EBS STAFF
On the morning of May 11, Gallatin County 911 Dispatch was notified about an overdue mountain biker/hiker who was expected to return home the previous night, according to a May 13 release from the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office. Gallatin County 911 learned that the hiker was likely in the Hyalite Canyon area.
Sheriff’s Office deputies learned that the man had left for a hike in the area at about 9 a.m. on May 10, but that no one had heard from him since. Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue was sent to conduct a backcountry search.
Within a short amount of time, the SAR team located the hiker’s vehicle in Hyalite Canyon.
“GCSSAR Command deployed the SAR Communications Team, SAR K-9 Search Teams, SAR Drone Team, and a SAR Helicopter Team to the Hyalite area to search for the hiker,” the release stated. The teams discovered possible tracks of the hiker at about 9:30 a.m. in the Palisade Falls area. Att 1:18 p.m., the teams found the hiker walking out to the Hyalite Reservoir parking lot—the man explained that suffered a fall in the Palisade area and had to spend the night. His cell phone battery was dead and he had built a snow-cave shelter to spend the night.
“GCSSAR conducted a medical evaluation of the hiker and determined he had suffered from cold exposure, possible head and back injuries, and was badly dehydrated,” the release stated. The hiker was transported by an American Medical Response paramedic unit to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center for more evaluation.
“Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the hiker for utilizing wilderness survival skills while spending the night in the back country and would like to remind recreationalists to always carry sufficient food, water, cold weather gear and multiple means of communication to contact Search and Rescue if needed,” the release stated.
