. The partner then left D.T. and descended Little Chief Mountain. At about 11 p.m., the partner reached the Rising Sun Lodge store and reported the accident to Glacier dispatch. Recognizing the extreme technical nature of the incident and D.T.'s emergency medical needs, rangers held search and rescue planning sessions through the early morning hours to coordinate different rescue options. After a reconnaissance flight and a briefing by Glacier park rangers, two Canadian park wardens were each inserted via short haul from a Parks Canada helicopter to D.T.'s location in the notch of the Gendarme. After D.T. was secured, he was short hauled from the ledge, then transferred to ALERT air ambulance and flown to Kalispell Regional Hospital around 9 a.m. Parks Canada utilizes highly trained helicopter pilots and park wardens for technical SAR missions throughout the mountain parks of Canada. Their assistance was critical as they provided the most viable option for D.T.'s immediate rescue. This rescue is an excellent example of the outstanding relationship and true partnership between Parks Canada and the National Park Service at Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. This relationship is well documented by the Peace Park agreement and is cultivated by frequent contact and cooperation between the two park staffs. Waterton-Glacier is the world's first International Peace Park and 2007 is the 75th anniversary of the Peace Park designation. [Melissa Wilson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the evening of July 29th, a ranger was contacted by members of a hiking group who reported that a 40-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl had been struck by falling rocks on the Grinnell Glacier Trail. The reporting party said that the girl had been struck in the head with a rock weighing about 20 pounds and had been severely injured. The man suffered an injury to his leg and was unable to walk. Park search and rescue personnel responded, as did an EMS helicopter from Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Park personnel provided emergency medical care and loaded the patients on the EMS helicopter for transport to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. An interagency contract helicopter assigned to the Skyland Fire was used to backhaul rescue and medical equipment from the scene. A herd of bighorn sheep were seen above the trail prior to the rock fall. [Rich Browne, Chief Mountain Subdistrict Ranger]
The driver of a park Going-to-the-Sun Road shuttle bus was injured in an accident on the afternoon of September 2nd. B.G., 52, had just left the Sprague Creek campground with an empty bus. B.G. was about two miles from the Apgar Village turnoff when he evidently lost control of the shuttle, which left the road and came to rest 20 feet below, causing the shuttle's air bags to deploy. After being stabilized by park visitors and responding park personnel, Gardner was transported by ALERT air helicopter to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. He was released from the hospital on Tuesday, September 4th. Glacier's optional Sun Road shuttle service completed this season's operation on September 3rd. Approximately 130,000 visitors rode the shuttle over the season, which ran from July 1st to Labor Day. All shuttle drivers are employees of Workplace, Inc., of Kalispell, Montana. [Melissa Wilson, Public Affairs Officer]
A week-long search for missing seasonal employee Clay Rubano, 46, in the Wind River Range in Wyoming was scaled back last Monday, November 19th. Rubano worked as a backcountry permit writer in Many Glacier from 2001 to 2006 and remains an intermittent employee for the park. He was working for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and was reported missing when he failed to report for work on the 12th. Rubano was thought to be planning a hike above the falls of the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River, and his car was discovered at a nearby trailhead. Fremont County Search and Rescue actively searched for Rubano for seven days, utilizing ground searchers, dog teams and helicopters. Given that Rubano is an expert outdoorsman and was likely well prepared for his intended hike, searchers believe that something "unusual" happened. The park committed a CISM peer support/family liaison councilor to the incident to support Rubano's spouse, Rachel Jenkins, who has worked as a bear ranger in Many Glacier for 12 seasons. Jenkins was working in Many Glacier when she learned of Rubano's disappearance. In addition to the CISD councilor, numerous current and former NPS employees traveled to the Lander area to volunteer to assist in the search. Some of them continued looking for Rubano after the search was scaled back. The Fremont County Sheriff's Office will continue to investigate the disappearance. Volunteer efforts in Lander last week were coordinated by Lake Roosevelt NRA chief ranger Margaret Goodro. A media report on the search can be found at the link below. [Patrick Suddath, West Lakes District Ranger] HYPERLINK "http://www.trib.com/articles/2007/11/20/news/wyoming/787194f244ce27db87257399000118e0.txt"t
Evidence has been found of the final resting place of a seasonal employee who disappeared on a day hike last November in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. On November 10, 2007, seasonal C.R., 46, failed to return from a day hike in those mountains. C.R. worked as a backcountry permit writer in Many Glacier from 2001 to 2006 and remained on as an intermittent employee thereafter. He was working for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and was reported missing when he failed to report for work. C.R.'s spouse, Rachel Jenkins, worked as a bear ranger in Many Glacier for 12 seasons. An extended search was conducted, but failed to find any evidence of his whereabouts. On June 8th, physical evidence was found indicating that C.R. had died in Sinks Canyon. DNA tests are being conducted to confirm this. A team of searchers discovered the evidence approximately three-quarters of a mile east of Sheep Bridge, which is on the Middle Fork trail of the Popo Agie River. Initial indications point to Clay falling about 75 feet from a cliff off of the trail. The area in which the evidence was found was part of the original search area that was drawn up last November and had been searched with both people and dog teams. The area was obscured from the air and required luck and persistence from the ground searchers. The site had attracted two different dog teams last November, but did not reveal any clues at the time. The recent search was comprised of volunteers from a number of states and agencies. The team that discovered the evidence was made up of friends from Glacier, all either retired or on leave from the park. Charlie Logan, the incident commander of this recent search, shared his appreciation of the search efforts that the Fremont County Search and Rescue team made last November. Without their thorough and well-executed search efforts, the evidence would likely not have been discovered so early in this recent search. The Fremont County Coroner's Office is handling the investigation of the site. For a copy of the original report, click on the link below. [Melissa Wilson, Public Affairs]
A search began on Wednesday for a backpacker who was three days overdue from a lengthy and arduous planned hike in the park's backcountry. The hiker is identified as Y.-J.H., 27, a resident of Kentucky and Malaysia. He is described as 6 feet, 1 inch tall, weighing about 170 pounds. He is believed to be hiking alone and carrying a blue Kelty backpack and trekking poles, along with other equipment, and he might be wearing dark-colored clothing of blue, black, or green. Y.-J.H. was last seen at St. Mary Visitor Center on August 11th, the first day of his planned hike. The hike was to end on August 18th at Kintla Lake. His car has been found in the Logan Pass Visitor Center parking lot. According to a backcountry permit filed with the park, Y.-J.H.'s path was to include the Floral Park area, Gunsight Pass trail, Highline trail to Goat Haunt, and Goat Haunt to Kintla Lake. Other hikers along this route were contacted in the initial search on Wednesday but nobody had seen him. Anyone who has any information about Y.-J.H. or who might have seen him is asked to contact the park at 406 888-7801. Y.-J.H.'s family notified park officials on Tuesday night that he had not contacted family members as agreed. The family said they had not heard from him since the first day of the hike. Between 20 and 25 personnel from the National Park Service and the US Border Patrol began searching areas at the beginning of Y.-J.H.'s itinerary early on Wednesday. Low temperatures, rain, and fog are expected to be a factor in the scope and duration of the operation. Other agencies are expected to join the search. The IC is Patrick Suddath. [Norma Sosa, Public Affairs Officer]
An exhaustive search of remote areas in Glacier National Park through which an overdue hiker is thought to have passed continued on Sunday. About 50 searchers set out shortly after daybreak to continue to look for clues that might point to the path taken by Y-J.H., a 27-year-old Malaysian man who planned to hike in the park's backcountry from August 11th to August 18th. His family reports that he has not been heard from since he contacted them before setting out on his hike. Substantial ground was covered by searchers on Saturday and their reports helped identify areas to explore on Sunday, but no new information has emerged from the areas that have been searched that might help in finding Y-J.H. or determining his condition. Teams of hikers and mountaineers were expected to continue investigating the diverse features of the landscape in the Floral Park area of central Glacier National Park on Sunday. Hikers planned to walk through mountain passes, wooded areas, and shaded, icy terrain where snow has fallen in recent weeks. Climbers are inspecting glaciers, melt ponds, and crevasses created by ice and hard-packed snow at higher elevations. Most of the teams were to be flown out of the backcountry by helicopter before nightfall, but one crew was to remain overnight to continue searching in more remote areas where extraction by air is not possible. Two helicopters were used in Sunday's operations, including one loaned by the US Border Patrol. The National Park Service continues to receive planning assistance and other contributions in the search effort from the Flathead County Sheriff's Department, US Border Patrol, and US Forest Service. The Blackfeet Tribe, Glacier County Sheriff's Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation are helping to investigate leads as they emerge. [Sheri Forbes, Public Affairs Officer]
Hikers and mountaineers continued to search some of northwestern Montana's most forbidding terrain yesterday in an effort to find a missing hiker in the park's backcountry. Search managers said they continued to hope that additional information would be discovered about the hiker's whereabouts, but that, absent such a development, they would scale back the operation. The decision comes as family members of Y.-J.H., 27, began to arrive in Montana. Representatives from the park are meeting with the family to discuss the search and to assure them that efforts to resolve the questions of his whereabouts and condition would continue. The young man, a native of Malaysia, was reported missing by family members on August 19th. The last confirmed sighting of Y-J.H. was on August 11th, when he picked up his backcountry permit. Searchers have thoroughly checked all high-probability areas and have now moved to lower probability areas. The search area is rich in lakes, cliff bands made slippery by rain and snow, glaciers, glacial melt ponds, crevasses, ice and snow bridges, forests, and shaded areas near ridges with fresh snow - challenging terrain for even the most experienced climbers. More than 2,500 search hours had been logged by the end of yesterday's operational period. The incident management team has employed two helicopters, heat-sensing equipment, human-detection dogs, and mounted horse patrols in this operation. Assistance has been received from a number of government and private sources, including the Flathead County Sheriff's Department, US Border Patrol, US Forest Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Glacier County Sheriff's Department. [Norma Sosa, Public Affairs Officer]
Due to a lack of clues regarding the whereabouts of hiker Y.-J.H., who's now been missing for two weeks, the park has significantly scaled back its search operation pending the emergence or discovery of information that might explain his disappearance. Searchers have committed more than 2,500 hours in the effort to find him in difficult terrain and challenging conditions. Beginning on August 20th, the day after Y-J.H. was reported missing by his family, the park sent teams of hikers and professional alpine searchers into the most forbidding areas of the backcountry to look for him or for evidence that he had passed through areas he planned to hike. Y-J.H., a native of Malaysia, had drawn up an itinerary for himself and his wife that encompassed nearly 100 miles of hikes as well as climbs and descents of more than 14,000 feet. His wife did not accompany him because of a family emergency. Each day, between 30 and 60 searchers were shuttled in and out of remote areas by helicopter. The searches included use of human-scent dog teams and horse-mounted patrols. Searchers also had access to aerial heat-sensing equipment. Hikers and mountaineers searched through some of northwestern Montana's most forbidding terrain as fall weather arrived early. The search area encompasses lakes, extensive cliff bands, glaciers, glacial melt ponds, crevasses, ice and snow bridges, forests, and shaded areas near ridges. Fresh snowfall, rain, fog, and high winds made search operations and footing especially difficult in this diverse terrain. Agencies that helped to plan the searches or contributed personnel included the Flathead County and Glacier County sheriff's departments, the US Border Patrol, and the US Forest Service. The Federal Bureau of Investigation helped to follow up on information received from the public by the National Park Service. Over this past weekend, one or two teams of searchers continued to scour locations adjacent to areas that were identified as most likely to have been hiked by Y-J.H., assuming that he had followed his plan as outlined in his backcountry permit. Human-scent dog teams also were used. No new clues turned up in those efforts. In a meeting on Tuesday, the search's managers therefore decided to discontinue regular searches. Anyone who has seen Y-J.H. or who has information that might help to locate him should call Glacier National Park at 406-888-7801. Patrick Suddath was IC for the operation. [Norma Sosa, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of a missing hiker was found by searchers along Kintla Lake in the remote North Fork area late Wednesday afternoon. The cause of death has not been confirmed at this time. Park officials were poised to release a missing person poster and seek help from the public yesterday afternoon when the man's body was found on a slope above the trail near the head of Kintla Lake at about 5 p.m. Park personnel had recently begun investigating the circumstances surrounding the deceased man's disappearance. The investigation had thus far focused on the area where he was last seen at the head of Kintla Lake. More than 30 people were involved in Wednesday's search, including NPS personnel, U.S. Border Patrol agents, Flathead County Sheriff's Office search and rescue personnel, and FBI agents. Wednesday's operation involved both ground and aerial search efforts throughout the Kintla Lake and Upper Kintla Lake drainages and surrounding areas for clues to the man's whereabouts. Initial NPS search efforts began on October 23rd after the man failed to call for a pickup from an acquaintance, as expected. The man had flown to Flathead Valley on October 7th. The next day, he was dropped off in the park's North Fork area near Kintla Lake. He was contacted by a park ranger that day at the Kintla Lake campground, where he planned to spend the night. He told the ranger he intended to go hiking in the park and was advised that a backcountry permit would be required to camp overnight in the backcountry. He was gone the next morning. Park staff have had no other contact with the man since the morning of October 9th. He did not obtain a backcountry permit. Late last week, park officials were contacted by the acquaintance who'd dropped the man off in the park on October 8th. The missing man had left luggage and belongings at an area hotel and indicated that he would be in contact in a couple of weeks. The acquaintance became concerned when there was no word from him after two weeks and called the park. Prior to this notification, the NPS had received no notification or indication that the man was missing. After frontcountry campgrounds were checked throughout the park on Friday and Saturday, an initial aerial and ground search was conducted on Sunday by park personnel, who hiked and searched the main trail corridors in the vicinity of Kintla Lake, including the Bowman Lake drainage, and the trail system leading to Goat Haunt, but no clues or evidence were found. "Details of the man's intended plans were very sketchy," said IC Patrick Suddath. "All we knew was that he had told acquaintances that he intended to travel into Glacier's backcountry for anywhere from one to four weeks, that he knew there was a permit requirement, and that he did not obtain a permit." The man's name is being withheld pending notification of family. [Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer]
