Glacier National Park, known as the Crown of the Continent, is one of the most stunning and rugged landscapes in North America, with jagged peaks, alpine lakes, hidden glaciers, and winding trails that take you deep into the wilderness.

It draws millions of visitors every year, but behind its beauty lies danger.

The park's cliffs, rivers, and weather can turn a day of adventure into a fight for survival in seconds.

I'm Megan, I'm Danielle, and this is off the trails.

So I don't think we have any business items.

We do not, But I think you're making up The Glacier National Park is called Crown of the Continent.

Is that what you said?

Yeah, I've never heard that.

Has anyone heard it called that?

It is?

Have any listeners heard that?

Messages?

Let me know.

It's you're gonna it's it's literally it's literally everywhere online.

You're making me question myself.

Yeah, it's it's called that, all right, So just trust me, all right, Listeners write in if you've actually heard it called that, Yeah, prove me a liar, all right.

So aside from that, do we have any admin We do not.

We are recording back to back today, and we just recorded our August Headlines episode, so we got all of our chit chat out already.

So though it's reported that over three hundred people have died within the park's boundary since its establishment, in this episode we're looking at some of the more recent cases.

Each of these individuals came for the same reason so many of us do, to connect with the outdoors, to challenge themselves, or simply to take in the incredible views.

And while the circumstances of their deaths are tragic, it's important to remember that each one of them was far more than the story of what happened that day.

They were family members, friends, coworkers, and loved ones, each leaving behind a legacy that goes beyond the park's rugged cliffs and alluring waters.

So actually, after I wrote this episode, I was looking something up today, just the thirty first, and there was another death.

Oh the sad Yes, unfortunately, so it's not covered here, but unfortunately a woman did fall from the highline trail and succumb to her injuries.

There was also a bear encounter.

A woman was attacked by a bear.

She did survive, but she did have some injuries from it, so.

Lots of activity.

Yeah, so before we get into these stories, let's do a little deep dive into the park itself, because I actually don't know if we've properly been to this park yet in any previous episodes.

I don't think we have.

I have been on and off reading a book about basically misadventure in Glacier, and I have like a couple stories like Flagged that I want to do, but I don't think we've done any actually yet.

Interesting.

Well, I look forward to your episode here, m So, this is a park where there is a lot to unpack, and we're really just going to scratch the surface with today's location profile, though it's probably still going to seem like a lot of information.

Glacier National Park sits in northwestern Montana, right along the Canada US border.

It officially became the eighth national park in the country on May eleventh, nineteen ten, when President William Taft signed it into law.

The park is massive, over one million acres or about forty one hundred square kilometers, and that's roughly the size of Rhode Island.

Do you think Taft's friends called him Willie T.

No?

Maybe, but I will say, and I need to find the quote about him in the book The Big Burn.

So I had like a very emotional response to reading that book.

I highly recommend it for everyone to read.

And there is a good bit where Taft is mentioned in it, and I want to reread it.

And so when I do, I'm going to put a pin in this and I'll come back and tell you how he was described by someone.

And I would just be very bummed out if someone described me this.

We oh boy.

I'll try to find it.

I just need to emotionally prepare myself.

It's like when I watch Lord of the Rings.

I need to emotionally prepare for that.

So within that space you'll find twenty six glaciers, including the largest, Harrison Glacier, which covers more than one point six million square meters.

There are also one hundred and seventy five mountains here, spread across three main ranges, the Lewis Range, the Livingston Range, and the Clark Range.

These are part of the Greater Rocky Mountains, and they include more than one hundred and fifty peaks that are over eight thousand feet or about twenty four hundred meters.

The park's lowest point is three one hundred and fifty feet or nine hundred and sixty meters, and its highest point is Mount Cleveland, popping out at ten thousand, four hundred and sixty six feet or three thousand and fifty meters.

Water is everywhere in Glacier.

There are seven hundred and sixty two lakes, though only one hundred and thirty one of them are actually named.

The park also supports an incredible variety of life, more than one thousand species of plants, two hundred and seventy six species of birds, seventy one different mammals, and twenty four species of fish.

Large mammals include American black bears, grizzlies, big horned sheep, elk moose, mountain lions, mountain goats, gray wolves, wolverines, and Canadian links.

