Friends watch as creek current sweeps hiker away into ‘dangerous’ gorge, rangers say
A hiker died after being swept away by a creek’s current and into a gorge, the first of two drownings at Glacier National Park on Saturday, July 6, Montana rangers say.
The 26-year-old tourist, originally from India but working and living in California, was on vacation with friends and hiking Avalanche Lake Trail when he entered Avalanche Creek at about 8:30 a.m., park officials said in a July 7 news release.
Friends watched as he entered the creek, went underwater and resurfaced briefly “before being swept up by the current and into the gorge,” rangers say.
Though more than 10 rangers and a helicopter searched the area, the man wasn’t found, rangers said, adding that the man is “presumed dead.”
Rangers said they believe the man’s body is stuck “underwater in the gorge.”
“Avalanche Creek is at high water level due to snow melt runoff, and the gorge is extremely dangerous, making conditions impossible for rangers to enter the gorge,” rangers said in the release.
The hazardous conditions have caused rangers to scale down search efforts, but they continue to monitor the area.
That evening, park rangers said they also responded to another drowning at Lake McDonald.
A 28-year-old man, originally from Nepal but living and working in Oregon, was swimming with friends at the lake near Sprague Creek Campground, rangers said.
When he was about 30 yards out in the lake, he began to struggle before going underwater and never resurfacing, according to rangers.
Rangers spotted the man’s body about 35 to 40 underwater 30 yards offshore, and Flathead County deputies recovered the body.
Neither of the men’s names have been released pending notification of next of kin, the park said.
Glacier National Park is in northern Montana, near the Canadian border.
This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Friends watch as creek current sweeps hiker away into ‘dangerous’ gorge, rangers say."