The man found dead late Wednesday afternoon in the Kintla Lake area has been identified as B.C., 53, of Reading, Pennsylvania. According to the Flathead County Coroner's Office, B.C.'s death is considered a suicide caused by a self-inflicted single gunshot wound to the chest. Park rangers searching the ground near the head of Kintla Lake found a pack matching the description of B.C.'s pack (grayish in color) at approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday. That information was relayed to personnel conducting an aerial search via Minuteman Helicopter and B.C.'s body was found within minutes on a slope above the trail from the location where the pack was found. It appears that B.C. left the Kintla Lake trail and scrambled upslope to a point approximately one quarter to one third of a mile above the lake. In a separate missing person incident last summer, Y.-J.H., a 27-year-old Malaysian man, was reported overdue by his family on the last day of his week-long park itinerary. He was never heard from again. Active searches were scaled back in early September after several weeks of concentrated effort. That investigation remains open; however, no new clues have surfaced. Park officials are still seeking information from anyone who may have interacted with Y.-J.H. last August. [Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer]
Acting on a tip received from hunters outside the park, rangers and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) game wardens recently conducted and completed an investigation into the illegal shooting of a bull elk inside park boundaries in the Nyack area of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. Charges are pending. Rangers were contacted on the morning of November 12th by sportsmen who were legally hunting outside the park. The reporting party said that he and another hunter had been observing a bull elk from across Nyack Creek when they heard a gunshot. They saw the bull recoil, then take a few steps and collapse on the boundary trail inside the park. The two hunters walked to the location where they believed the shot originated from and encountered a 16-year-old male within sight of the dead elk. Rangers contacted the boy later that morning and confiscated the elk. A joint investigation was conducted by park rangers and FWP wardens wherein the elk was transferred to FWP and the meat was donated to the Flathead food bank. [Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer]
In early 2003, a joint investigation was begun by the NPS, FBI, BIA, BATF, USFWS and Collville Confederated Tribes into the purported trafficking and possession of illegal artifacts and wildlife by an individual in eastern Washington. This covert investigation revealed that K.M., 68, of Newport, Washington, possessed archaeological resources taken from Glacier National Park, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and the Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, and Nez Perce Indian Reservations. Additionally, K.M. possessed prehistoric Native American human remains from at least one adult and several children and a variety of prohibited wildlife, including a fully mounted golden eagle. In the fall of 2003, K.M. agreed to sell his entire collection to an undercover NPS agent for $750,000. This collection included nearly 1,500 artifacts from the federal and Indian lands listed above. Additionally, K.M. agreed to sell items that would violate NAGPRA, the Lacey Act, the Eagle Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). A buy/bust operation followed by the service of search warrants was completed in November 2003. The BIA archaeologist working on the case subsequently wrote a damage assessment report that valued the federal and tribal archaeological resources at $58,500. K.M. was indicted by a grand jury in September 2008 on four felonies (two ARPA counts and one count each for MBTA and Lacey Act violations) and two misdemeanors (NAGPRA and Eagle Act). In October 2008, K.M. pled guilty to two felony ARPA counts, a NAGPRA count and a felony MBTA count. He was sentenced on December 17th to three years of probation and six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring, ordered to pay over $17,000 in restitution and other costs, and directed to pay for three anti-looting ads in regional newspapers. The artifacts and human remains will be returned/repatriated to their appropriate parks and tribes. [Todd Swain, Special Agent]
Two local men were the subjects of a search in the park's North Fork area during the night of January 6th after they pursued their mountain lion hounds across the Flathead River into the park. A dozen North Valley Search and Rescue (SAR) Team members and three park rangers were involved in a successful effort to locate the men and their dogs. Rangers were contacted by members of the North Valley SAR Team at 7:30 p.m. and asked to begin a search for the two overdue men. The men told a family member that they were going after the dogs at 11 a.m. that morning - the last communication anyone had with them. Rangers on snowmobiles found the men shortly after midnight about three-and-a-half miles south of the Polebridge Ranger Station on the Inside North Fork Road. B.S., 39, of Columbia Falls, and L.B., 34, of Martin City, had gone snowmobiling off the North Fork Road toward the direction of the park late on the morning of January 6th in search of two hunting dogs. According to their GPS units, the GPS-collared dogs had crossed the North Fork of the Flathead River into the park in pursuit of a mountain lion and had not returned. Weather conditions consisted of heavy, wet snow, falling on four feet of unconsolidated snow, and the hunters had no skis or snowshoes. The men were last seen that morning at their vehicle outside the park just south of Hay Creek, approximately four miles south of Polebridge Ranger Station. The last known location of the dogs was inside the park near Winona Lake approximately one-and-a-half miles due east of where the truck was parked and approximately five miles south of the Polebridge Ranger Station. The hunter's snowmobiles were found only 200 yards from their vehicle, bogged down due to snow conditions and terrain. After the hunters were reported overdue, two North Fork SAR Team members set off on skis from the point last seen at approximately 8:30 p.m. and followed the hunter's tracks in an effort to verify their direction and likely location. The hunters' tracks veered south along the North Fork of the Flathead River and crossed into the park. The searchers speculated that the hunters might be headed toward the Logging Creek Ranger Station, eight miles south of Polebridge. At that point, given the late hour and heavy, wet, snow conditions, rangers began an initial search by snowmobile. They were unsuccessful during their first sweep south from Polebridge, but a second sweep was made shortly after midnight and rangers soon encountered the two dogs and eventually both hunters - still tracking the dogs. The hunters told rangers they could tell by GPS that the dogs had followed the fresh snowmobile tracks north toward the ranger station and were walking in that direction when found. Both hunters and dogs were transported out of the backcountry and back to the Polebridge Ranger Station. L.B. and B.S. told rangers that they were not in distress, but pursued the dogs into the park for fear that they might be killed by wolves if left overnight and were simply continuing their search. "Individuals hunting with dogs are responsible for insuring that they stay out of Glacier National Park," said superintendent Chas Cartwright in a media release. "In an effort to minimize unnecessary search efforts, hunters are also urged to make responsible decisions concerning communicating their plans and itineraries to an accountable party." L.B., the owner of the dogs was cited under 36 CFR 2.15(a)(1) for having dogs in a closed area. [Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers responded to a report of smoke issuing from the historic Many Glacier Chalet, also known as the winter caretaker's residence, on the afternoon of Sunday, May 3rd. The fire was reported by a concession employee who is currently residing at the chalet. Upon arrival, rangers saw smoke coming out of the back door. They interviewed the resident and determined that there were no injuries and that no one was left inside. The Babb Volunteer Fire Department arrived and firefighters entered the structure wearing self contained breathing apparatus with a charged line. They quickly contained the fire to one room and extinguished the blaze. One room in the chalet was damaged by flames; a damage estimate is pending. An FBI fire investigator has been contacted and will investigate the fire's origin. Without the assistance of the Babb VFD, the chalet would most likely have been destroyed. Chief Mountain District ranger John Piastuck served as the park incident commander and is coordinating the investigation and follow-up. The caretaker cabin is one of two remaining buildings left from the Many Glacier Chalets that were built by the Great Northern Railway in 1913, prior to construction of the Many Glacier Hotel. The Many Glacier Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. [Mark Foust, Chief Ranger; Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer]
A jogger was injured on Sunday morning in an encounter with a grizzly bear while running on a backcountry trail on the park's west side. T.N., 60, of Kalispell, Montana, reported that he had been bitten by a grizzly bear at about 9:45 a.m. while he was running on the Lake McDonald Valley Trail in Lake McDonald Valley. T.N. told an investigating ranger that he was running northeast on the trail about one to one-and-a- half miles from the Avalanche Lake trailhead when he heard what he described as the sound of a dog barking, then galloping horses coming up the trail behind him. T.N. said he had just enough time to turn around and get about a foot off the trail when he saw what he estimated to be two 250-pound grizzly bears running toward him. T.N. said that he believed the bears were running from something that had startled them and that one of the bears stopped in close proximity to him. He kicked the bear, then fell down. The bear bit him twice as he continued to kick and poke the bear with sticks. The bear soon lost interest in him, moved away, then went uphill from the trail. T.N. walked downhill and cross country to the Going-to-the-Sun Road, where he got a ride from a visitor back to his own car at the Avalanche trailhead. He then drove himself to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center's emergency room, where he received medical treatment. During an interview after the incident, T.N. told a ranger that he normally carries bear spray, but that he did not have it with him on this occasion. [Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer]
J.G., 22, and J."C."N., 29, both employees of Glacier Park, Inc., a park concessioner, were canoeing on Swiftcurrent Lake on the park's east side around 3 a.m. on the morning of July 14th when their canoe tipped over. J.N. made it to shore, but J.G. did not. Responding rangers found his body just before noon in about eight feet of water. It was brought to shore and sent to the coroner's office in Glacier County for an autopsy. Temperatures were in the mid to upper 40s at the time of the incident. About 20 park employees were involved in the search for the body. An investigation is underway. [Wade Muehlhof]
A major search for a missing 13-year-old kayaker on Lake McDonald came to a successful conclusion when the boy was found and rescued on Tuesday evening. Earlier on that afternoon, the boy's grandfather contacted rangers and told them that he'd searched for his grandson on the upper section of the lake for an hour but hadn't been able to find him. High winds blowing at the time had churned the lake's surface into very rough, choppy, five- to six-foot-high waves. The boy had last been seen in a plastic kayak near the middle of the lake. Rangers began a search, assisted by personnel from Glacier Park Boat Company, the Flathead County Sheriff's Department, North Valley Search and Rescue, and Minute Man Aviation. Boats, a helicopter and ground searchers were employed in efforts to find the teenager. Around 4 p.m. rangers found a capsized kayak near the middle of the lake. An air, land and water search continued until just after 6 p.m., when the crew of a park tour boat saw the boy on the eastern shore of the lake about a half mile south of Sprague Campground. He told the rangers that he'd been capsized by a large wave and that he'd been unable to stay with the kayak. He then swam to the far shore of the lake. He said he was so tired and cold when he got so land that he crawled into a hollow log to warm up, fell asleep, and didn't wake up for about an hour. A park medic treated the boy, recommending that he be taken to the hospital to be checked out after possibly suffering from hypothermia. The boy was wearing a properly fitting lifejacket and a "shorty" style wetsuit. [Wade Muehlhof, Public Affairs Specialist]
The "Oldman Lake Bear," a female grizzly bear that had become highly habituated and had a history of potentially dangerous interactions with humans going back to 2004, was seen heading toward the backcountry campground at Oldman Lake with her two yearling cubs on the afternoon of August 17th. Park staff had been monitoring the bear and rangers were about to close the occupied campground when they saw her approaching. Given her most recent display of over-familiarity and her history of habituation, it had been determined that she presented an unacceptable threat to human health and safety. She was accordingly shot by the rangers, who then darted and tranquilized the two yearlings. One cub died shortly after being tranquilized for unknown reasons. The rangers attempted to resuscitate the yearling by performing mouth to nose CPR, but to no avail. A necropsy (animal autopsy) will be conducted to determine cause of death. The park's internationally vetted bear management plan and guidelines specify that conditioned bears that display over familiarity must be removed from the wild population. No zoos or other federally-authorized captive facilities were willing to take an adult bear at this time. So far in 2009, three separate incidents had been documented wherein the female grizzly exhibited behavior that could be classified as "repeatedly and purposefully approaches humans in a non-defensive situation." The female was again demonstrating this same behavior on Monday afternoon. Over the past five years, the female had repeatedly frequented the Morning Star and Old Man Lake backcountry campgrounds, both in the Two Medicine/Cut Bank area. During that time, she produced two sets of offspring. Throughout this period, both the mother grizzly and her offspring approached hikers, forcing them off trails, came into cooking areas while people yelled and waved their arms at the bears, and sniffed at tents during the night. Numerous efforts were attempted to haze the female and her offspring away from backcountry campsites. Since 2004, a variety of aversive conditioning techniques were used to discourage the bear and her young from human interactions. Rangers used noise, Karelian bear dogs, and other non-lethal stimuli to encourage the grizzly to keep away from humans and backcountry campgrounds. [Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs Officer]
A 67-year-old climber fell 300 feet to his death on Saturday. The man and four companions, including his 38-year-old son, had climbed Iceberg Notch earlier in the day. Two members of the party headed one way, while the remaining three planned to use goat trails to climb down to Ptarmigan Tunnel, then return to their campsite at the Many Glacier campground. The victim then separated from his two companions to descend via another route on Ahern Pass near Helen Lake. He fell while doing so. A group of hikers, including a park employee, witnessed the fall. The employee made his way to the victim after sending the rest of the party to Granite Park Chalet to get help. While en route, the employee spotted another park employee and yelled to him for help. The two made their way to the victim and found that he had suffered major, fatal injuries. His body was flown out on Saturday evening. [Wade Muehlhof, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers are investigating a motorcycle accident that resulted in the death of a 51-year-old man from Okotoks, Alberta, Canada. Park rangers are still gathering details regarding the accident, which happened on the Going-to-the-Sun Road between Rising Sun and Sun Point around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. A group of about 27 motorcyclists were traveling eastbound towards St. Mary when one of the riders apparently lost control of his bike and went over the edge of the road about a half mile west of Wild Goose Island overlook. Investigating rangers estimate that the motorcyclist fell about 30 feet. He had expired by the time rangers arrived on scene. [Amy Vanderbilt and Wade Muehlhof]