Glacier's story doesn't just start in nineteen ten.

Physical evidence shows that people have lived in and around this area for more than ten thousand years.

Tribes hunted, fished, gathered plants, and held ceremonies here.

When white explorers arrived, the black Feet controlled the prairies to the east, while the Salish Ponderee and koot and I lived on the more forested West Side.

Trappers were coming into the area as early as the seventeen hundreds, and trade between settlers and tribes began soon after, but as resources dwindled, treaties pushed native peoples onto reservations.

Today, Glacier still has strong native ties.

The Blackfeet Indian Reservation borders the park on the east, covering one point five million acres or six thousand seventy square kilometers, and is home to about eighty six hundred members of the Blackfeet Nation, which is the largest tribe in Montana.

To the southwest, the Flathead Indian Reservation spans about one point three million acres or five thousand, two hundred and sixty square kilometers along the Flathead River and is home to roughly seven thousand members of the Confederated Saliesh and Kutenai tribes.

For visitors, Glacier offers more than twelve hundred camp sites, including two hundred and eight in the back country, and over seven hundred and forty six miles or about twelve hundred kilometers of trails.

That includes one hundred and ten miles or one hundred and seventy seven kilometers of the Continental Divide Trail and This is a park where the weather is never predictable.

Winters Bury most of the landscape under several feet of snow, and spring can stay cold and rainy into June.

Summers bring hot days and cool nights, but hikers should always expect sudden changes, packing rein gear and extra layers, and by mid September snow can return, even at lower elevations.

Glacier also protects a wealth of history.

The famous Going to the Road Sun is not just a scenic drive, it's a National Historic Landmark.

Built between nineteen nineteen and nineteen thirty three.

Construction took four hundred and ninety thousand pounds of explosives.

Across the park, there are three hundred and seventy five historic structures, with six listed as National Historic Landmarks.

Going to the Sun Road itself, Lake mc donald Lodge, Many, Glacier Hotel, Granite Park, Chalet Sperry Chalet, and the Two Medicine Store.

In nineteen thirty two, Glacier National Park joined with Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park to form the world's very first international Peace Park, which later became Yeah and this later became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and more recently, in twenty twenty one, Glacier was recognized as an International Dark Sky Park, making it one of the best places to take in the night skies.

All right, So, as I said before, in this episode, we're not talking about any mysterious disappearances or mysterious circumstances surrounding unfortunate tragedies.

These are just lives lost, lives cut too short while visiting the park.

Just this year in July, on July ninth, specifically, two year old Brian Astle of Provo, Utah, was reportedly hiking with his family when he fell while descending a steep off trail climbing route from the west face of Mount Gold.

Mount Gold rises nine thousand, five hundred and fifty seven feet or about twenty nine hundred and thirteen meters, and is the highest point along the park's iconic garden wall.

At five point fifty four pm, park dispatchers received a report of an individual who had fallen from above the high line.

Trail rangers responded quickly, working with alert and two bar air and we'll hear about two bear air in many, if not all, these stories.

Brian was located that same evening, but due to hazardous conditions.

Recovery had to be postponed until the following morning.

On July tenth, around ten am two bear Air safely recovered his body and transported him to the Apgar Horse Corral, where custody was then transferred to the Flathead County Corner.

In a statement, the National Park Service expressed their deepest condolences to Bride's family and asked the public to respect their privacy.

But Brian, like everyone else we are going to talk about on this episode, and even broader as we do on this show, was so much more than the circumstances of that day.

Born in Aorum, Utah, he was the second of five sons of Kent and Denise Astell.

A lifelong lover of the outdoors and athletics, he played soccer, ran track, and sang in choirs.

He served a mission in Korea for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, later holding many church leadership and service roles.

Brian had earned degrees in business and an MBA from BYU, building a respected career in entrepreneurship.

In two thousand and seven he married Lauren Dalton, and together they raised four children.

A devoted husband and father.

Brian centered his life around his family, faith, and time spent in nature.

Known for his strength, kindness, and testimony of Christ, he leaves behind a lasting legacy of love and service.

