Hiker survives fall into crevasse

Glacier National Park officials say a man fell 30 to 40 feet into a crevasse on Jackson Glacier Tuesday evening, but he managed to climb out and hike back to his campsite.

He was airlifted Wednesday morning to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Park dispatch received a call from a ranger at about 8:50 a.m. Wednesday that there was an injured visitor at the Gunsight Lake backcountry campground, which is about six miles from the trailhead along Going-to-the-Sun Road east of Logan Pass.

The 36-year-old California man sustained injuries in the fall Tuesday evening, but he was able to extricate himself from the crevasse and hike about 2.5 miles back to the campground, where campers helped him and stayed with him Tuesday night.

Early Wednesday, three campers began hiking to the trailhead to report that the man was unable to hike out due to his injuries, but they encountered a backcountry ranger along the way who requested medical assistance.

Other campers had stayed behind with the injured man.

The ALERT helicopter flew to the campground at about 10 a.m. and transported the man to the hospital. Park officials did not have details about the nature of the man’s injuries other than saying they were not life threatening.

It is believed that the man was hiking and climbing alone. Park officials say travel on or around glaciers is not recommended.