TCSAR Rescues Lost Hiker During Midnight Mission

On Thursday, August 27, Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers were called out for a midnight mission.

Just before 10 p.m. on Thursday, TCSAR received an emergency call from a family member concerned that their 19-year-old son was lost in the dark after trying to hike up Cream Puff Peak, a 9,639-foot mountain in the Hoback Canyon.

TCSAR volunteers ascend the trail of Cream Puff Peak in search of a lost hiker. Cream Puff Peak is known for a trail network that can at at times difficult to follow even in the daytime. Photo: Teton County Search & Rescue

The subject was visiting family who work in the area during the summer and had been hiking by himself when he lost the trail. The subject called his dad to say that he had been turned around and didn’t know which way to go, which prompted the family to notify emergency personnel. Eventually, the lost hiker’s phone died. He did not have a headlamp or food and had run out of water.

In response, TCSAR sent a team of five volunteers into the field. They began hiking up the trail from the Poison Creek trailhead at 12:30 a.m. The team shouted into the darkness and were able to make voice contact with the subject. However, as the team ascended the mountain the subject’s replies grew softer and intermittent. TCSAR then dispatched another two volunteers into the field at 1:45 a.m. This second team started at the same trailhead but approached off-trail up a ravine to the existing trail on a ridge.

The first team eventually found the subject, who was uninjured but cold, tired and hungry. The volunteers provided him with extra layers, food, and water before they began hiking down the trail together. They all made it back to the trailhead at 3:15 a.m., where the subject’s father picked him up for a ride home.

One takeaway from this incident is to keep a close eye on your cell phone battery life. If you see that your phone is about to die during an emergency, send a text to 911 so that first responders can get your location. That cellular ‘handshake’ will give SAR personnel your coordinates on a map, allowing them to find you even after your cell phone dies. And then, of course, stay in your same location until help arrives.

Support TCSAR during the 2026 Old Bill's

• And How to Make a Donation through the Online Portal

Every August and September for the last 30 years, the Old Bill’s Fun Run marks the single biggest event for Jackson Hole nonprofits. Orchestrated by the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, the event has raised more than $306 million for local nonprofits since its inception.

As the Com­mu­ni­ty Foun­da­tion of Jack­son Hole’s Pres­i­dent Lau­rie Andrews put it, ​“Old Bill’s cap­tures the best of who we are as a community.” For a comprehensive look at Old Bill’s, make sure you visit the CFJH Old Bill’s website.

Teton County Search & Rescue has participated in every single Old Bill’s, and we commend the Community Foundation for fostering such a critical lifeline to area nonprofits. Without Old Bill’s, it’s fair to say that TCSAR, and indeed the rest of Jackson Hole, would not be the same today.

Photos: TCSAR has participated in every Old Bill’s for the past 30 years, with the volunteers often running the 5k with the wheeled litter, precious cargo included!

At TCSAR Foundation, the donations received through Old Bill’s make up roughly one-third of our organization’s annual budget.

A successful Old Bill’s enables the TCSAR Foundation to do the following:

• First and foremost, Old Bill’s helps us meet our mission of supporting TCSAR volunteers by funding team members’ regular trainings, personal safety equipment, and supporting their mental and physical wellness.

• TCSAR volunteers respond to more than 120 calls every year, reuniting lost and injured subjects with their families and friends. Donations to the Foundation through Old Bill’s help the team stay “Rescue Ready” all year long.

• Old Bill’s helps the Foundation provide effective backcountry safety education to our community to help prevent backcountry incidents.

• Old Bill’s ensures we have resources to advocate for issues that sustain and support SAR volunteers and their families.

TCSAR volunteers have families, jobs, and love to recreate in the backcountry. And yet they continue to show up when called to serve, responding to all kinds of backcountry emergencies to help visitors and locals make it home safely. They do so with kindness and professionalism that continue to inspire the rest of us.

How to Make a Donation During Old Bill’s

The 2026 Old Bill’s Giving Season runs from August 14-September 18. All donations during this period are routed through the Community Foundation’s online portal.

The easiest way to donate to TCSAR at Old Bill’s is to use this direct link. However, we know that many of us contribute to numerous organizations, and so it’s good to know how to navigate the portal. The following uses TCSAR as an example, but these steps work for all other nonprofits.

How to Find Teton County Search & Rescue at OldBills.org

Log into OldBills.org.

Click: Donate online

Select Event: Old Bill’s

Select Field of Interest: Health and Human Services

Enter Keyword: Search Rescue

Scroll down to find Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation. Select “Details” or “Add to Cart.” Enter your donation amount. To continue donating to additional nonprofits, hit save and close. Otherwise, go to cart and check out.

This year, the Old Bill’s Fun Run takes places on Saturday, September 12, with a 5k and 10k run (or walk or stroll with friends). TCSAR will be on hand with our big red tent near the starting line on North Willow Street. Please come by and say hello to the many TCSAR volunteers, board members and staff who will be present.

Thanks for supporting TCSAR volunteers and being part of the Old Bill’s celebration!

TCSAR Rescues Backpackers in Distress in Teton Wilderness

Just after 7 p.m. on Monday, August 24, Teton County Search & Rescue received an emergency call regarding two backpackers in distress in the Teton Wilderness. It was the second call of the day for the volunteers.

The call came in from an outfitter who reported that two men—brothers in their early 30s, separate from the outfitter’s business—had come into their guide camp severely dehydrated, tired, and reporting of a bear encounter that left one of them with torn pants and bear spray residue on his arm.

TCSAR picked up two backpackers in distress in the Teton Wilderness on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Photo: Teton County Search & Rescue

The location of the call was in the Hawk’s Rest area of the wilderness, one of the most remote and wild locales in the Lower 48.

Due to the time of day of the initial call and knowing the brothers weren't in immediate danger, TCSAR waited until first light on Tuesday, August 25, to deploy a helicopter team. At 8 a.m., the team, consisting of the pilot and two volunteers, landed the ship at the given location.

At that time, the team learned that one of the subjects had separated and departed the site earlier that morning. As the team began piecing together the possibility of a larger ground search with more personnel and safety equipment, the subject returned to the original site. TCSAR then loaded the two men into the ship for transport back to SAR HQ in Jackson.

Our team is here to help and the volunteers appreciated the opportunity to bring these backpackers out of the wilderness.

This incident also brings to light a few reminders worth mentioning for your own safety:

All backcountry users should make sure they are prepared for their chosen objective and carry adequate gear, clothing, and enough food and water for the duration of their trip. It also is very important for groups to stay together, especially after making an emergency call.