So it had I had only seen one source that said that he was hiking with his family when he fell off that trail, but that seems like a more challenging trail, and with four children, I don't know if he was actually with them, or if he was hiking by himself or with other people.

I was actually going to ask that if he was just with his family in the park to hike, or if he was with them when the incident occurred, right, because it described the area that he fell from as a steep off trail climbing route, and I don't think four children were joining him on that route, So yeah, I don't know if they were elsewhere in the park or the circumstances around that.

So now we're going to go back to August of last year, twenty twenty four.

On Sunday the eighteenth, thirty two year old Grant Marcutio of Whitefish, Montana, set out with a group of friends in the park.

Grant would work summers at an organic produce tint in Columbia Falls, Kalispell, and Whitefish, and He was known among both his community and fellow hikers for his love of the outdoors.

Around one pm that afternoon, while hiking near Heaven's Peak, decided to break off from the group to attempt a solo climb up a McPartland mountain, which rises over eighty four hundred feet or about two thousand, five hundred and sixty meters.

Before parting ways, the group agreed to meet at a designated spot later that evening, but Grant never showed up.

Concerned, his friends contacted park rangers and a search launched.

The effort involved both air and ground teams working with the US Forest Service and two Bear Air.

On August twenty first, the park issued a formal missing person alert, nearly a week after he was last seen.

On Sunday, August twenty fifth, around two pm, two Bear Air spotted his body about one third of a mile east of McParland Peak, below the ridge line between Heaven's Peak and McPartland.

The National Park Service reported that his injuries and the location of his body were consistent with a fall.

His remains were recovered and transported to the Apgar Horse Corral, where they were returned over to the Flathead County Coroner.

The Park Service later thanked North Valley and Flathead County Search and Rescue, the US Forest Service, US Geological Survey, Flathead County Sheriff's Department, two Bear Air Rescue, National Park Service staff, and members of the public who provided tips during the search.

Grant, however, was remembered as far more than just a missing hiker.

According to his obituary, he was an optimist and a friend to all, known for his warm heart and infectious smile.

He grew up in Weathersfield, Connecticut, where his passion for the outdoors began at Imca Camp Jewel.

That love eventually drew him to Montana, where he had lived for the past ten years, calling Whitefish home.

And you know when I said that he separated from his group, that that probably would have been the point where I say, don't do it.

Don't do it always absolutely, But I think this next part really shows why maybe that wasn't as much of a risk as it ended up being.

Because Grant was an accomplished climber, with one hundred and ninety seven summits under his belt and ninety of them were in Glacier National Park alone.

So typically when we hear about people who are separating from their climbing group or climbing partner, do not have that experience.

And it's not like he had this experience in an unfamiliar place.

I mean, ninety of those summits were in this park.

That's a lot.

That's a lot of I don't know what kind of job did he have that he had a lot of time off to go do these things.

He well, actually, I'm gonna mention his job next.

He did work at that produce.

I don't know if it was like a kind of a pop up stand, but he did do that during the summer, Okay, and his climbing had even taken him to the Himalayas.

He also loved golfing, snowboarding, and skiing, and outside of climbing, he dedicated himself to organic farming and served on the board of the Montana Organic Association.

He loved his family deeply and was confirmed in the Catholic Church.

Friend's family and the wider hiking community remembers him as a bright, positive presence whose adventurous spirit and deep love of the mountains inspired many on July sixth, twenty twenty four, twenty six year old Siddan Patil, originally from India and living in San Jose, California, was hiking with friends on the Avalanche Lake Trail.

Saddan worked at Cadence Design Systems and had joined friends for a summer outing in the park.

According to All Trails, Avalanche Lake Trail is a five point nine mile or a nine point five kilometer out in back trail with a seven hundred and fifty seven foot or two hundred and thirty meter elevation gain that should take approximately two and a half hours to complete.

The hike to Avalanche Lake is one of the most popular hikes in the park due to the lake's incredibly clear blue waters and the stunning views you will encounter throughout your trip.

You can find the trailhead not far from the west entrance of the park, just past Lake MacDonald.

The Avalanche Campground is also close to the trailhead.

The trail starts south of the Avalanche Gorge Footbridge on the Trail of the Cedars and winds its way through old growth cedars and hemlock forest.