Rangers are conducting an investigation into the death of B.C.W., 37, of East Glacier, Montana, whose body was recovered in avalanche debris on the northeast face of Mt. Shields late on the afternoon of Thursday, April 1st. They believe that B.C.W. triggered a large slab avalanche while snowboarding on Mt. Shields at approximately 1 p.m. the previous day, shortly after talking to his mother via cell phone from the summit of Mt. Shields. The mountain is located in the southern most portion of the park and within a few miles of U.S. Highway 2. The Mt. Shields area is popular with backcountry ski and snowboard enthusiasts. The fatality was reported to rangers around 2 p.m. on Thursday. The reporting party told rangers they had last heard from B.C.W. at 6 p.m. on Tuesday when he texted friends that he was on Mt. Shields (elevation 7,131 feet). When friends did not receive responses to subsequent text messages on Wednesday, they grew concerned. On Thursday, a friend located B.C.W.'s vehicle at the Fielding Ranger Station trailhead and skied up to Mt. Shields, where B.C.W.'s body was spotted high in a gully within the slide path of a recent avalanche. The backcountry party skied out and called park headquarters to report the avalanche and fatality. Park personnel were dispatched to the trailhead on Thursday afternoon. Rangers skied up the northeast face of Mt. Shields to B.C.W.'s body and confirmed the fatality at 5:45 p.m. Additional park personnel were also dispatched and were on hand to respond as needed. A total of 20 NPS employees and a helicopter from Minuteman Aviation of West Glacier were involved in the park's overall response to the incident. At the scene, rangers found tracks that suggested B.C.W. had made two trips up the face of Mt. Shields. One set of tracks was located in an open area with few trees. Field personnel observed a two-foot deep fracture in the snow pack just below the summit of Mt. Shields on its northeast face. Rangers believe this route most likely triggered the avalanche, which ran about 2,000 vertical feet. The overall reach of the avalanche was approximately 2,500 to 3,000 feet; it was approximately 150 yards wide and narrowed as it ran down a narrow gully. B.C.W.'s body was about 200 to 300 yards above the end (toe) of the avalanche slide path. Investigating rangers believe he tumbled approximately 2,000 feet before his body came to rest at an elevation of 5,427 feet. Avalanche debris in the vicinity of B.C.W.'s body was measured at 20 to 30 feet deep, but his body was only partially covered in the avalanche debris. B.C.W. was an avid outdoorsman and knowledgeable backcountry traveler. Friends believed that B.C.W. had an avalanche transceiver, but thus far, neither B.C.W.'s backpack nor his transceiver have been located. [Amy Vanderbilt, Wade Muehlof, and Pattrick Suddath]
The park has completed its investigation into the death of B.C.W., 37, whose body was recovered on Thursday, April 1st, on the northeast face of Peak 6996 near Mount Shields in the Marias Pass area. B.C.W., a lone snowboarder riding on Peak 6996 (locally known as Palindrome Peak, Little Shields, or False Shields), was caught in an avalanche and fatally injured on March 31st. Following the incident, a team of avalanche experts and investigators was assembled to analyze the conditions that contributed to B.C.W.'s death. Supplemental findings from field investigations conducted by the NPS and regional avalanche experts are available at the Glacier Country Avalanche Center web site (click on the link below). Exact details of the actual avalanche event are not known because the victim was alone. According to friends, B.C.W. was very familiar with the area and snowboarded there quite often. Avalanches are a real danger in the mountainous areas throughout Glacier National Park and surrounding areas. All backcountry travelers are urged to check HYPERLINK "http://www.glacieravalanche.org" http://www.glacieravalanche.orgfor the latest avalanche hazard and weather advisory before entering the park's backcountry. [Amy Vanderbilt, Wade Muehlhof] HYPERLINK "http://www.glacieravalanche.org/incidentsdetail.cfm?RECNUM=59"
On Saturday, June 19th, rangers and the Flathead County dive team located and retrieved the body of a woman who'd fallen from a bridge below Virginia Falls the previous day. The victim has been identified as 62-year-old E.G.M. of Kansas City, Missouri. A witness reported that the woman and her husband, who was in front, were crossing the Virginia Falls trail bridge on the St. Mary Lake Trail shortly after 1 p.m. when E.G.M. slipped and fell about four feet into cold (40- to 45 degrees), high, swift-moving water. The wooden bridge is about 30 feet long and more than two feet wide with a hand-rail on one side. The witness and her husband ran along the bank but lost sight of the victim downstream in Virginia Creek. The dive team located the woman's body Saturday about 220 yards downstream from the bridge, entrapped underwater. Virginia Falls is located about a half-mile west of the head of St. Mary Lake. About 20 National Park Service staff searched from both banks of Virginia Creek Friday afternoon and evening. A helicopter crew from Minuteman Aviation conducted an aerial search Friday evening, but whitewater prevented observers from seeing into the water. The search resumed Saturday morning with the Flathead County search dogs, dive team, and NPS rangers. The dive team located the woman's body early on Saturday afternoon. Because of the swift water conditions, it took a couple of hours to remove the body from the water. [Wade Muehlhof, Public Affairs Officer]
Two teenage hikers were struck by falling rocks on the Highline Trail on Wednesday, July 21st. Both have been transported for medical attention, though the extent of the hikers' injuries is not known at this time. A park employee heard yelling on the trail about two-and-a-half miles east of the Granite Park Chalet and notified the park's dispatch center. Park staff immediately responded from the chalet and from the Swiftcurrent fire lookout and gave the hikers first aid. The hikers are described as 13- and 19-year-old boys. Additional staff staged to respond with Minuteman Aviation of West Glacier, and the park requested an ALERT helicopter from Kalispell Regional Medical Center. A thunderstorm initially kept both helicopters from flying into the area. Rangers on the ground worked together with both helicopter crews to transport the hikers off the mountain. Around 4:30 p.m., the 19-year-old hiker was flown out of the park, transferred to Three Rivers EMS, and taken to North Valley Hospital in Whitefish for medical treatment. ALERT flew the 13-year-old hiker to the medical center in Kalispell. Initial investigation of the rock fall indicates that the rock fell from a cliff about 100 feet above the trail. The exact cause is not known, but there appears to be no immediate hazard and the trail remains open. [Wade Muehlhof, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers rescued a construction worker yesterday after he took a 35-foot fall. The worker, 33-year-old W.N. of Coeur d'Alene, was operating a small excavator when it became unbalanced and fell from Going-to-the-Sun Road near the East Tunnel. Witnesses said that W.N. jumped clear of the excavator as it went over the edge of the road, fell about 35 feet, then slid and tumbled down the hill, ending up about 100 feet below Sun Road on a loose rock debris field. The excavator remained in front of him and tumbled to the bottom of the debris field about 200 feet further down the embankment. Witnesses also reported that W.N. was able to stand and briefly walk after the fall. Coworkers immediately scrambled down the rocks to his location and kept him still and warm until help could arrive. Rangers and EMS personnel descended to Dan's location, put him in a litter, raised him to the road, then put him in an ambulance that took him to Logan Pass. He was picked up there by a medevac helicopter and flown to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. He was conscious throughout the evacuation. W.N. is an employee of G.M., Inc. of Vancouver, Washington, one of the subcontractors working for HKC Inc. on the Sun Road rehabilitation project. He was moving rocks when the accident happened. [Wade Muehlhof]
A 30-year-old man from Hungry Horse is missing after an afternoon fishing trip to the Upper McDonald Creek area at the north end of Lake McDonald. A friend reported that M.S. had asked him to go fishing around midday on September 21st, but that he was unable to go with M.S., who continued on alone. When M.S. failed to show up for work later that afternoon, he was reported missing to part dispatch. M.S.'s vehicle was found by the bridge over Upper McDonald Creek that evening and a search was begun that continued into the night. Rangers searched both banks of the creek by ground and the shoreline of the north end of Lake McDonald and the confluence of the creek and lake by boat, but found no sign of M.S.. That section of Upper McDonald Creek is known to have strong down currents and extremely cold water temperatures. The search resumed the next morning with the assistance of Flathead County search and rescue, North Valley search and rescue, the Flathead County dive team, and a contracted helicopter from Minuteman Aviation. Searchers also employed rescue dogs along the shoreline. Sonar and dive teams will be used to search the water, and a helicopter will be used to search by air. [Wade Muehlhof, Public Affairs Officer]
The search for a missing 30-year-old fisherman enters its fourth day today. No sign of him has yet been found despite an extensive ground an air search. M.S. was reported missing after failing to return from an afternoon fishing trip to the Upper McDonald Creek area at the north end of Lake McDonald. On Wednesday, divers found a fishing pole where the creek empties into the lake that family members believe belongs to M.S. Based on the location of the fishing pole and all other evidence, the search has been focused in this area, which is extremely treacherous due to a steep drop-off and very powerful down-flowing currents. The water surface temperature is currently about 57 degrees Fahrenheit. The primary search tool is the county's sonar, which is being used to scan the lake bottom. Members of the Flathead County dive team are on scene and are ready to assist should the sonar spot something at a depth and location that is safe for the divers. [Wade Muehlhof, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of 30-year-old M.W.S. was recovered from Lake McDonald shortly before noon last Friday. The Flathead County Sheriff's Office dive team was instrumental in the recovery effort. The county used a small submersible remote operated vehicle with an onboard camera to locate M.W.S., who was about 200 yards from shore and about 65 feet below the surface at the head of Lake McDonald. Side scan sonar used by the dive team on Thursday significantly narrowed the search area for Friday's recovery efforts. This was the second drowning fatality in Glacier this year and the third in five years. Water-related accidents remain the number one cause of death in the park. [Wade Muehlhof, Public Affairs Officer]
Three men who were stranded overnight on Mt. Brown on Sunday night made it off the mountain yesterday morning and are all in excellent condition. On Sunday, 18-year-old D.H., 18-year-old J.M., and 20-year-old J.N., all from Kalispell, Montana, attempted to reach the fire lookout on Mt. Brown, which is located northeast of the head of Lake McDonald. The three men started out on snowshoes at about 11 a.m., planning to ski down before dusk, but ran out of light before they could get off the mountain. Around 6:30 p.m., one of the men was able to reach a family member via cell phone and report that they were stranded. The family member notified Flathead County dispatch about an hour later. The men were not able to provide an accurate location, so rangers and members of the volunteer Flathead County Search and Rescue team started searching for them around 9 p.m. Visibility was very limited due to wind and snow. Searchers covered high probability areas, scanned for signs of fire, and used whistles to try to locate the men. Ranger and search and rescue volunteers spent the entire night looking for them, but without luck. In the early morning hours on Monday, a ranger sent a text message to one of the men, asking him to call 911. The man did so, thereby making it possible for Flathead County dispatch to get a latitude and longitude pinpointing their location. The men reported that they had been able to make a fire, shelter in place, and were doing well. With an exact location, a group from the Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol and an NPS employee headed up to meet them. At 10:30 a.m., the ski patrol made contact and found that all three men were in excellent condition. Everyone was off the mountain by 11 a.m. Ranger Gary Moses was IC. [Wade Muehlhof, Public Affairs Officer]
The park was contacted by the wife of an overdue hiker on Wednesday morning. R.L., 59, was issued his backcountry permit on May 10th and according to his permit would be hiking in remote sections of Glacier's North Fork and exiting on May 20th. R.L. and his wife had agreed that she was to contact the park if he was not back by May 25th. R.L.'s ambitious itinerary began at the Polebridge Ranger Station and headed to Bowman Lake, then ran from Bowman Lake to Brown's Pass, Hole-in-the-Wall, over Boulder Pass, past Kintla Lake and out the Inside North Fork Road to Big Prairie. Most of these areas are in still in winter condition with extreme hazards. Due to an impending change in weather expected on Thursday, rangers contracted Minute Man Aviation to fly R.L.'s route. From the helicopter, rangers spotted tracks in the snow going over Boulder Pass that were consistent with human travel. In the afternoon R.L. was spotted near Upper Kintla Lake waving his red jacket at the helicopter. Rangers retrieved him and brought him out of the backcountry, uninjured but very tired. R.L. has taken many winter snowshoeing trips in Glacier and carries a very heavy pack, up to 100 pounds. Although he has taken many winter trips, his permits are extremely ambitious, long in duration and are not recommended by the Park Service. "This is not the first time that R.L. has been reported overdue," said IC Gary Moses. "We are very glad for the successful resolution of the search and that Mr. R.L. was uninjured. While he nearly completed his intended trip, the number of days he was overdue, the route itself through extensive avalanche terrain, the approaching weather front, and his history prompted our immediate response upon notification from his wife." [Ellen Blickhan, Public Affairs Officer]
A hiker fell over a 30-foot cliff and slid an additional 80 feet on snow before coming to rest while descending from the summit of Stanton Peak at the head of Lake McDonald on Tuesday. He'd climbed the peak with three fellow concession employees from Lake McDonald Lodge and was glissading on a snowfield when the accident occurred. He attempted to self-arrest with his ice axe, but tumbled over the cliff and slid the additional distance on snow. Two of his companions hiked out to seek help. An ALERT medical helicopter was summoned and flew a medic to the scene to assess the man's condition. He was then flown out to a regional hospital for treatment. [Ellen Blickhan, Public Affairs Specialist]
An interpretive ranger leading a hike on the Grinnell Glacier trail late yesterday morning received a report that a hiker had taken a 50 to 100 foot slide on a steep snow field elsewhere on the trail and needed medical assistance due to head injuries he'd received in the fall. Rangers, Kalispell Regional Medical Center's ALERT helicopter, and a Minuteman Aviation helicopter responded. The hiker was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The Glacier County Coroner's Office is establishing the cause of death. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
R.F., 70, of Cardston, Alberta, was killed last Saturday afternoon when he lost control of his motorcycle and skidded into oncoming traffic on Going-to-the-Sun Road approximately 10 miles east of Lake McDonald Lodge. The park is conducting an investigation with assistance from the Flathead County Sheriff/Coroner's Office and the Montana Highway Patrol. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
New evidence has been found that is believed to be related to a 2008 missing hiker incident. In August, 2008, rangers and many other individuals and organizations were involved in an extensive search effort for a missing hiker, Y.-J.H., a native of Malaysia. The search effort began on August 21, 2008 after the park received word from Y.-J.H.'s family that he was three days overdue from a lengthy and arduous planned hike in the park's backcountry. After more than 2,500 hours of searching in difficult terrain and challenging conditions, the intensive effort was scaled back in early September of 2008. Since then, rangers have continued to respond to new leads and analyze new information related to the investigation, including a report of suspected evidence earlier this summer. On July 3rd, a hiker found portions of two items of clothing matching the description of clothing identified in the initial search efforts and was able to pinpoint the location of the items in steep cliffs off the Floral Park route, Y.-J.H.'s intended route. Rangers have returned to the site a couple of times for further investigation, with assistance from members of the Flathead County Sheriff's Department and Search and Rescue Team. Numerous pieces of evidence have been found, several of which closely match the items identified in Y.-J.H.'s equipment list. The evidence also includes some bone fragments that are being analyzed for DNA identification by the Montana Department of Justice's Crime Laboratory. Rangers believe the evidence was transported down slope from the cliffs above by water and snow avalanches. Deep snow and steep terrain are extending the recovery efforts, which will continue as weather conditions allow or definitive proof is found. Rangers are in contact with Y.-J.H.'s wife and mother. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
