JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) responded to four calls in just two days, making for another busy weekend.
On Friday morning, July 29, the team was alerted to a pair of missing horseback riders in the Teton Wilderness north of Turpin Meadows. Later that afternoon, they got another call about an injured horseback rider in the Gros Ventre Mountains. On Saturday, volunteers responded to a woman who’d been injured while riding her mountain bike on the Mill Creek Trail of Teton Canyon. About 90 minutes later, there was another callout to help an injured hiker in Phillips Canyon.
This weekend’s tally brings the total calls responded to up to 30 since June 1. This surpasses the call rate during the same time frame from a year ago, when the team had responded to 24 calls.
In the first mention, on Friday, TCSAR was notified that a pair of horseback riders had left Turpin Meadows on Thursday to go for a half-day ride but failed to return before nightfall. Following the request of a helicopter, two SAR members flew over the area and eventually spotted the missing horse riders at 12:30 p.m. uninjured, about one mile north of Soda Fork and the Buffalo Fork. They were lost, and spent a cold night in the woods, but were otherwise okay, and were able to exit the backcountry on their own power.
Later Friday afternoon, at 3:39 p.m. SAR responded to a woman who had fallen off her horse near Goosewing Ranch. They were able to locate the woman, treat her injuries and had an ambulance waiting at the trailhead. The incident involved 12 volunteers and took 3 hours, 54 minutes.
At 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, the team was alerted to a female mountain biker who had crashed about a mile up the Mill Creek Trail in Teton Canyon. The team was able to locate the woman, who complained of severe leg pain, package, and transport her in the wheeled litter and brought her down the trail to a waiting ambulance. That incident involved 10 volunteers and 4 hours to complete.
As that rescue was in progress, the team was called to assist a woman who had fallen while crossing a log bridge, hiking in Phillips Canyon. Two TCSAR volunteers who were originally driving to the Mill Creek rescue were diverted directly to the Phillips Bench, along with a truck with more team members. They drove up the powerline two track and hiked in about 1.5 miles with the wheeled litter and medical supplies. The volunteers packaged the patient, and wheeled her on the litter back to the RZR and drove her to the trailhead to a waiting ambulance. This mission had 16 volunteers and came to a close after 3 hours, 57 minutes.
