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Glacier National Park
Jason Hiser and Neal Peckens, both 32, went missing in Glacier National Park last week; search crews continue to comb the area.
Crews searching for two hikers who went missing in Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana have found tracks and a recently-used fire ring they believe are connected to the two men.
Relatives of 32-year-old Neal Peckens of Virginia and 32-year-old Jason Hiser of Maryland reported the pair missing when they failed to catch their flights home to the East Coast. According to their back country permits, they were scheduled to return to a park trail head on Wednesday, completing a 17-mile loop.
Park rangers found the hikers' vehicle on Friday and started their search Saturday, according to a statement from Glacier National Park. The park also solicited help from people on social media and posted "missing" posters on Facebook.
On Sunday, 50 park rangers combed the area on foot and horseback but encountered tough weather conditions. Snow drifts, strong winds and limited visibility hindered the search effort, according to a statement released Sunday by the national park. In some areas, searchers came up against 18 inches of snow on the ground.
"The area they are working in is very steep and exposed," Glacier National Park spokeswoman Denise Germann told The Associated Press. "It's right along the Continental Divide, and it's very windy.
The tracks and the fire ring were found on the west side of the Continental Divide -- notably treacherous terrain, the park statement said.
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Rough country, 18 inches of snow, blowing winds and had to be cold... Walking a 17 loop and probably decided to get off it and explore...
What's wrong with this picture??
I hope they are found alive. You here of this happening so often. Why do people go hiking in such extreme weather?
A day up there can start out at 80 degrees, you go in for lunch and come out to a foot of snow! No one goes hiking in bad weather as the terrain is just tough without complications. The weather had been decent all week but they said it would change. Maybe these guys didn't hear it. No matter, the weather can and does change in the blink of an eye. Am sure if they had talked to anyone that lives there, they would have been told of the great dangers especially at this time of year. The bears are out looking for food before hybernation and griz are on the prowl big time in the fall. They are in areas known for both of these animals, not to mention elk rutting and moose, both dangerous. They probably figured it wouldn't take long but even I don't hike up there after going there for 40 years. Wish they would force hikers to wear trackers when they go hiking. They just lost a kid this summer on top of going to the sun highway. It is heartbreaking for all involved. They look like smart and strong guys and am hoping one was injured and the other stayed with him. Also hope they are armed cause no one even goes to take a pee without a gun up there!
Note to people from Virginia and Maryland: Hiking the Continental Divide in the Rockies is nothing like hiking the Smoky Mountains. I have been snowed on in August on the Divide. Prepare for the worst weather you can encounter because, sooner or later, you will encounter it.
With eighteen inches of snow going off and exploring is the last thing you'd be thinking of,
been their, done that when the snow fly's everything looks the same so you better know your heading..
Don't these people read the weather reports or have any knowledge of the area in different seasons before they set out? I guess the socialist will pick up the bill for finding them because I know they aren't going to pay it.
At 18 inches of snow there probably is no trail unless it's marked high.
Even I am amazed that you somehow manage to politicize everything, including 2 lost hikers.
I love to hike and camp. (The thing is that I know my limits and abilities.) Winter in the mountains, I think not for this camper. Hope they are found SOON.
Excuse me, but October is not winter. Weather is unsettled and hard to predict in the mountains. Anyone who goes hiking in the mountains is taking some risk--these men look as though they are competent, so let's hope they are found OK.
@JayEll
The calendar may not say winter but in October you can get winter storms in GNP.
October is not winter in Virginia and Maryland.
Hiking that area of Glacier mid-October...?! That would not be my choice.
It's too bad they are not described as experienced hikers and/or knowing the trail, or having a GPS... Navigation is entirely different when your world is compressed to 100 yards or less, and there is no cell service there.
Was it snowing when they left on the hike? Were they on a marked trail? Does someone think they left the trail to make a camp when the weather got bad? If these guys have some training and had supplies they could survive this. Good luck to the srearchers and my best hopes to the families
Tough country. Bad place to be in a snow storm in a car, let alone hiking.
Hope all goes ok.
I am a friend of Hiser's and what I can say is that he and Neal have a fair amount of experience with back country camping/hiking and I have to assume that they did their research as to potential weather conditions and packed accordingly, which would include good gear. These men are highly intelligent with medical backgrounds (both DVM's) and if anyone can make it through this, it is them. Everyone please refrain from jumping to conclusions or assuming they just waltzed off into the woods for a "manly" adventure...these guys have done similar trips many times in the past. Anyone who isn't just sitting on their lazy butts passing judgement and has had some experience with real hiking, understands how fast something can go awry. Please, pleaase put forth hopes and prayers for their safe return, not negativity.
I am glad to hear there is a good chance they have gear, and they are experienced hikers. it can get so easy to get lost; been there done that. Having the right stuff will make the difference. I hope for a speedy return, and my thoughts are with those who wait.
I am sure your friend and his partner are ok...just decided to explore more and got caught up in some weather...probably waiting it out in some areas when they need to...
I have hiked in that area a few years ago and I can tell you, even in July/August these strong weather fronts move in. I do not think it was an intelligent choice to hike mid october up there....just saying.