A hiker on the trail from Many Glacier to Piegan Pass was attacked by a grizzly bear around noon on Friday. The 50-year-old visitor from St. Paul, Minnesota, was hiking by himself when he rounded a bend in the trail and encountered a sow grizzly with a sub-adult grizzly. Although he was carrying bear spray, he was unable to utilize it before the bear attacked. He sustained bites to his left thigh and left forearm before the bear grabbed his foot, shook him, released him, and left the area. The man hiked back toward Many Glacier, encountering a naturalist ranger leading a hike while on the way. The ranger notified dispatch while the man continued to the Many Glacier Ranger Station, where he was treated for his injuries and transported to the Blackfeet Community Hospital in Browning. The hiker was reportedly making noise as he hiked. The trail from Piegan Pass to Feather Plum Falls is closed at this time, and rangers are investigating the incident. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
The 50-year-old hiker who was attacked by a grizzly bear last Friday ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewincidentsarticle&type=Incidents&id=5808" click here for the original incident report) was treated and released later that day and continued with his travel itinerary. His injuries - bites to his left thigh and left forearm - were not life threatening. The hiker was hiking alone on the trail from Many Glacier to Piegan Pass when he was attacked by a grizzly bear. When he rounded a bend in the trail, he surprised a sow grizzly with one sub-adult. The bear attacked the hiker, biting his left thigh and left forearm, then grabbed his foot, shook him, released him and left the area. The hiker said he was carrying bear spray, but was unable to employ it before the bear attacked and that he was making noise as he hiked. According to rangers, the bear's response to the hiker was defensive in nature and consistent with a surprise encounter with a hiker. No action will be taken against the bear. The trail from Piegan Pass to Feather Plume Falls remains closed, but will likely open by the end of the week. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
Members of a family were walking along McDonald Creek near Red Rock Point late last Wednesday morning when one of them, a young boy, fell into the creek. His mother tried to catch him but fell in as well. Both began floating down the creek, but were retrieved by bystanders. The mother was unconscious and not breathing, so her rescuers began CPR and brought her back to consciousness. A doctor and two nurses who happened to be in the area helped treat the woman for hypothermia. Park rangers arrived and assessed her vitals and administered oxygen. She was then taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Her young son was reported to be in good condition with no injuries. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
Early on Monday morning, park dispatch received a call informing them that park seasonal employee J."J."R. was overdue from a personal day hike in the park. J.R.'s supervisor notified rangers that he did not show for work at his scheduled time later that morning. J.R. is a member of the exotic plant team working at the park. No one knew the location where J.R. was hiking, but rangers soon located his vehicle at the Fielding Trailhead in the southern end of the park along Montana Highway 2. Several ground teams and two helicopters were employed on Monday so search possible hiking routes. A park incident management team was organized to manage the incident. Intensive search efforts continued yesterday, with more than 50 people dedicated to the incident. Ground crews, helicopters, a search dog team and some specially trained human trackers were involved. The Flathead National Forest and Flathead Valley Search and Rescue assisted. Rangers believe that there is a high probability that J.R. signed the summit register at Brave Dog Mountain. Search crews checked the register and found a signature that is believed to be by J.R. dated Sunday, August 28th. Following this discovery, search efforts were concentrated in this area - the route from Brave Dog Mountain toward Mount Despair. This route is located between the Ole Creek and Park Creek Drainages, in the southern end of the park, an area where the terrain is extremely steep and treacherous. It is an area that only the most highly skilled hikers and climbers attempt to access. J.R. is 27 years old and is an avid and skilled hiker and familiar with the park. He has excellent scouting capabilities and enjoys hiking off trail. He is 6 feet tall with brown, short and curly hair. He is of medium build and believed to be wearing a blue t-shirt, blue Patagonia hiking shorts, white/silver Mammut daypack, size 10 La Sportiva boots with Vibram soles, and possibly gators. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
No substantial clues or evidence were discovered on Wednesday to help locate missing alpine hiker and seasonal park employee J."J."R. Search crews continued with aerial and ground efforts as cooler weather, moisture and increased winds developed in the area by mid-afternoon. Seventeen search crew members are staying overnight in the primary search area, and are prepared to spend another night in the backcountry. Other crew members returned to park headquarters and will be ready for Thursday morning assignments. A team of search crew members reached the trail register atop an unnamed mountain, locally known as "8888," located between the Ole Creek and Park Creek Drainages and between Brave Dog Mountain and Mount Despair (the mountain's elevation is 8,888 feet). The tattered, faded and weather-beaten register revealed no signatures. Search managers believe that the lack of a signature is not clear evidence of J.R.'s presence or absence in the area. The search will continue today. Flathead Valley Search and Rescue and Flathead National Forest are assisting with the effort. Posters with J.R.'s photo and key information have been posted in the park and other locations. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
The search continues for missing seasonal employee J."J."R. Several crews endured rainy and cold conditions as they camped overnight in the search area. Snow was reported at approximately 6,400 feet and low cloud cover limited aerial operations until later in the day on Thursday. Ground crews, in addition to the crews that camped overnight, searched throughout the day. A small piece of red plastic was found in the search area, but it is has not been determined if it is related to J.R.. It is unclear what the plastic is or where it may have come from. Investigators do believe that J.R. may have in his possession, or may be wearing, a green Flylow jacket. The search area is located between the Ole Creek and Park Creek drainages in the southern end of the park. Crews are searching in very steep and rugged landscapes. The search effort will continue today. Flathead Valley Search and Rescue and Flathead National Forest are assisting with the effort. Posters with J.R.'s photo and key information have been posted in the park and other locations. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
Search personnel found the body of seasonal employee J."J."R. last Friday afternoon. It was found on the mountain known as "8888" in the southern end of the park. The initial investigation indicates that J.R. may have fallen approximately 800 feet on the north side of the extremely steep mountain. J.R.'s body was spotted by helicopter personnel during an aerial search of the high-probability area between Ole Creek and Park Creek drainages. The extensive search effort began on Monday, August 29th, after J.R. was reported overdue from a personal day hike in the park the previous day. More than 50 people helped with the search efforts. Personnel from Flathead Valley Search and Rescue and the Flathead National Forest assisted with the search. J.R., 27, had worked for the exotic plant team at the park for the past three summers. He also worked at other National Park Service sites during the winter season. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
Glacier National Park, Flathead County Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue Team and Kalispell Regional Medical Center's A.L.E.R.T. air ambulance responded to and rescued two cross-country skiers who were lost and stranded overnight in the North Fork area of the park. The married couple from Kalispell sent a 911 message using a spot messenger device, reporting that they were lost and stranded in the park. Flathead County dispatch received the message at approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday evening and determined that the message originated from a remote location approximately a mile north of the Akokala Creek Trail in the North Fork area of park, approximately six miles north of Polebridge. Park rangers were immediately notified and an incident team was organized. Due to bad weather, downed trees, difficult trail conditions, darkness and overall unsafe conditions for ground or aerial searches, it was determined that a response would need to take place early Sunday morning. Operations resumed that day with rangers and members of the county's rescue team snowshoeing and cross-country skiing toward their location. A helicopter joined them when weather conditions improved. The crew spotted tracks on the ground, landed briefly, and dropped off two crew members, who hiked a half mile to the couple's location. They were treated at the scene and flown out. Rangers met them and transported them to the Polebridge Ranger Station. The couple then returned home. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of Saturday, June 16th, employees of the Glacier Park Boat Company reported a capsized canoe and two people in the water on Lake McDonald. The boat company employees rescued the pair from the water and transported them to the Lake McDonald Lodge, where rangers assessed their condition and took them to their vehicle. The rangers also retrieved the canoe and returned it to them. Both boaters were wearing life jackets. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
A park employee was seriously injured in a fall on Tuesday. A veteran member of the park's trail crew, the 31-year-old woman was working with other crew members on sections of the popular Highline Trail. The incident occurred as the crew was returning to the Logan Pass trailhead. Park dispatch received a call from another member of the trail crew around 2:30 p.m., reporting that she'd taken a 200-foot slide down the snow from the trail to the Going-to-the-Sun Road, hitting the road's surface. Three Rivers Ambulance and an A.L.E.R.T. air ambulance were dispatched to the park as rangers stabilized her for transport to a medical facility. Emergency responders encountered rain, wind and limited visibility. She was flown by A.L.E.R.T. to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Her condition was not known at the time of the report. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
A search is underway for J.J-C.K., 19, who was last seen leaving Lake McDonald Lodge for a day hike early on Saturday morning. His route was to take him from Logan Pass through the Floral Park and Avalanche Basin areas to Avalanche Lake. Jakson is believed to be wearing a plain yellow/gold Columbia cotton sweatshirt, long khaki pants, Rocky brand hiking boots (size 12) and camouflage winter gloves. He's likely carrying a grey/yellow daypack with a two liter water bladder, a large knife in a sheath, and possibly a hiking pole. Anyone who has seen him is asked to call the park at 406-888-7800, Option 6. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
The air and ground search for 19-year-old J.K.S.A., missing since he failed to return from a day hike last Saturday, continued yesterday. The park is using HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLIR" forward looking infrared technology (FLIR) technology in its efforts to find him. The cameras, provided by the Flathead County Sheriff's Office, detect heat sources and are being used in early morning operations before rocks and vegetation warm up. Canine search teams from the US Border Patrol are also being utilized, as well as trackers from the North Valley Search and Rescue Team. The search is centered on the area between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake. J.K.'s vehicle was located in the Logan Pass Visitor Center parking lot and it is believed that he was attempting a day hike from Logan Pass to Avalanche Lake. His intended route would include treacherous country filled with rock cliffs, waterfalls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation. The descent is more than 4,000 feet on steep slopes. J.K. is a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge. A park incident management team has been organized and is managing the incident. Approximately 50 people are dedicated to the operation. J.K. is from Michigan, and this is his first year working in the area. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall with black, short and curly hair and a black beard. It is believed that he is wearing a yellow sweatshirt and grey colored khaki pants is and carrying a grey and yellow backpack. Anyone who may have been in the Logan Pass, Hidden Lake, Floral Park or Avalanche Lake areas over the weekend and may have seen J.K. is encouraged to contact park dispatch at 406-888-7800. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
Crews continued to search yesterday for missing hiker J.K. A boot track matching the sole of J.K.'s boots was found Wednesday, but no additional clues were discovered. Ground search crews found various items, such as sunglasses and a water filter, but the items were ruled out as related to J.K.. The search for J.K., a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge, began last Sunday after J.K. failed to return from a Saturday day hike. The search is focused on the area between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake, specifically in the Floral Park area, which includes some treacherous country filled with rock cliffs, waterfalls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation. Anyone who may have been in the Logan Pass, Hidden Lake, Floral Park or Avalanche Lake areas over last weekend and may have seen J.K. is encouraged to contact park dispatch at 406-888-7800. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
No new clues have been found in the search for missing hiker J.K. Limited search efforts will continue until the probability of finding new information or clues leading to the location of J.K. are exhausted. Saturday's search operations included investigation of additional boot tracks found the previous day in the Floral Park area. The track evidence led searchers to a hazardous cliff band. Four teams searched ledges and waterfalls in the Floral Park and Avalanche Basin areas, including a helicopter working in tandem with technical climbing teams, but no signs of J.K. were found. The search for J.K., a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge, began Sunday, July 29th, after he failed to return following a Saturday hike. The search area has included the Hidden Lake, Logan Pass, Floral Park, and Avalanche Lake areas, which include treacherous terrain filled with rock cliffs, waterfalls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation. A park incident management team has managed the incident, with up to 50 people dedicated to the search over the last eight days. North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Search and Rescue, the Flathead County Sheriff's Office and the US Border Patrol have assisted the National Park Service with search operations. Trackers, canine search teams, aerial observers, and ground searchers have been utilized during the search. J.K. is from Michigan. This is his first year working in the area. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall with black, short and curly hair and a black beard. It is believed he is wearing a yellow/gold sweatshirt and grey colored khaki pants, and carrying a grey and yellow backpack. Anyone who may have information regarding J.K.'s whereabouts is encouraged to contact park dispatch at 406-888-7800. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
The search for missing concession employee J.K. has entered a continuous but limited mode after eight days of rigorous aerial and ground search. New clues will be investigated as they come forward. The National Park Service joins J.K.'s family in thanking North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Search and Rescue, the Can Am Search and Rescue Team, the Flathead County Sheriff's Office, the Lake County Sheriff's Office, and the US Border Patrol for their assistance throughout the search. The family released the following statement on Monday: "It is extremely difficult for us to imagine that we have lost our beautiful son, J.K. We believe that he has found the world's greatest resting place. J.K. absolutely fell in love with Glacier National Park, all that it has to offer, as well as all of the people he came to know. "On the 28th of July we were informed that J.K. had not returned from a day hike he took on the 27th. The days since this have obviously been the most difficult of our lives. The outpouring of love and prayers from our families, friends and strangers has touched us deeply. "J.K. and our family have been fortunate to have so many friends in Michigan. The love and support shown by all who attended his prayer vigil on August 2nd was overwhelming - we want to thank all that attended - we love you. We were also very grateful to get to know J.K.'s new friends at Glacier National Park and we will cherish our time with them. "Throughout this difficult ordeal we feel blessed to have been embraced by the Glacier National Park family, to whom we would like to express our sincere and heartfelt thanks. These men and women have been concerned, caring, courageous and amazingly compassionate in their search for our J.K. We also want to thank all of the extended family here at Glacier National Park, including all of the assisting agencies and the folks at the Lake McDonald Lodge. "While we have appreciated the concern for J.K. we want to thank you for respecting our privacy during these difficult days and ask that our privacy continues to be respected." [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
