JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) had a busy weekend.
The agency shared that it was called four times in two days last week and detailed the rescue missions in a social media post. On Friday, the team was alerted to a man in his 60s who injured his leg while backpacking with a group on the Teton Crest Trail. The TCSAR helicopter went to retrieve him on the Fox Creek trail on Friday morning.
About 12 hours later, the same backpacking group called TCSAR to report another male in his 60s was “in distress due to a previous medical issue,” according to the agency. Because it was late, TCSAR mobilized at first light on Saturday, sending the helicopter with its pilot plus two volunteers to retrieve the patient. He was loaded internally into the ship and flown back to headquarters, where he was picked up by a friend.
“TCSAR welcomes the opportunity to respond to emergencies, and stresses the need for people to be prepared before tackling multi-day adventures in the backcountry,” TCSAR posted. “Time of day, weather conditions, and mechanical issues may also affect how and when the team is able to respond. This isn’t intended to shame or judge anyone — rather, it’s meant to underscore the critical need for preparedness and to be self-aware of any personal limitations.”
Just after completing that second rescue, the team was called around 9 a.m. on Saturday to assist a paraglider who had crashed near the summit of Mount Glory. The 37-year-old man from Telluride had injured his lower legs, per TCSAR. The helicopter short-hauling team responded, landing near the patient. Volunteers freed the patient from being tangled in the paraglider wing, then loaded him into the helicopter for a brief transport to the summit of Teton Pass to meet a waiting ambulance.
The helicopter was dispatched for a third trip on Saturday when a 26-year-old local male reported a leg injury. He had slashed his leg while field dressing an elk in a remote part of the Teton Wilderness; he rode his horse for miles after hurting himself, but the pain eventually caused him to call for help using a Garmin communication device. The pilot brought three volunteers to the patient, who was loaded into the helicopter and flown to headquarters to meet a Jackson Hole Fire/EMS ambulance.
TCSAR Chief Advisor Anthony Stevens recently spoke with Buckrail about its summer rescue season, advising people who find themselves in an emergency situation to call for help sooner rather than later.
