Steep cliffs, thick brush challenge searchers

An aerial photo showing the cathedral-like cliffs that dominate the area where searchers are looking for missing hiker Jakson Kreiser says a lot about the difficulty of the search.

“That helps people capture exactly what we’re up against in there,” said Glacier National Park Ranger Scott Emmerich, the search incident commander.

The photo is on Page A3.

Search teams adjusted their strategy Friday because of unsafe conditions caused by recent rains.

The area between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake received .34 inch of rain Thursday night, creating slick conditions on the steep and rocky terrain above Avalanche Lake.

“We have two goals with this incident,” Emmerich said. “One, find Mr. Kreiser and two, keep all our search personnel safe.”

For much of this week, there have been six teams of four people scouring the cliffs above Avalanche Lake, which are punctuated with avalanche chutes and covered with thick alder.

“Those slopes are where we had people up there like ants on a wall,” Emmerich said.

“As you sit down at the foot of the lake and you look up at that big amphitheater and you think of somebody trying to down-climb that or putting our searchers in there ... that’s what we’re dealing with.”

The thick brush has made the search even more difficult both for helicopter search operations and ground searchers.

“The alder brush is just so thick that they can’t see anything,” Emmerich said.

The plan for Friday’s search was adjusted to keep searchers out of slick, rocky areas and focus on places that are less hazardous until things dry out. Friday’s search was focused on the Hidden Lake and Mary Baker Lake areas.

The search for Kreiser has been under way since Sunday. He is a 19-year-old from Michigan who was working his first season in the park at Lake McDonald Lodge.

“The young man came from the Midwest and I think he was drawn to the challenges that these mountains present. At 19, you think you’re pretty indestructible in your decision process,” Emmerich said, reflecting on the possibility that Kreiser chose a treacherous path to reach Avalanche Lake.

About 50 people have been involved in the search most days this week, including personnel with North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Search and Rescue, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Border Patrol.

The only tangible clues discovered in six days of searching are partial boot tracks that are very similar to the boots believed to be worn by Kreiser.

The tracks were located near Mary Baker Lake in the Floral Park area above Avalanche Lake.  

The time for discussing when to scale back search operations will come soon, Emmerich said.

“It’s something that we will discuss with the family,” he said, noting that Kreiser’s mother and father are in the area. “Those hard conversations will be coming up here over the weekend.”

Kreiser is 6 feet 2 inches tall with short, black curly hair and a black beard. It is believed he is wearing a yellow-gold sweatshirt and gray colored khaki pants and carrying a gray and yellow backpack.

People who may have seen Kreiser in the Logan Pass, Hidden Lake, Floral Park or Avalanche Lake areas are urged to contact park dispatch at 888-7800.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.