The remains of a 19-year-old concession employee, missing since late July, were found by hikers near Hidden Lake yesterday. An autopsy is to be performed to determine the cause of death. The search for J.K. began on July 29th after he failed to return as scheduled from a hike he took the previous day. Park employees, with assistance from North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Search and Rescue, Can Am Search and Rescue, Flathead County Sheriff's Office, Lake County Sheriff's Office, and the US Border Patrol, conducted an extensive ground and aerial search for eight days before scaling back efforts. The search area was focused between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake, and in the Floral Park area. This area includes some treacherous country filled with rock cliffs, waterfalls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation. J.K. was from Michigan and a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge. This was his first year working in the area. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of a 67-year-old Colorado man was recovered from the North Fork of the Flathead River last Tuesday. The man was fishing in the park near Camas Creek with a relative from the local area when they became separated from each other's sight by a bend in the river. The relative subsequently went downstream to check on Hughes, but was unable to find him so left the area and called for help. Individuals and rescue teams responded from Flathead County Sheriff's Office, North Valley Search and Rescue, Border Patrol, and Glacier National Park. A.L.E.R.T. helicopter from Kalispell Regional Medical Center also responded. The man was found underwater about 100 yards south of Camas Creek. He was wearing waders, but was not wearing a life jacket. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
A search is underway for two hikers who were reported missing by family members after they missed their flight from Montana to the East Coast and failed to return home. It's believed that 32-year-old N.P. from Virginia and 32-year-old J.H. from Maryland departed from the North Shore trailhead at Two Medicine on Tuesday, October 9th. According to their backcountry permit, the two men planned to camp at the Oldman backcountry campground on Tuesday night and return to Two Medicine on Wednesday, October 10th. Rangers located their vehicle late on Friday and began a search early on Saturday morning. The weather has been quite challenging for the search operation. Search personnel are encountering up to 18 inches of snow on trails, snow drifts, limited visibility and very windy conditions. Aerial operations were limited yesterday due to low visibility and extremely windy conditions. A recently used fire ring and tracks were identified in the area of the search on Sunday. It is believed the evidence may be related to the missing hikers. It's likely that due to winter weather conditions and snow covered trails, the two men may have gone off trail. The fire ring and tracks were found in the Nyack Drainage on the west side of the Continental Divide, which includes some very dense, steep and treacherous terrain. According to their backcountry permit, N.P. and J.H. were planning to hike from the North Shore trailhead at Two Medicine on Tuesday and camp at the Oldman Backcountry Campground on Tuesday night. It's believed that they planned to hike to Pitamakan Pass and along the Continental Divide to Dawson Pass, returning to Two Medicine on Wednesday. The entire loop, as planned, is approximately 17 miles in length. Approximately 50 people are involved in the search, including personnel from the park and Flathead Country Search and Rescue. N.P. is six feet tall, weighs approximately 180 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes; J.H. is six feet tall, weighs about 200 pounds, and has brown hair and green eyes. N.P. may be wearing a red hooded rain jacket and J.H. may have a blue North Face beanie hat. Anyone who may have any information or may have been in the area and seen hikers who meet these descriptions is encouraged to contact the park at 406-888-7805. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
Searchers found missing hikers N.P. and J.H. in good condition yesterday afternoon. They were flown out of the backcountry and met family members anxiously awaiting their return. The two men went hiking on the east side of the park near Two Medicine last week but failed to return as planned. A search was begun last Friday evening and continued until yesterday. The weather during the period was challenging - searchers had to contend with up to 18 inches of snow on trails, snow drifts, limited visibility and very windy conditions. Organizations assisting the park with the search included the Flathead County Sheriff's Office, Flathead Country Search and Rescue, North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Emergency Aviation Resources, and the US Border Patrol. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
On Monday, October 15th, the search for two hikers missing in the park's backcountry came to a successful conclusion. Additional information has since been gathered on how the pair got lost and how they fared during the five days that searchers were looking for them. Hikers N.P. and J.H. were planning to hike from the North Shore trailhead at Two Medicine and camp at the Oldman backcountry campground on Tuesday, October 9th. After spending the night in the campground as planned, they continued on their 17-mile hike, encountering snow on the trail and very high gusts of winds as they hiked a section of trail on a ridge along the Continental Divide. One of the men slipped and fell approximately 100 feet down a steep slope. The men then tried to hike in parallel for a bit, one above and one below. They determined that the best approach would be for both hikers to be together, to go down the mountain, and to perhaps try another route back up. The men had a quality map of the area, but lost it when extreme wind gusts blew it out of their hands. They continued down the mountainside and spent Wednesday evening in the Nyack Lakes area, where they set up camp and lighted a fire. On Thursday, they started to hike back up the mountain by another route, hoping to follow their original direction. Weather conditions and mountainous terrain were challenging. They put considerable thought into what their best options would be, finally deciding to travel back down the wet and slippery terrain and wait for a break in the weather. That break did not come, so they camped near the headwaters of the Nyack Drainage at approximately 6,000 feet for the next four nights. They rationed their food, collected firewood and materials to create a fire and smoke, turned their cell phones on during the day, displayed their space blanket for possible reflection during the day and used it to stay warn at night, and created an SOS message with logs. On the afternoon of Monday, October 15th, two park employees were searching on foot when one of them saw colored flagging that led him to a tent and the missing hikers. N.P. and J.H. were cold and wet, but in fairly good condition with no injuries. The two men communicated their appreciation to the searchers and were ready to travel home with family and friends. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
A skier was caught and seriously injured by an avalanche that he triggered on Elk Mountain on the afternoon of Tuesday, January 8th. Park dispatch received a call at approximately 4:15 p.m. that afternoon reporting that two skiers were involved in an avalanche and that one of them was injured. Park rangers and local emergency personnel organized and responded to the incident. Rangers reached the skiers around 6:30 p.m. and transported them to a nearby trailhead. The Glacier County EMS ambulance took the injured skier to a medical facility; the second skier was released at the scene. The two men, ages 34 and 35, were skiing a ridge of Elk Mountain just west of Marias Pass when one of them fell and triggered an avalanche. The skier was carried downslope by the slide and partially buried. The other man, who was skiing below when the avalanche occurred and was able to escape from the avalanche slide path, was then able to help rescue his companion. Emergency personnel assisting Glacier National Park rangers included members of the Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Glacier County Sheriff's Office, Flathead County Sheriff's Office, Flathead County Search and Rescue, and North Valley Search and Rescue. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of a 28-year-old Kalispell woman was located and recovered near the head of Lake McDonald last Friday. Park dispatch had received a missing person report on her on Thursday and rangers found her car in the Lake McDonald Lodge parking lot just before noon. A search was then begun. Park staff were assisted by personnel from the Flathead National Forest, Flathead County Sheriff's Office, Flathead Search and Rescue, North Valley Search and Rescue, and Flathead Emergency Aviation Resources (FEAR). The crew of a FEAR helicopter spotted the woman's body on Friday afternoon. An investigation into the cause of death is underway. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
Three visitors - a man and woman, each 23 years old, and a child - were evidently struck by lightning late on Wednesday afternoon as they were hiking on the St. Mary Falls Trail on the east side of the park. Park dispatch received a call from an interpretive ranger reporting the incident around 4:30 p.m. Bystanders at the scene began CPR while rangers were responding. An ALERT helicopter from Kalispell and a Mercy Flight helicopter from Great Falls were requested, and park medics were flown to the scene. Crews and employees from all areas of the park responded to the incident. Park employees and Glacier County Sheriff's Office personnel used litters to hand carry each individual to the trailhead near the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Glacier County Sheriff's Office personnel helped with traffic control on the road, which was temporarily closed. The ALERT helicopter soon arrived on scene, but Mercy Flight was unable to respond due to weather. Glacier County Ambulance from Babb and Browning Ambulance were called and arrived at the scene. The child was airlifted to Kalispell via ALERT and Glacier County Ambulance transported the two adults to Kalispell. ALERT returned and rendezvoused with the ambulance to transport the man and the ambulance continued on to Kalispell with the woman. The condition of the three individuals is unknown at this time. The incident is under investigation. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
On July 9th, C.F., Jr., 21, a first-year concession employee working as a cook at the Many Glacier Hotel, fell about a thousand feet while climbing on Apikuni Mountain with three fellow concession employees. One of the members of C.F.'s party called park dispatch and reported the accident. The caller said that the climbers could not see or reach C.F. and that he was not responding to any communications. The area in which the fall took place is very steep, with cliffs and rocky terrain. Rangers flew to the location by helicopter while other rangers tried to spot him from the air. His body was found around 6 p.m. A helicopter and specialized short-haul rescue team from Parks Canada assisted rangers in the body recovery. According to the initial investigation and witness reports, C.F. evidently lost his balance near the edge of a cliff and fell. The investigation continues. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
An investigation is underway following the discovery and recovery of a body identified as that of 25-year old C.L.J. of Kalispell, Montana. On July 12th, park dispatch received a report of a possible body located below The Loop area of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Park rangers began a search and soon found C.L.J.'s body. Due to the steep and rocky terrain, a helicopter and specialized short-haul rescue team from Parks Canada assisted with the recovery of the body. Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed temporarily to facilitate the operation. The Kalispell City Police Department, Flathead County Sheriff's Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted with the search and recovery operation. An investigation is underway into the cause of death. Anyone with information that may be related to this incident is encouraged to contact Glacier National Park at 406-888-7801. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers recovered the body of a 21-year-old climber near Grinnell Point in the northeast corner of the park on the afternoon of July 25th. M.N. was climbing the mountain with two other park concession employees when he fell at least 60 feet to his death. Park dispatch received a report of the accident that morning from a Glacier Park Boat Company employee. A group of eight hikers later reported that they found the climber, but did not see signs of life. The area in which the fall took place is very steep, with cliffs and rocky terrain. M.N. was an employee of the park's concessioner, Glacier Park, Inc., and worked at the Many Glacier Hotel. Grinnell Point is located near Lake Josephine in the Many Glacier Valley. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
A number of park roads, campgrounds and other facilities were temporarily closed last week due to a storm that brought four to eight inches of rain to lower elevations and up to 36 inches of snow to higher elevations over a two-day period. Spring plowing was slowed and in some cases stopped last week due to the weather and low visibility. West side plowing activities resumed on Sunday and road crews punched through 16 new snow slides to The Slopes area on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. At least 24 new snow slides on the road were observed by park staff, with more anticipated as plowing progresses. Road crews report encountering snow slides up to 200 feet long and 15 feet deep. Crews will also be clearing the road of rock, mud, and wood debris. Many areas of the road that were once clear of snow now need to be plowed again. A snow slide destroyed at least eight segments of guard rail near Haystack Creek. On the west side of the park, Going-to-the-Sun Road is currently open to vehicle travel from the West Entrance to Avalanche. Hiker-biker access is available from Avalanche to the Loop while road crews are working. On the east side of the park, the Going-to-the-Sun Road is currently open to vehicle travel from St. Mary to Jackson Glacier Overlook. Road construction activity is currently underway between Rising Sun and Siyeh Bend. There is no hiker-biker access past the Jackson Glacier Overlook vehicle closure. Water levels appear to have stabilized across the park, decreasing concerns of flooding. The St. Mary Campground is now open with limited sites available. Access to Kintla Lake via the Inside North Fork Road is again possible. The Goat Haunt area is now open and boat tours are operating regularly. Park personnel continue to monitor other areas of the park as temperatures rise and snowmelt continues. For additional questions about Glacier National Park, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm" \t "_blank" http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm or call 406-888-7800. See the park's Flickr page at HYPERLINK "https://www.flickr.com/photos/glaciernps" \t "_blank" https://www.flickr.com/photos/glaciernps for various images of the park, including recent snow slides on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. [Denise Germann, Management Assistant]
The St. Mary Visitor Center on the east side of Glacier National Park has been closed temporarily due to damage inflicted by its sprinkler system. Rangers responded to an alarm at the visitor center around 4 a.m. yesterday morning. It is believed that the visitor center furnace may have malfunctioned and the water sprinkler system activated. There is water damage to the building and contents, as well as to some of the utilities. The extent of the damage is being assessed. A visitor contact and information center has been set up in the visitor center parking lot. Backcountry permits and aquatic invasive species boat inspections are now available at the Hudson Bay District Office located in the park administrative area in St. Mary. The park shuttle system and transportation services by Xanterra and Sun Tours were unaffected and are operating as scheduled. The restroom facilities at the visitor center are available. Evening interpretive programs continue at the St. Mary Campground as scheduled. There is no phone service at the St. Mary Visitor Center at this time. Visitors are encouraged to contact the park at 406-888-7800 for park information, or visit HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm" [Public Affairs Office]
