Beat the heat safely this summer

Summer is in full swing across Northwest Montana, and the region's many lakes, rivers and parks are filling up with people eager to beat the heat and get in a little sightseeing. But a spate of tragedies in recent weeks has underscored the importance of staying safe whether you're cooling off or enjoying summer fun.  

On June 23, a Pennsylvania woman slipped and fell into Virginia Creek between St. Mary and Virginia falls in Glacier National Park. Despite efforts to save her by bystanders, the 26-year-old died. On June 26, a woman kayaking the Kootenai River between Libby and Troy vanished. Authorities recovered her body on June 30. That same week a boater on Flathead Lake went missing. Officials found his body about 75 feet below water just north of the Narrows on July 3.  

Then, over the Fourth of July weekend, two men drowned in Glacier National Park. One, a Nepalese man, began struggling while swimming with friends in Lake McDonald near Sprague Creek Campground. Authorities later recovered his body about 30 yards offshore. The other man, a 28-year-old from India but living and working in California, likely slipped and fell into Avalanche Creek. He resurfaced briefly before being swept by the current into Avalanche Gorge.