MOOSE, Wyo. — Park rangers had a busy start to the week, conducting three major rescues within Grand Teton National Park in just under 24 hours.
The first rescue occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, when Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received a report of a disoriented 21-year-old female at Surprise Lake.
Park rangers were flown via the Teton Interagency helicopter to a landing zone near Surprise Lake and approached the patient on foot. The patient was then transported via short-haul out of the backcountry to Lupine Meadows where she was transported via ambulance to St. John’s Health.
A short-haul is a rescue technique where an individual or individuals, often with gear, are suspended below the helicopter on a 150 to 250-foot rope. This method allows a rescuer more direct access to an injured party, and it is often used in the Teton Range where conditions make it difficult to land a helicopter in the steep and rocky terrain.
Just two hours later at 3:30, Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received another call regarding a 22-year-old female, who had hurt her back after she jumped into Phelps Lake from the rock feature known as “Jumping Rock.” The patient was unable to walk more than a few steps. Park rangers were flown via the Teton Interagency helicopter to Phelps Lake to evaluate the patient. The patient was then transported via short-haul to White Grass Ranch where she declined further medical transport.
On Tuesday morning at approximately 8 a.m., a climber on the traverse between Teewinot Mountain and Mount Owen contacted Teton Interagency Dispatch Center to report that his climbing partner had taken a several-hundred-foot, un-roped fall, had a severe head injury, and possibly broken bones in his extremities. Park rangers responded via the Teton Interagency helicopter and placed four rangers and rescue gear via helicopter short-haul to the accident site. The patient, a 24-year-old male, was treated and flown to Lupine Meadows where an emergency physician, park ambulance crew, and air ambulance crew further stabilized him. The patient was then transported via Air Idaho Rescue to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
August is a busy time for search and rescue personnel as backcountry activity increases in the Tetons in the summer. Readers can learn more about backcountry safety here.