The St. Mary Visitor Center on the east side of Glacier National Park has reopened. It was temporarily closed on Thursday due to damage sustained when the furnace malfunctioned and the water sprinkler system activated. Although most services offered there are again available, some parts of the building remain closed, including the auditorium. Park rangers responded to an alarm at the visitor center around 4 a.m. on July 24th. The visitor center furnace had malfunctioned and the water sprinkler system had activated. There was water damage to the building and contents, as well as to some of the utilities. Contractors and park employees worked all day and most of the night on Thursday to assess the situation, remove office equipment and furniture, remove water, and dry out the area. Some park employee offices have been relocated to the park administrative area nearby. Some drywall, flooring, office equipment, furniture and computers will need to be replaced due to water damage. Some Glacier National Park Conservancy sales items were also affected. The furnace may need to be replaced because several of the internal safety mechanisms failed to properly shut off the heat. The park is also considering some possible electrical upgrades to increase safety measures. [Public Affairs Office]
A 57-year-old Texas man was hiking alone on the Mt. Brown Lookout trail last Saturday morning when a bear charged him from below the trail. The man used his bear spray on him, then shot the bear with one round from a handgun he was carrying. Indications are that he hit the bear, which then ran away. The hiker then headed back to the trailhead, encountering a volunteer backcountry ranger on the trail along the way. The volunteer notified park dispatch of the incident. Rangers immediately closed the trial and began an investigation. They also staffed the trailhead in order to advise other visitors what had happened. Rangers and bear specialists began a search for the bear, which may be either a grizzly or a black bear. The bear has not yet been found and the investigation is continuing. The trail remains closed. Park visitors are encouraged to carry bear spray as a deterrent for a charging grizzly bear. No single deterrent is 100 percent effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, proper use of bear spray has proven to be the best method for fending off threatening and attacking bears and for preventing injury to the person and animal involved. [Public Affairs Office]
Park personnel responded to a medical emergency along the Continental Divide Trail in the Siyeh area on Sunday, August 10th. Two hikers, a father and son from Alabama, were climbing down from Mount Siyeh when a boulder was dislodged. The 21-year-old son avoided the direct impact of the boulder, estimated as weighing about 200 pounds, but received injuries from the glancing blow of the rock and his subsequent 200 foot tumble. He sustained lacerations to his head and chin, among other injuries. In an attempt to summon aid, the father waved his arms while yelling. He then fired one gunshot toward a solid surface to indicate that an emergency was occurring. Nearby hikers reported hearing the gunshot and yelling. One hiker aided the father and son as they began hiking out. Park personnel met them on the trail before the junction between Siyeh Pass Trail and Piegan Pass Trail. Two Bear Air hoisted them to West Glacier, where they were picked up by Three Rivers Ambulance and taken to North Valley Hospital in Whitefish. [Public Affairs Office]
A winter storm with very strong winds and heavy snow moved across the park late Friday night, downing trees and burying roads. Access to the park is currently very limited and people are being encouraged to postpone their visits, specifically through the West Glacier entrance, until access can be restored and safety concerns can be addressed. Numerous trees fell on approximately 20 structures in the park housing area near park headquarters on the west side of the park. Six residences sustained structural damage and the members of one park employee family have been displaced from their home. A government vehicle was severely damaged from tree fall as well. No injuries have been reported. The full extent of the impacts from the winter storm are unknown at this time. Park crews are prioritizing their response. as there is damage due to tree fall, inaccessible roads due to snow, blowing snow and downed trees, electrical power outages, and continued winter weather conditions. Snow accumulation on the east side of the park is believed to be approximately 24 inches at St. Mary and approximately 18 to 20 inches at East Glacier. Snow accumulations are high and blowing snow conditions are reported in the North Fork and Many Glacier areas as well. [Denise Germann, Management Assistant]
A wind-driven fire displaying extreme behavior has burned about 4,000 acres since it started on Tuesday and has caused precautionary evacuations in the park, including the St. Mary Visitor Center, the park's administrative area, two campgrounds, and the Rising Sun Motor Inn. The historic Baring Creek Cabin has been lost, but no other structures have been burned and no injuries have been reported. The HYPERLINK "http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4405/" Reynolds Creek Fire was moving quickly in dry, heavy timber in red flag conditions yesterday afternoon and evening. Evacuations for areas adjacent to the park boundary were ordered by the Glacier County Sherriff and Blackfeet Emergency Services. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed between the St. Mary entrance on the east side and Big Bend on the west side. The road closure is in response to the fire, firefighter and visitor safety, fire response activities, and park personnel priorities. The duration of the road closure is unknown. Fire management priorities are safety of public and firefighting personnel, protection of property and values at risk, and containment of the fire. A Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered. Resources from Flathead National Forest, Glacier County, East Glacier, Babb, St Mary, and Cutbank, Fire Departments, Blackfeet Fire Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Evergreen and West Valley Fire Departments and Flathead County are assisting Glacier National Park. Fire information phone lines have been established at (406)732-7791 and (406) 732-7790. The fire was first reported at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday and was located near Grizzly Point, approximately six miles east of Logan Pass. Park dispatch received numerous reports of the fire from shuttle bus drivers, Glacier Boat Company employees, park employees and visitors. [Denise Germann and Katie Liming]
On the evening of Saturday, July 22nd, park dispatch received calls from a shuttle bus driver and from a visitor with an inReach device reporting that someone had fallen at Haystack Creek. The creek is approximately five miles west of Logan Pass along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Park rangers and Two Bear Air Rescue immediately responded. Rangers found that a man had fallen approximately 100 feet below the road near Haystack Creek. He did not survive the fall. The victim has been identified as 26-year-old Robert Durbin of Corvallis, Montana. He was traveling to the park on a vacation with family. Witness reports indicate that Durbin was taking photographs along Haystack Creek on the upper bank of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. At some point, he fell into the creek and was washed through the culvert that goes underneath the road, falling approximately 100 feet below the roadway. The Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed to traffic in both directions for approximately one hour on Saturday evening while rangers secured the scene of the accident and Two Bear Air Rescue recovered the victim's body from a ledge below the road. No suspicious circumstances have been noted; the investigation is on-going. Source: News release, Glacier NP.
Due to damaged underground electrical transmission cables near Oregon Inlet, Hyde and Dare Counties have issued mandatory evacuation orders for visitors on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. The orders have been issued to protect life safety during this period of lost and unreliable electrical service. The park campgrounds at Cape Point, Frisco, and Ocracoke closed at noon on Saturday, July 29th; they will remain closed until the counties' evacuation orders are lifted. The Oregon Inlet campground remains open. Visitor centers, ORV permit offices and other facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands will remain open unless excessive heat necessitates a closure. All ORV routes will remain open. A number of websites are providing regular updates: Park campgrounds and facilities — The alerts section on the park's webpage and on its Facebook page.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Wright Brothers National Memorial, and all Cape Hatteras National Seashore areas north of the Oregon Inlet are not impacted by the electricity outages or evacuation orders. Source: News release, Cape Hatteras NS.
The main building at Sperry Chalet was lost to the Sprague Fire on the afternoon of Thursday, August 31st. The two-story stone structure included guest rooms and staff housing. Firefighters had been working at Sperry Chalet since the fire began in August, installing an extensive hose lay, sprinkler, and pump system to protect all of the structures associated with the chalet. Portions of the chalet were also wrapped with fire resistant material. Firefighters on scene first observed fire activity at the chalet coming from the interior of the building. The Sprague Fire was under a red flag warning at the time. The high winds, combined with the hot weather, low relative humidity, and extreme terrain pushed the fire to the north and east, causing the fire to more than double in acreage on August 30th to 4,646 acres. The firefighters, supported by four helicopters that flew until last light, made a valiant effort to save the structures, but were unsuccessful in saving the main building at Sperry Chalet. They worked through the night to protect the four remaining structures. Sperry Chalet, operated by concessioner Belton Chalets, Inc., since 1954, accommodated 40 to 50 visitors per night. The chalet was originally constructed by the Great Northern Railway as part of the system of grand hotels and picturesque chalets in Glacier National Park soon after the park was established in 1910. Construction was completed in 1913. Since then, the chalet has provided backcountry travelers a traditional service by providing hearty meals in a rustic mountain setting. As more details become known regarding the extent of damage to the main Sperry Chalet building and any fire damage to the secondary structures, the park will begin evaluating the next steps to take concerning future visitor services in the chalet's location. The Sprague Fire started on August 10th and has been the number one fire suppression priority in the park this summer. In addition to structural protection measures for the Sperry Chalet complex, the fire managers have also put in structural protection measures at the Mount Brown Lookout. Due to the lookout's location, a watering system or having firefighters remain on site has not been feasible. The lookout has been wrapped with fire resistant material due to its small size to provide some additional fire protection. Over the past month, firefighters have also been creating structure protection plans for and mitigating hazards around buildings in the Lake McDonald area. For more on the Sprague Fire, go to the fire summary section below. Source: News release, Glacier NP.
The park has begun urgently needed stabilization work at the Sperry Chalet dormitory building to prepare for winter. This is a critical first step in preserving the original structure and rebuilding the historic building. On August 31st, the building burned when the Sprague Fire significantly expanded and surrounded the Sperry complex. Early last week, Secretary Zinke ordered an independent investigation into the disaster and expedited the inspection of the remaining structure. While most of the buildings in the Sperry Chalet complex, including the dining room and a trails and utility cabin, weathered the extreme fire behavior with sprinkler systems, fire resistant wrap, and wildland firefighters defending the exteriors of the buildings, the dormitory building suffered extensive damage. The purpose of the stabilization work is to protect the walls and chimneys from excessive snow and weather damage throughout the winter. Next spring and summer, the park will conduct additional structural analysis and a review of the site area to help inform decisions about the future of the chalet complex. The stabilization recommendations come from DCI + BCE Engineers out of Missoula, and were paid for by the Glacier National Park Conservancy. The engineering firm had previously done work at the chalet when it was heavily damaged in a 2011 avalanche. Donations to the conservancy have funded the work of the engineering firm and will fund initial stabilization materials and needed labor this fall. Source: News Release, Glacier National Park.
A trout-stealing grizzly bear has prompted camping restrictions at Many Glacier Campground, one of the park's most popular frontcountry campgrounds. The park has issued a temporary ban on tents and soft-sided campers in the midst of what's predicted to be a record-breaking month for visitation. The Many Glacier Campground was temporarily limited to hard-sided camping, including camper vehicles such as Volkswagen buses and pickup trucks with small canvas pop-ups, which are allowed as long as the canvas is not exposed. The restrictions were put into place after an incident on June 29th when a small grizzly bear weighing approximately 150 pounds made its way into the campground, crossed a stream and entered into a campsite. It compelled two campers to move away from a picnic table where they were cleaning freshly-caught brook trout. One of the campers sprayed the grizzly with bear spray from a distance of 15 feet, but it was ineffective in deterring the bear's approach. The bear proceeded to climb on top of the picnic table and consume the fish. It also sniffed, pawed and bit two nearby backpacks. Responding rangers employed hazing techniques to encourage the bear to move out of the campground. Prior to its departure, it dug into two fire pits, sniffed picnic tables, a tent, and an RV with visitors inside. The bear exhibited numerous signs of food-conditioning and met the definition of a conditioned bear in the park's bear management guidelines. A non-conditioned bear would typically not enter a campsite with people present and would not resist human attempts to scare it away. Food-conditioned bears are usually removed from the population by being placed in zoos or euthanized, hence the phrase "a fed bear is a dead bear." As of the time of the story (July 9th), the bear had not yet been located. Source: Flathead Beacon.
A 15-year-old boy died after falling down a waterfall along the Going-to-the-Sun Road on Tuesday, July 31st. S.F. of Kamiah, Idaho, was exploring a culvert draining Haystack Creek under the mountain roadway when he slipped and fell about 100 feet. He did not survive the fall. Going-to-the-Sun Road was restricted to one lane of travel for three hours on Tuesday evening near the incident and temporarily closed for approximately 10 minutes to vehicles in both directions while rangers secured the scene of the accident and recovered the victim's body from a ledge below the road via litter carryout. The incident was similar to another fatality in 2017 when a photographer fell into Haystack Creek above the culvert and was swept over the waterfall. Source: The Missoulian.
A missing Arizona man's body was found by divers in Lake McDonald on Tuesday, March 26th. The park received a report earlier that day that 48-year-old W.L. of Tempe, Arizona, was missing and thought to be in the park. Rangers began looking for him; they soon located his car near Lake McDonald Lodge, but found no sign of him. A county dive team was summoned to check the lake. By the time they arrived, rangers had found the man's camera and phone on a dock, confirming suspicions that he might be in the water. The lake is partially frozen and conditions under the water were treacherous, but the team had been to Lake McDonald a couple of weekends earlier to practice ice diving and was prepared. The man's body was soon found. Foul play is not suspected. The investigation is ongoing, but it appears that the man slipped or fell through the ice. Source: Nick Mott, Montana Public Radio.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Glacier NP — The park is beginning a number of projects rehabbing or repairing damage in the 14,000-acre area burned last year by the Howe Ridge Fire. Telephone service is being restored along North McDonald Road, electric service will be extended to Kelly Camp (which previously got its electricity from water-powered generators), and new road culverts are being installed to handle increased runoff from the burn area. This summer, park staff will rebuild a number of hiking trails in the area. Wooden culverts will need to be rebuilt, trail surfaces will be restored, and a number of wood-plank bridges will be reconstructed. Source: Justin Franz, Flathead Beacon.