Beautiful country. I hope they are found safe.
Bunkie11, a bit of a difference in hiking an area a few years ago and long distance hikers and the way they prepare. October is prime hiking season, and an experienced hiker knows exactly what they need to carry. a 17 mile loop near the CDT is not really long distance hiking, but you bring the same things. With all the trails that crisscross that place, my guess is they got turned around someplace and they hunkered down waiting out the weather.
Glad to hear these men were well prepared for this trip; hope they are found alive and well. Prayers go out the men, the searchers and their families. Peace and Blessing to all.
Bunkie11, a bit of a difference in hiking an area a few years ago and long distance hikers and the way they prepare. October is prime hiking season, and an experienced hiker knows exactly what they need to carry. a 17 mile loop near the CDT is not really long distance hiking, but you bring the same things. With all the trails that crisscross that place, my guess is they got turned around someplace and they hunkered down waiting out the weather.
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - Rangers in Montana's Glacier National Park say two hikers from the East Coast who were safely rescued after being stranded there for days in bad weather were well-prepared for harsh, wintry conditions.
Chief Ranger Mark Foust said in an email Tuesday that Jason Hiser of Richmond, Va. and Neal Peckens of Herndon, Va. had the right equipment and used their outdoor skills to survive. The two, originally from western Maryland, were unharmed.
Foust said the two men camped for four days at an elevation of about 6,000 feet. They rationed food, collected firewood and sought to attract help with a smoky fire and an SOS message made out of logs.
Foust said a park employee saw colored flagging Monday afternoon that led him to a tent and the hikers.
Read more: #ixzz29VEeTJWs
I always leave a note in my car window saying who i'm with, date and time I left, what route I expect to take, when I expect to return, and contact numbers to reach my family. Ya' never know what's gonna happen.
They must have been on The Pitarnaken Pass and heading to do a overnight at Oldman Lake (Where the had to shoot a Grizzly cause of aggrissive behavior at the campsite).Once you get to the pass (before Dawson Pass the trail turns the right, the trail HUGS Rising Wolf Mountain. The trail is really a MOUNTAIN GOAT PATH!Put your 2 feet together and THATS how wide the trail is. Off to the left is a drop off of Shale rock. If you slip your going right off the cliff. Nothing to grab onto. When I was there the first time I had to turn back , the wind was so strong I thought it would just throw me off the mountain. I thought about crawling (seriously) but turned back. Talked to rangers and they said people have Litterly been blown off the trail. Your backpack acts like a KITE! NO JOKE. If that trail had snow or was wet or windy. KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE! Hope they made it to OldMan Lake and hunkered down! or one of them might have slipped and the other one tried to grab him, but once you go off that cliff their is nothing stoping you but the bottom. It's a wicked pitch there. The rangers should NEVER have let them go out there in the first place especially on that Pass!!If you are'nt experienced you definetly do not belong out there>
Thanks for the encouraging words...
Wow, 3time...I'm sure your post made everybody feel so much better!
Don't shoot the messenger. I just visited that park recently and that was the first thought that came to my mind. I used to live near Yosemite and have hiked half-dome but that terrain in Glacier was scarier by far.
Snow probably destroyed their tracks. Hopefully they are hunkered down. Ground personnel following their route is the best way to find them. With over 50 rescuers the route can be broken up. In the end though, it really is up to these two men to get out. I hope all will come out all right. GNP is a horrific place during the winter for the inexperienced. With over 100 days in Glacier's back country, during the winter, alone, I speak from experience.
Anyone who has ever been through the pass knows how easy it is for something bad to happen. Knowing some of the rangers, I am positive they were sure these guys knew what they were doing. Dont blame the rangers.
That said, I dont know if I would do it anytime after July, and I know that park fairly well. Just a thought- two winters ago the pass from east glacier to west glacier was so messed up, they issued "travel at your own risk" warnings the next summer. There were trailers past Browning covered past the tops, 50 miles from the mountain.
I hope this turns out well for the hikers. Hiking is the best way to be one with nature. It is also unpredictable. I love hiking myself. :) I hope the weather calms and they find their way out! God bless.
@!$%# can happen to even the most experienced!!
It's a shame that some hikers don't know their limitations. To do that trail you need to be in great shape, experienced and well outfitted, and that's in the summer. To do that trail in the fall, early winter... you need to be prepared for the worst -- cold, snow, wind, ice and more cold. If they were not prepared, well, it may not turn out well. What a shame. I don't understand why people undertake something they're just not prepared for. The back country is not forgiving of stupidity.
Yes, @!$%# can and does happen but if they are experienced then I feel much better. Right now the most important thing is to find them before winter sets in and the snow gets deep. People in that area are alway ready to help if asked. THEY know the territory and most grew up in that area, hunting, fishing, hiking, camping so it doesn't hurt to put out the word. Hope the park department does that! People from St Mary's and Babb will also go help along with Browning. Many have fought forest fires up in those mountains so many know the trails and hazards. I don't think these 2 did anything wrong. Hikers cover that area every year, hundred of them so it isn't unusual. Those mountains are a bitch even for a short hike. Right now I am hoping the people, Blackfeet, are helping to find them cause they are the ones to ask! Blackfeet are tough and experienced!
