TCSAR Volunteers Stay Busy with Callouts as July Rolls On

TCSAR volunteers were back in action this past weekend with another three callouts.

On Friday afternoon, July 8, Teton County Search & Rescue was paged to respond to a horse accident in the Darwin Ranch area of the Gros Ventre Mountains. A man in his 50’s had fallen from his horse and was reportedly experiencing a head injury. Due to the remote location and nature of injury, TCSAR put in a request for the interagency helicopter. From June 1-September 30, TCSAR does not have a helicopter on contract, but may request one from the Teton Interagency Helitack. That request was granted, and the helicopter flew to the TCSAR hangar to pick up a volunteer heli team. With volunteers aboard as well as a USFS heli manager, the helicopter flew to the scene and the volunteers packaged the patient for transport inside the ship. The patient was then flown to the TCSAR hangar where he was transferred to a waiting ambulance. The mission was completed in 2 hours, 44 minutes.

On Friday, July 8, TCSAR used the Teton Interagency Helitack helicopter to rescue a man who’d fallen from his horse in the Gros Ventre Mountains. Photo: TCSAR

Thanks to our partners with Teton Interagency Helitack for the use of the SAR helicopter on July 8.

On Saturday, July 9, TCSAR was paged for a missing person on the whitewater stretch of the Gros Ventre River between Lower Slide Lake and Jumping Rock. The subject, who was on a stand-up paddleboard, had been missing from his party for over an hour as they waited for him to arrive at Jumping Rock. This is the same stretch of river that claimed the life of a 55-year-old man from Ohio on June 21. As TCSAR volunteers initiated a swiftwater rescue response, the missing paddler was located and the team stood down.

On Sunday afternoon, July 10, a local resident crashed on his mountain bike on the Putt-Putt Trail in Cache Creek. The man experienced severe injuries. TCSAR initiated a primary response with a volunteer making a hasty approach from town to the accident site via mountain bike. This volunteer was able to locate the man, assess his injuries and provide initial patient care. Meanwhile, more volunteers approached in the RZR side-by-side to the small turnaround about 1.75 miles up the Cache Creek Road. Once the rest of the team arrived, the volunteers packaged the patient for a wheeled litter transport down the trail to the RZR. The team then drove the patient to a waiting ambulance at the trailhead, completing the mission in 2 hours, 19 minutes.

TCSAR and Teton Interagency Helitack respond to the horse accident in the Gros Ventre Mountains on July 8. Photo: TCSAR

July 4 Tragedy Punctuates Busy Start to Summer for TCSAR Volunteers

Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers had a busy July 4, which unfortunately ended with tragedy on the Snake River. Our hearts go out to the man’s family and friends during this difficult time. 

This flurry of activity corresponds with a rather busy June for TCSAR volunteers. Since the beginning of June, TCSAR has responded to 12 calls for service. Ten have occurred in the last 13 days. In these busy two weeks, the team responded to two river fatalities, and multiple patients with severe injuries. They are hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, off-road motorists, river rafters and recreationalists. They range in age from early 20s to late 80s, and include locals as well as visitors. While summer is always busy on the SAR front, these past few weeks have been especially so.

TCSAR volunteers respond to a river fatality on July 4, 2022. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR volunteers are fully aware of how and why people want to enjoy the great outdoor opportunities in Teton County. They also know that accidents can and do happen, and they stand ready to respond no matter the circumstance and without judgment.

The team also advocates for preparedness, and encourages everyone to think of and plan for the consequences of their decisions.