Thirteen cyclists who were riding on Going-to-the-Sun Road on Memorial Day became stranded when an avalanche fell at Triple Arches after they'd passed that point, blocking the road. It took about eight hours for park crews to clear away the snow, allowing them to return down the highway. The park had closed the road to pedestrian and cyclist traffic at the Loop earlier that day after a separate significant rock slide blocked the road and prevented emergency vehicle travel. By that time, though, many cyclists were already beyond the road closure. Members of the park's volunteer bike patrol were also up the road, though on the west side of the avalanche slide area. They relayed the call for help to park dispatch and stayed in the area for more than four hours until park rangers gained access to the scene. A park road crew cleared the rock slide and begin cutting a path through the avalanche debris to open the way for the stranded cyclists. Avalanche forecasters with the U.S. Geological Survey conducted an assessment of the avalanche area and slope above it; after several hours, they determined that the snow had stabilized, allowing crews to safely clear the road. The cyclists were reportedly cold but in good spirits and otherwise unharmed. Source: National Park Traveler.
A summary of recent openings, closures and other changes in the status of parks and their facilities: Glacier NP — Meanwhile, up in Montana, the entire 50-mile length of Going-to-the-Sun Road reopened to vehicles last Sunday morning, allowing visitors to drive to Logan Pass for the first time this year. Last summer Sun Road opened on June 22nd; it opened on June 28th in 2017. Source: Daily Inter Lake.
A 14-year-old Utah girl was killed and four of her family members were injured when their vehicle was struck by falling rocks on Monday, August 12th. The family was traveling west near the East Tunnel on Going-to-the-Sun Road when the vehicle was hit by rockfall Monday at around 7 p.m. The rocks reportedly hit the top of the vehicle and shattered the rear windshield. Air ambulance services responded to the incident but were unable to transport the girl due to her unstable condition. She was accordingly taken by ground ambulance to the hospital in Kalispell. The two adults in the vehicle suffered significant bruising and were taken to the hospital by emergency services; the two other children were also transported with minor injuries. Officials estimate the rocks were between fist-sized and 12 inches in diameter and the amount of debris could have "filled the bed of a pickup truck." The rocks fell from an unknown height from the mountains. The incident was the first fatal injury from rockfall on Going-to-the-Sun Road since 1996, when a vehicle was struck in the Rimrocks area west of Logan Pass. Sources: USA Today; CBS News.
A summary of recent openings, closures and other changes in the status of parks and their facilities, Glacier NP — Sperry Chalet has been reopened. On Monday, it began taking reservations for the first time since a wildfire gutted the building in 2017. The NPS spent about $12 million rebuilding the chalet. It's open for stays from July 18th to September 13th. Source: Flathead Beacon.
This week's update consists of a random sampling of reports on park reopenings extracted from various news source: Glacier NP — The park's phased reopening plans will align with Montana's as the state adjusts to certain COVID-19 restrictions. Visitor service operations will start conservatively and will be expanded if conditions allow. The decision to reopen the park is largely based on the recommendations provided by county health departments, the Blackfeet Nation, and the State of Montana. For information on the status of other parks in the system, go to the Service's "Active Alerts In Parks" webpage and use the search engine to find information on a particular site. Sources: Krista Langlois, National Geographic; KTVH News; KOMO News.
The body of 77-year-old G.C.A. of Pocatello, Idaho, who'd been missing since last week, has been found in the Hidden Meadows area of the park. G.C.A. was staying in Kalispell when he left for a hike on Friday, June 26th, and failed to return. He was reported missing the following day. Rangers found his vehicle the following Monday at the trailhead for Hidden Meadow Trail. No information on the cause of death has been released, but an animal attack is not suspected. G.C.A. worked as an instructor of bassoon and musicology at Idaho State University. Source: KTVB News.
As is the case during most summers, reports on incidents pertaining to contacts between native species and visitors — intentional, accidental or otherwise — are on the increase. Here are a few that have come in lately: Glacier NP — A Kalispell woman sustained minor injuries on the morning of July 11th when she collided with a young grizzly bear on Huckleberry Lookout Trail. The woman was the lead runner in a group of three when she ran into the bear. Both the woman and the bear tumbled off the trail together; once they separated, the bear ran off. The woman reported the incident to park officials at 9 a.m. She was self-transported Kalispell Regional Medical Center for further treatment and evaluation. Rangers have concluded that the surprise encounter was an isolated incident. No other bear encounters have been reported and rangers have posted the trail with warnings about bears. Source: KECI News.
A historic patrol cabin near Polebridge was destroyed by fire last Thursday. Firefighters from the park , Flathead County and the state fought at least seven fires in the area that day; all were contained or extinguished by Friday. According to the park, the 1928 Ford Creek patrol cabin was destroyed by "suspicious" fires. The cabin served as an administrative building. Detectives from the FBI and Park Service Investigative Services Branch are involved in the investigation. The Inside North Fork Road from Polebridge to Logging Creek and the Kintla Lake Road were both closed during the investigation, but reopened to the public on Friday. Source: Fire Engineering.
Search efforts have begun for B.J.T., a 68-year-old Columbia Falls resident. B.J.T.'s vehicle was found parked at Kintla Lake on Wednesday, July 22nd. A search was begun by rangers on July 25th after B.J.T. failed to return and is continuing. It is being conducted in conjunction with Flathead County Search and Rescue and Flathead County K9 teams. B.J.T. is five feet, ten inches tall and approximately 220 pounds with gray hair and hazel colored eyes. Anyone who may have information or was in the area and saw an individual that fits B.J.T.'s description is encouraged to contact the park's tip line at 406-888-7077. Source: KPAX News.
A 20-year-old man died in a climbing accident on the evening of July 21st when he fell from a ridge known as the Dragon's Tail, a steep, off-trail climbing route southwest of Mount Reynolds near Logan Pass. The climber fell several hundred feet toward Hidden Lake around 7:30 p.m. Search and rescue efforts began immediately after park dispatchers received a report of the accident. Two Bear Air located the man, determined he was deceased, and recovered the body. The standard climbing route up Dragon's Tail begins from the saddle with Mount Reynolds and goes up the east face to the 8,580-foot summit. The mountain's northwest face is a sheer drop to Hidden Lake. Source: Daily Inter Lake.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Glacier NP — Efforts to find B.T., 68, who has not been seen since he parked his car near Kintla Lake on July 22nd, have transitioned to a limited continuous search. An interagency search was begun three days later. No sign of B.T. was found until August 4th, when searchers came across sunglasses likely belonging to him in Kintla Creek. Search dogs came to the area and were "showing interest" near the outlet of Kintla Lake, but investigators have seen no additional signs of the man. At its height, the search for B.T. included personnel from the park, the NPS Investigative Services Branch, the FBI and local search and rescue teams, including Two Bear Air Rescue. After the sunglasses were found, officials used a remote-operated underwater vehicle to probe Kintla Lake, in addition to air, ground and above-water resources. Source: Andy Viano, Flathead Beacon.
A climber was airlifted off of Mount Gould on September 1st after he fell and cut his leg and was unable to get off the 9,553-foot peak along the Garden Wall on his own. Fortunately, he had cellphone service on the mountain and was able to call 911 shortly before 6 p.m. Two Bear Air responded and airlifted the man off the mountain to the Lake McDonald helipad at the Apgar horse corral. The climber was then taken to the hospital by ambulance for treatment. The standard west face climbing route up Mount Gould is rated as Class 3 by Glacier Mountaineering Society. The route includes steep scrambling with moderate exposure. Source: Daily Inter Lake.
An 18-year-old woman from Missoula died as a result of a scuba diving accident at Lake McDonald on November 1st. A ranger responded to a report of a scuba diving accident at the lake at approximately 5:50 p.m. The woman was declared deceased after resuscitation efforts by members of the diving group and first responders were unsuccessful. The woman was part of a scuba diving group of six people who started their dive near the dock of Lake McDonald Lodge around 4 p.m. At the time of the incident, bystanders drove to Apgar Village for a cell signal to call 911. Kalispell Regional Healthcare's A.L.E.R.T. was first on the scene, about 30 minutes after the initial 911 call. A second diver, a 22-year-old man, suffered shortness of breath and was transported by Three Rivers Ambulance to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. He was later flown to Seattle for hyperbaric treatment. The incident is under investigation. Source: Flathead Beacon.
On July 15, a homicide and kidnapping suspect from Great Falls was located on Highway 2 near the Cascadilla Flat River Access. When law enforcement officers from the Flathead County Sheriff's Department approached, the suspect brandished a firearm, causing officers to shoot the suspect. The kidnapping victim was taken safely into custody. Highway 2 between West Glacier and East Glacier, which runs along the southern edge of the park, was closed for 9 hours while an investigation was conducted. The incident is under standard investigation for officer-involved shootings. Source: KPAX
On July 18, a solo climber was reported missing by their emergency contact. The following morning, park staff were able to narrow the search area through interviews with friends and family and observation of images and video the climber had sent. The climber was found dead on Rogers Peak later that day. Source: Saanich News
On September 1, a dog boarding facility reported a woman missing to her family when she failed to show up to pick up her dogs. The woman's last contact had been a text message while hiking from Logan Pass/Highline Trail to Granite Park Chalet on August 30. NPS personnel found her car at the parking lot for the Highline Trail, and her belongings were undisturbed at her campsite. Personnel from the NPS, Flathead County Sheriff's Department, Glacier County Sheriff's Department, Two Bear Air Rescue, and Flathead National Forest conducted a multi-day search, and found her body in a steep and rocky area near the Continental Divide on September 5. The cause of death is currently under investigation. Source: Cowboy State Daily, Glacier National Park
On September 2, a black bear was euthanized in the Many Glacier area of the park after getting human food and resisting hazing efforts. The park is comparing DNA samples to discern whether the bear is the same one who recently approached people and exhibited unusual behavior at Grinnel Lake. Source: KXLF
In July 2020, a seasonal employee, working for a private company and living in park housing, sexually assaulted another seasonal employee who was intoxicated and passed out. The offender was tried in federal court and recently sentenced to five years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Source: Hi-Line Today
On September 30, a black bear was struck by a car on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Though the driver did not report the accident, park officials found it in an area near the road. The bear suffered "unsurvivable traumatic injuries" from the event, and wildlife officials euthanized the bear. Source: The Herald-Sun
On October 9, 2020, while hiking with her family and a family friend (who lives near the park), a child lost a teddy bear on the Hidden Lake Trail. The bear had been a gift from the girl's parents just before adopting her as a way to keep her company before she could be united with her new family. The family realized the teddy bear was lost that evening, but it snowed overnight and the trail was closed for the season, preventing a return to the park. A ranger specializing in bear management was doing some end-of-season work when he found the stuffed animal. He brought it home and eventually decided to put the bear on the dashboard of his patrol truck as a "mascot." The family friend who lives near the park returned to the park the following year with other friends and happened to see the bear on the dash at a trailhead. She was able to track down other rangers who helped her retrieve it. The teddy bear and young girl were reunited, and the family friend bought a new teddy bear for the ranger's truck. Source: NBC News, Glacier National Park Facebook June 15, 2022 On June 7, a 19-year-old got separated from the other member of their party while hiking and climbing Mt. Brown. They became separated and the friend reported the victim as missing to the NPS. NPS staff performed a ground search and Two Bear Air performed an aerial search. That evening, Two Bear Air was able to locate individual, who was deceased, and they recovered the victim's body. Rangers suspect the victim fell while climbing and no foul play is suspected. The death is under investigation. Source: Glacier National Park
On June 14, a 25-year-old participant in the 2022 Tour Divide long-distance bikepacking race activated a GPS tracking device to signal for help in the North Fork area of the park. The individual had wrecked the bicycle, then got lost trying to backtrack and encountered flood waters in the Kishenehn Drainage. Due to the high water, rangers were unable to reach the location, and a Minuteman Aviation helicopter picked up the rangers and flew to the individual's location. The individual was then transported by Three Rivers Ambulance to the hospital. Other agencies involved included Flathead County dispatch, U.S. Border Patrol, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Fernie Search and Rescue out of British Columbia. Source: NBC Montana
On July 21, two 67-year-olds started a trip to climb Dusty Star Mountain, expecting to hike out on July 22. They were reported missing on July 24, and rangers located their vehicle at the trailhead. The two individuals were well-known in the local climbing community and a colleague said they were exploring a new route on the mountain. Two Bear Air and Minuteman Aviation conducted air searches. Spotters were able to locate the two deceased climbers and recover their bodies on July 25. On July 25, a 79-year-old was hiking off-trail on Rising Wolf Mountain with a group of friends, when the individual took a fall on a steep slope. The friends called 911, and campers at Two Medicine Campground below the mountain heard shouts for help. Two Bear Air was able to transport the patient, who was unconscious, to Two Medicine Ranger Station, where EMS staff from ALERT were on standby. ALERT personnel pronounced the individual deceased. Source: Smithsonian Magazine, Glacier National Park (Dusty Star incident, Rising Wolf incident) August 24, 2022 On August 16, a new wildfire was detected by the Cyclone Lookout. The Quartz Fire is burning in the Quartz Creek drainage below Vulture Peak, west of the Continental Divide and five miles northeast of the Quartz Lake Patrol Cabin. As of August 23, it was 1,678 acres with 30 personnel assigned. Firefighters are stationed at the foot of Quartz Lake to provide protection for the Quartz Lake Patrol Cabin, Quartz Lake Wilderness Campground, and a footbridge at the foot of Quartz Lake. Roads, trails, and campgrounds in the area are currently closed. Source: NBC Montana, KPAX, KTVH, Inciweb September 7, 2022 As of September 4, the Quartz was 1,698 acres, 0% contained, with 35 personnel assigned. Closures in the area continue. Source: Inciweb February 22, 2023 On February 8, a civil case, related to the death of an 18-year-old SCUBA diving in Lake McDonald in November 2020, was settled between the family of the deceased, Gull Dive of Missoula, Montana, and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. The victim was a student in a diving course when they passed away due to high pressure and suffocation. The individual was outfitted with a dry suit that did not work properly, was not given a diving light, and weights caused them to sink. Another participant attempted to rescue the individual after they fell off a ledge to a depth of 85 feet, but was unable to lift the victim before they began to run out of oxygen and returned to the surface. It took two subsequent rescue dives to find the deceased individual. Federal investigators found that the incident took place in the park without a permit, but they declined to press charges because they could not "prove beyond a reasonable doubt that [the instructor] was criminally culpable." An attorney has stated publicly that the federal investigation was poorly executed and wants it reopened. Source: KPAX
