UPDATE: On July 2, Buckrail spoke with TCSAR and learned that the agency received 13 service calls in May, not 14 as originally reported. Even with the change, it was still the busiest May on record. The story below has been updated to reflect this information.

JACKSON, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park (YNP) isn’t the only one with a record-setting month of May. Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) also had the busiest May ever, with 13 service calls throughout the month.

In a blog posted on June 13, TCSAR attributed the high volume of calls to the early warm weather that has encouraged more people to get out into the wilderness.

“It’s been a particularly beautiful spring and early summer,” said TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart. “People started getting out and about on the river, on the trails and on their bikes a bit earlier than normal this year. Not surprisingly, rescues followed suit.”

Photo: TCSAR

According to the blog post, early spring was mostly quiet for TCSAR, then an onslaught of May calls for service had the volunteers out assisting people in a wide variety of backcountry activities. The calls included two swiftwater alerts on the Snake River near Astoria; a crashed speed flyer; a stranded motorist near Cave Falls, in the southwest corner of YNP; three calls for missing or overdue children; an injured horseback rider; two injured mountain bikers; and overdue bear hunters in the Gros Ventre Mountains.

The two mountain bike calls were unrelated and occurred less than a week apart on Parallel Trail on Teton Pass. Since June 1, the team has been called five times, with another two calls from Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) for emergency helicopter assistance.

Lockhart pointed out that the diversity of activities the team responds to shows that the volunteers must have the relative skills to respond adequately.

In the blog post, TCSAR reminds outdoor adventurers: “If you’re heading out, please have a plan, let someone know where you are going, know your limitations and bring the appropriate gear for your chosen activity.”

Monica is a Staff Reporter who studied journalism at Syracuse University and has been in the valley since 2015. She loves writing about the local food and bev scene, especially craft beer. When she’s not on the clock, you can find her paddle boarding, sewing, or whipping up a new recipe at home.