The latest busy stretch started on Thursday evening, June 30, when TCSAR was called to respond to a UTV accident in the Crescent H area. A man had rolled his off-road vehicle and become trapped inside with significant lower leg injuries. Volunteers arrived on scene via the RZR side-by-side. They packaged the man up and transported him in the RZR down the mountain to a waiting ambulance, completing the mission in 2 hours, 28 minutes

On June 30, TCSAR and Teton County Sheriff Deputies helped a man who had been severely injured after rolled his offroad vehicle in the Crescent H area. Photo: TCSAR

On Saturday, July 2, TCSAR was alerted about an injured hiker north of Pacific Creek. A woman in her 60s had fallen while attempting to cross a creek in the Whetstone Mountain area. She experienced significant pain in her leg and was unable to walk. It was later learned that she had a broken femur. To alert first responders, the woman’s companion hiked out three miles to place a 911 call. A Teton County Sheriff Deputy responded to the trailhead, while TCSAR requested the interagency helicopter from the US Forest Service. The helicopter was fighting a fire near Pinedale, but was released to respond to this incident. The helicopter picked up two TCSAR volunteers and flew to the scene of the accident. Meanwhile, a ground team from TCSAR dispatched to the trailhead as backup. The helicopter team was able to find the patient, assess her injuries, and transport her out of the backcountry to a waiting ambulance, completing the callout in 4 hours, 36 minutes.

TCSAR coordinates with his interagency partners to help a woman who’d been injured while crossing a creek in the Teton Wilderness Area. Photo: TCSAR

Just after 2 p.m. on July 4, Teton County dispatch received a 911 call regarding a young woman who had been injured in an ATV accident on Shadow Mountain. The woman was complaining of severe pain in her shoulder. Dispatch paged TCSAR to respond. Volunteers drove to the site in a truck with the RZR on the trailer. On scene, volunteers packaged the patient for transport via wheeled litter to a waiting ambulance at the trailhead, completing the mission in just under 3 hours.

As that mission was wrapping up, TCSAR was paged to respond to a river accident at King’s Wave on the Snake River. A young man had been floating in an innertube with friends when he flipped and could not get back to his group. Other paddlers then spotted him in the river unresponsive. TCSAR responded with teams in the jet boat and truck. The jet boat was able to access the scene with medical personnel. That team loaded the patient into the jet boat for transport to an ambulance at Lewis Landing. The man did not survive the incident. TCSAR extends its sincerest condolences to the man’s family and friends.

The team also wishes to thank the many different agencies that helped in bringing these missions to a close.

TCSAR Responds to Paddling Fatality on Gros Ventre River

Jackson, Wyo. — Just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, Teton County Search & Rescue responded to a paddling accident on the Gros Ventre River. The emergency call reported that a pair of two-person catarafts had launched onto the whitewater stretch below Lower Slide Lake, and that one of the crafts had flipped near the rapid known as Hermit. One person was able to recover and climb back onto the craft, while the other continued downstream. The remaining members of the party attempted to chase their companion down the river, but were unable to retrieve him. 

TCSAR volunteers search for a missing paddler on the Gros Ventre River on June 21, 2022. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR volunteers responded to the site with swiftwater teams on foot and in rafts, and deployed an aerial drone. Grand Teton National Park dispatched a team of Jenny Lake Rangers and the interagency helicopter due to the accident site’s close proximity to the park boundary. Teton County Sheriff Deputies also responded, as did many recreational river users who were already on scene.

The man was reportedly last seen near a large boulder about a quarter mile upriver from the park boundary at a sharp bend known as Jumping Rock. SAR volunteers probed the area but were unable to locate the missing person. Shortly after, a spotter at Jumping Rock saw the man floating downriver. He was unresponsive.

The helicopter was able to follow the man as he floated downriver and eventually became hung up on a log jam about a mile downriver from Jumping Rock. TCSAR volunteers managed to reach the man and bring him to shore. Tragically, he did not survive. His party was visiting from out of state and had been well equipped, prepared and experienced. The man was wearing a PFD.

Photo: TCSAR

This three-mile stretch of whitewater in question is categorized as Class IV and is the most demanding, accessible whitewater stretch in Teton County. On Tuesday, it was flowing above average at about 2,000 cfs, or 2.5 feet. Local boaters characterize the current level as the low side of medium, but the stretch is very fast with few eddies. The numerous rapids were formed by the Gros Ventre Slide from 1925 and ensuing flood, which created sharp, angular rocks that make any swim especially hazardous.

TCSAR extends its sincere condolences to the deceased man’s family and friends. The team is also grateful for the assistance from the numerous different agencies and boaters who helped in the response.