On March 13, the Flathead Conservation District board determined that a house on private property in the Apgar area within Glacier National Park had not applied for the necessary 310-law permit to build directly onto the stream bank of McDonald Creek. The district received 17 complaints about the location with regards to the 310-law permit, which is required for any work that might impact the bed or banks of perennial flowing streams in Montana. The district and a representative from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks conducted a field investigation that showed that an excavation of the McDonald Creek streambank had been made to create a pad for the home's construction. The building has been ordered to be removed and the area remediated after the creek recedes from the high-water point and before November 1, 2023. The owners of the property have shown documentation that they tried to get all the correct permits and Flathead County officials had said they were under the park's jurisdiction, while the park communicated that they did not need any special permits. Source: KPAX, Flathead Beacon
On May 7, a 19-year-old individual was reported as missing. The individual was said to have begun a hike around midday on May 5. The vehicle of the individual was found at Huckleberry Trail. A search for the individual included support from the NPS, U.S. Border Patrol, Flathead County (MT) Sheriff's Office, local search dogs, North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Search and Rescue, and Two Bear Air. The trail was closed temporarily for the search. On May 8 around 11pm, Two Bear Air spotted the individual's thermal heat signature. They were able to lower a rescuer to the individual's location and found them alive and "somewhat responsive." The individual was extricated by hoist, then transferred to Evergreen Ambulance. The individual said they hiked to the saddle on the Huckleberry Trail, where there was a snowfield covering the trail. They slipped into a drainage on the east side of Huckleberry Mountain, fell into chest-deep snow, and lost their phone, water bottle, and shoes in the process. When the individual realized they could not make it back up to the trail, they began following the drainage downward. Source: Glacier National Park, KTVH
On May 22, a 28-year-old fell off a rocky overhang into Avalanche Creek and was swept into the gorge below. The individual was spotted in the creek, passing under the bridge of Trail of the Cedars, by bystanders. The bystanders waded into the water and pulled the individual out. They began CPR immediately and sent others to call 911. Staff from the NPS, ALERT, and Three Rivers Ambulance responded. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and the individual was pronounced deceased at the scene. The individual's body was carried out by litter and transferred to funeral services. Source: Glacier National Park
Many Glacier Campground has experienced a recent uptick in bear activity, including one possible incident of obtaining human food. Rangers are investigating the incident. The park enacted a ban on soft-sided camping (tents, hammocks, soft-sided campers) until further notice and the Many Glacier backcountry wilderness campground has been temporarily closed. Source: Flathead Beacon
On July 20, the NPS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service euthanized a five-year-old grizzly bear who had obtained food multiple times from humans and was becoming increasingly aggressive (see 7/5/23 Coalition Report). It is the first food-conditioned bear the park has had to euthanize since 2009. Source: Glacier National Park
On August 3, a motor vehicle with two occupants went off the Going-to-the-Sun Road, just below the West Tunnel, between Avalanche and The Loop. Bystanders saw the accident happen and were able to flag down a ranger at The Loop. The driver was able to self-extricate, while the passenger was stuck inside the vehicle. NPS staff helped get the driver up to the road. The Hungry Horse Fire Department was able to extricate the passenger from the vehicle and utilize rope rescue techniques to ascend to the road. Both individuals were transported to the hospital by Three Rivers Ambulance. The recovery of the two patients necessitated the closure of the Going-to-the-Sun Road between Avalanche Campground and The Loop for five hours. The road reopened that evening, then closed again for several hours the following day for vehicle removal. Source: Flathead Beacon, NBC Montana
On August 30, a 32-year-old was reported overdue from a climb on Reynolds Mountain the day prior. The individual's car was found at Logan Pass and a ground search began in rainy, windy, and foggy conditions. After a public announcement about the missing individual, visitors called in to the tip line, which "directly contributed to finding" the individual. On September 1, the individual was found deceased by ground searchers on Reynolds Mountain. The cause of death is under investigation. Agencies involved in the rescue included the NPS, North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead County Search and Rescue, U.S. Forest Service, Flathead County Sheriff's Department, and Two Bear Air Rescue. Source: Glacier National Park
On September 17, a group of nine hikers called 911 to report they were stuck on Dragon's Tail, a ridge near Reynolds Mountain that overlooks Hidden Lake. The weather was cold and windy and the hikers were unprepared for the weather or to travel in the dark. Two Bear Air dispatched a rescue helicopter, which was able to land near the party and execute multiple trips to extract the nine hikers to Logan Pass. Source: Daily Inter Lake
The inholding property built along lower McDonald Creek that is currently being disputed in court over streambank permitting (see 3/22/23 Coalition Report) is being permitted by the Flathead Conservation District to winterize its windows and roof. The court case is likely to go on for months or years, and the board is allowing this limited work to avoid the owners seeking further damages incurred by weather due to the district's cease and desist order. Source: Hungry Horse News
On November 13, a declaratory ruling was issued, determining that the Flathead Conservation District has jurisdiction over the home built along McDonald Creek without the requisite 310 permit (see 3/22/23, 11/1/23 Coalition Reports). The district's board had previous determined that the home must be removed and the stream bed remediated by April 1, 2024. A lawyer for the homeowners said they will appeal the decision. Source: KPAX
The Flathead Conservation District, in a recent federal court filing, argued that the location of a private parcel in Glacier National Park did not preempt enforcement of Montana streambed protection laws. The district is being sued by a couple who argues they overstepped their jurisdictional authority by ordering the demolition of their partially completed home in the West Glacier area for failing to comply with the streambed laws (see 3/22/23, 11/1/23, 11/29/23 Coalition Reports). They claim that neither the county nor the park required any permits to begin construction on the property. Lawsuits are ongoing in both state and federal court. Source: Flathead Beacon
In December, a current candidate for the U.S. Senate in Montana claimed that a bullet in their arm was from a Navy SEAL deployment in Afghanistan, rather than an accidental discharge in Glacier National Park. In October 2015, an NPS investigation report showed that the individual stated they accidentally shot themself in the arm while loading a vehicle in the park. The individual now claims that they actually hurt themself that day on a hike in the park, which required a trip to the emergency room. They told the medical staff that they had a bullet in their arm, triggering the interview with the ranger and a $525 fine for illegally discharging a weapon in a national park. The individual is now claiming the story told to the ranger was fabricated to protect themself and other platoonmates from an investigation into a 2012 shooting in Afghanistan, which may have come from friendly fire. Source: The Washington Post
On June 23, a 26-year-old fell into the water above St. Mary Falls. The individual was washed over the 35-foot waterfall and then became trapped under water for several minutes. Bystanders pulled the individual from the water, began CPR, and called emergency responders. NPS staff and an ambulance team from Babb, MT, responded to the scene, as well as a helicopter from A.L.E.R.T. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and the individual was declared deceased at the scene. The individual's body was flown to the 1913 Ranger Station near St. Mary, and the Glacier County coroner transported the individual to the medical examiner in Missoula for an autopsy. U.S. Border Patrol also supported the incident. Source: CBS News, Daily Inter Lake
On the afternoon and evening of June 27, multiple car accidents occurred on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Halfway between "The Loop" and the West Tunnel, one vehicle crossed over the yellow line, causing an oncoming car to swerve and hit an rock outcrop, which disabled the car. Nearly at the same time, at the park entrance, two vehicles collided while merging from two lanes down to one. No injuries were reported for either of those incidents. Later that evening, a 70-year-old fell asleep and drove off the road near Lake McDonald. Their car hit a tree and became on fire. The driver and a 65-year-old passenger were able to self-extricate and other motorists stopped to assist the incident. The 65-year-old sustained injuries and was sent by Three Rivers Ambulance to Logan Health in Whitefish, Montana. The vehicle fire left a "20x20 yard burn scar" with flames burning up to the crown of several trees. Martin City and Hungry Horse Fire Departments put out the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. Traffic was affected for three hours due to the incidents. Other responding agencies included the Coram Fire Department and an ALERT helicopter. Source: Glacier National Park
On July 6, a 26-year-old was hiking on the Avalanche Lake Trail when they went into the creek. They resurfaced briefly before being swept away in the current and into a gorge. Responders searched for the individual on foot and from the air but were unable to locate them. They are presumed dead and believed to be trapped underwater in the gorge. Later that day, a 28-year-old was swimming with friends in Lake McDonald near the Sprague Creek Campground. They were about 30 yards offshore when they started to struggle, went underwater, and did not resurface. Personnel from the NPS, Three Rivers Ambulance, and an ALERT helicopter responded to the scene and located the individual about 30 yards offshore and 40 feet underwater. The Flathead County (MT) Sheriff's dive team recovered the individual's body that evening. Source: KPAX
On July 1, the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received notice of a pending lawsuit by the Friends of the Wild Swan and the Council on Wildlife and Fish for the agencies' plan to relocate bull trout, a federally threatened species, to Gunsight Lake. The park has completed an environmental assessment that shows "no significant adverse impacts." The litigants claim that it is an illegal plan to create an experimental population, which should only be done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Source: KPAX
On July 29 at about 11:48 PM, a 24-year-old was driving alone on the Going-to-the-Sun Road about 1.7 miles west of the St. Mary entrance when their car entered into a roll-over accident. The individual was ejected from the vehicle and suffered a traumatic head injury. Personnel from the park, Glacier County (MT) Sheriff, Montana Highway Patrol, and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Service responded. Alert and Mercy helicopters were unable to respond due to poor weather. An ambulance from Babb transported the patient to another ambulance from Browning, which then transported the individual to Blackfeet Community Hospital. The individual was pronounced deceased at the hospital. Montana Highway Patrol and the NPS are investigating the incident. Source: Glacier National Park
On July 23, the Muir Creek Fire was discovered in the southern part of the park on the western slope of Mount Saint Nicholas, about 4 miles east of U.S. Highway 2 and the Pinnacle community. It is believed to have been lightning-caused. As of August 2, the fire was 30 acres and 0% contained, with 32 personnel assigned. Source: Inciweb
On August 3, a visitor reported spotting a deceased human in Avalanche Creek. Park personnel were able to recover the individual's body. They suspect it is the 26-year-old who fell in the creek on July 6 (see 7/10/24 Coalition Report) due to the clothing and gear accompanying the individual. The individual's body was taken to the Flathead County (MT) Coroner's Office for identification using DNA or dental records. Source: The Guardian
On July 23, the Muir Creek Fire was discovered in the southern part of the park on the western slope of Mount Saint Nicholas, about 4 miles east of U.S. Highway 2 and the Pinnacle community. It is believed to have been lightning-caused. As of August 2, the fire was 30 acres and 0% contained, with 32 personnel assigned. Source: Inciweb
On August 18, a 32-year-old was hiking from Heavens Peak to McPartland Peak when they became separated from their party. They failed to arrive at the planned rendezvous spot and the rest of their party requested help that evening. A search was initiated the next morning. On August 25, the individual was located from the air by Two Bear Air. They were found deceased one-third of a mile east of McPartland Peak below the ridgeline between Heavens Peak and McPartland Peak. The cause of death is still under investigation, though "traumatic injuries and the location of the body are indicative of a fall." Personnel from the NPS, North Valley and Flathead County (MT) Search and Rescue, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Flathead County Sheriff's Department, Two Bear Air Rescue, and various members of the public supported the incident. Source: Glacier National Park (8/21, 8/26)
On August 28, the Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed between Avalanche Creek and Jackson Glacier Overlook due to dangerous road conditions caused by snow and ice. It reopened on August 29. The Hidden Lake Trail and Highline Trail from Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet remain closed due to hazardous conditions caused by snow, slush, and ice. They will reopen once conditions improve. Source: Glacier National Park
On July 18, a 37-year-old candidate for the U.S. Senate in Montana made a claim during a campaign event that they parachuted into Glacier National Park as part of their U.S. Navy SEAL training. The park has stated publicly that parachuting, hang gliding, and BASE jumping are illegal in the park, with no special permissions for the military. A spokesperson for Naval Special Warfare stated that they train in Montana "but did not have any record of parachute training in the park." The candidate is the same person who had received a citation in 2015 in Glacier for discharging a weapon in the park, and while campaigning earlier this year, they said that they had lied to park rangers at the time. They stated there was no gun discharge and the bullet later found in their arm had been from an old war injury that went unreported at the time of the incident (see 4/17/24 Coalition Report). Source: Daily Montanan
On September 19, a 35-year-old was hiking with a group near the Grinnell Glacier Overlook trailhead when they sustained "non-life threatening injuries from a bear." They were reportedly bitten below the knee. Other members in their party used bear spray to deter the bear, stopped the bleeding with first-aid supplies, and contacted park dispatch via a satellite device. With the support of NPS staff and other visitors, the injured individual hiked to the Granite Park Chalet, where they boarded a Two Bear Air aircraft. They were flown to the horse corrals at Apgar, then transported by a Three Rivers ambulance to the hospital in Whitefish, Montana. The park closed the section of the Highline Trail from Haystack Butte to Granite Park Chalet. The species of bear is "under investigation," and the trail will remain closed "until further notice." Source: Glacier National Park, KING5
The week of September 16, the Friends of the Wild Swan and the Council on Wildlife and Fish sued the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their plan to stock endangered bull trout in Gunsight Lake. The groups allege that the project did not take into account a separate plan to rebuild St. Mary Diversion Dam, which will help bull trout, that it improperly added mountain whitefish to the species introduction plan after public comment was closed, and that it will illegally "take" bull trout from donor streams. They also feel that because Gunsight Lake is not a location where bull trout lived historically, it risks endangering the population. They also believe the process was incorrectly administered because the NPS issued a Finding of No Significant Impact before the USFWS issued a permit. Source: Daily Montanan | |