Prayers for them. Living in N. Idaho and visiting Yellowstone and Glacier at various times of the year, I can testify to weather changing from blue skies to snow in a wink. We say up here, "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute." Hope they found shelter and are waiting out the storm. Unfortunately, the weather report here in N. Idaho and E. Washington is for more rain for the next week. That equates to snow in Glacier as it is just about due east of us. Hunker down guys, stay warm, and hold on!
I was just there a couple months ago. That is some seriously precipitous terrain; I got dizzy just driving a vehicle next to the edge of the chasm. When you approach the divide and look out over the glacial canyon it gives you butterflies. I would be very selective about where I went hiking in that park.
They are in my prayers. Isn't there a tracking device hikers can take with them?
Yes but they aren't perfect. Timber, narrow canyons, rock outcroppings, etc can easily block the signal.
My hopes and prayers for their safe return. Alicia, please continue to post any updates
I use to hike solo extensively back in the day. Now my Daughter and son-in-law go hiking regularly. He especially likes going on solo trips. My Daughter and I bought him a new GPS rescue beacon. It's called the, "spot". Has very simple procedures. One will send a e-mail to show location and give a, "OK", signal. The second is a emergency button to be pushed in case of emergency. Gives GPS location and sends 911 out to universal channel as well as, "need help", email to family.
I hope more will take advantage of this simple technology.
I hope they find these guys in good shape. The Wilderness is not a playground. Hopefully they are well prepared and trained for this environment. Good Luck to them!
good idea for safety but they require a clear line of sight to link with the satellite. If something blocks the signal (trees, rocks, etc) it won't work.
I spent two months in Alaska this summer, hiking in Denali for several weeks. I also carry the Spot meter-a gift from my staff when I retired earlier this year. For $160 a year, I can let my wife (and up to 9 others) know every 10 minutes (if I like) exactly where I am by GPS coordinates. I found no where that my Spot messages letting her know I was "ok" did not go out within 15 minutes throughout Canada, Alaska and the western US. No matter how expereinced the hikers, bad things can happen quickly and having the Spot gives a huge amount of assurance. No hiker, no matter how experiecned, should hike, especially in back country areas where you can get lost very easily, without carrying a spot or similar device. It is a life saver. NOT a Paid announcemnet-I and justa very satisfied customer.
Spot is a great unit. There is also the PLB. Registration with NOAA is free, all you have to do is make sure the battery is up to date. If you have the one with GPS capabilities or able to upload your GPS location from a GPS unit. Your position is encoded onto the distress signal sent up to the sat and RCC has your position less than 1 minute after you have activated it. People, we fought for many years to get access to the space segment of the emergency location service. It used to be restricted to only the maritime service. So people, now we have it and it works very well. Use it. Even better have both. Always better to have backup. It always helps the searchers if they know within 100 yards where you are at. I hope they are found quickly.
Worked in that wonderful backbone of America in both summers of '83 & '84 ..... I am from MN and have done winter camping in the BWCA (boundary waters canoe area) in Northern MN on the Canadian boarder.... nobody goes on an extended trip in Glacier during October! We left each year by mid Sept. Big weather swings; temp changes.... one step away from an injury. I think these ladies would have been better off watching the Ravens win sitting on an adirondack bench near Rehobeth sound.
More snow is coming in the next 24 hours. By Wednesday a temporary partial clearing will help in commencing a search. With the right people a ground search can be more thorough than with a helicopter. If these guys are hunkered down and have heat, they can go hungry for a few weeks or until the snow gets so heavy that they will need huge energy stores to stay alive. Finding them in the next seven days is probably crucial. I hope they do not run out of heat and start eating snow for re-hydrating. That would end things quick.
You can't cheat the mountain.
I am really tired of these ads when overlay the text you are trying to read and you can't close the ads so that you can read the text underneath. What is the point of an article that you can only partially read? I am sorry to say, but I may just stop coming by this web site if this continues...
I live close to GNP in Kalispell. I hike in there regularly. It is beautiful but the weather can go from pleasant to deadly in just a few minutes as the storm rumbles over the peak and onto you. September and October can be deceiving if the weather is nice.
Awesome! Let's spend thousands of taxpayer dollars to save these people from natural selection.
You're being stupid....
All hopes are with these two. I'm sorry for the friends and family about all the negative texts on this site. This isn't some reality show. These are two men's lives. Wake up people! From what Alicia says they are strong hikers. They have as good a chance as many to come out of this. Let's all hope for the best.
"blah blah blah my rugged experiences... blah blah blah I would have prepared better" save it. Really!
I agree with you completely. So easy to sit there and take potshots. It is sobering, though. I often do solo day hikes but in the southeast where the weather and terrain is more forgiving. I still know there is some risk, even if you have experience and are in good shape.
Thanks jw. I live, hike, hunt, fish in MT. At best these guys are in trouble. Luckliy there are lots of good people who will do all that they can to help them.
People like @Hapster have prolly watched too much t.v. Unfortunate to have that mind-set.