The boardwalk meanders along the Roaring Stream to a beautiful glacial melt lake fed by waterfalls from the surrounding Alpine bowl.

While above the gorge along the trail, he stepped off the path and onto a large rock, and from that rock he slipped and fell into Avalanche Creek.

Witnesses, including his friends, reported seeing him swept into the fast moving water.

He briefly resurfaced before being pulled downstream into the gorge, where he disappeared from sight.

The incident was reported immediately and search efforts began.

Rangers and an alert helicopter scouted the area while teams on foot searched along the creek.

Over the next four weeks, crews continued their efforts, covering ground from the gorge down to the bridge at the trail of the Cedars.

Drones were flown over the gorge multiple times, and rangers used long poles to probe underwater.

As water levels dropped later in the season, still many sections of the gorge remained too deep, swift, and dangerous to safely access.

Rangers believed that his body was pinned underwater by rocks or submerged trees, and the turbulent runoff conditions of summer made recovery incredibly difficult.

Then, nearly a month later, on the morning of August third, a park visitor spotted a body in Avalanche Creek below the Gorge.

Rangers closed both the Avalanche Lake trail and trail of the Cedars to carry out recovery efforts.

Alongside the body, they found clothing and gear consistent with what Siddan's friends reported he had been wearing.

The Flathead County Corner was brought in to confirm the identity through DNA or dental records, and services were held in India for loved ones to pay tribute.

And that happened on July sixth of twenty twenty four, But that's not the only tragedy that happened on that same day in the park.

Oh Boy, twenty eight year old raju Jah of Portland, Oregon, was vacationing with friends and swimming in Lake MacDonald near the Sprague Creek campground when he began to struggle about thirty yards from shore, and despite efforts to stay afloat, he went under and did not resurface.

At six twenty five pm, Park rangers were notified and rind on scene.

Within half an hour.

A rescue operation began involving a helicopter and three rivers.

Ambulance rangers eventually located Raju's body about thirty yards from shore where he had last been seen and at a depth of thirty five to forty feet or ten to twelve meters wow.

At eight twenty PM, a diving team recovered him.

Raju had built a promising life in the United States, originally from Nepal, where his family still lived.

He moved to the US in twenty nineteen to pursue a master's degree in structural engineering at Southern Illinois University, and since twenty twenty one he had been working in Portland as a structural engineer for Jacob's Engineering.

He was also the eldest son and primary provider for his family in Nepal, saving to support them and build a home for them.

Friends remembered him as someone full of light, someone who loved cooking, serving food, and bringing people together.

He was also passionate about climbing and hiking, and was described as enthusiastic and joyful in all that he did.

After his passing, a GoFundMe was launched to help return his body to Nepal for funeral rights, and the appeal read in this time of grief, we are reaching out to our community for support and sending him to Nepal for his final rights.

Your generous contributions will not only ease the financial burden on his loved ones, but also show your love and support during this difficult time.

The fundraiser ultimately raised over forty four thousand dollars, ensuring that Raju could be brought home so his family and Nepaul could say their final goodbyes.

Was there any indication what caused him to struggle?

Was there undercurrent or anything like that.

No, from what I could find online, sounds like it was just due to a bit of an experience okay in the water, and he had just gone out a little too far.

And I know we had just gone over this in our Headlines episode.

That it happens so often, people underestimating water and even just distance from shore.

I mean, there have been many times where and I'm a very strong swimmer, but there have been many times where I find myself further from shore than I planned to be.

And to try to keep your wits about you and keep your composure, not panic, and just try to safely get back to shore.

It can be challenging and exhausting, and so for someone who might not be a very strong swimmer that could you know, ultimately they may not make it back to shore, as you know, unfortunately was the case here.

Yeah, if you wait until you start to feel tired to turn back, it's already too late.

I've already turned back.

The water temperatures there are also still on the colder side.

You know, some people might describe it as refreshing, whereas others may describe it as a bit shocking to the system and shocking to the muscles.

So even though it's a beautiful summer day, you go into this water, and when it is on the colder side, it does affect how your body functions.

And when your muscles tense up in the cold water, that affects your ability to swim, And so that was considered to also potentially be a factor here.

Okay, the month before these two tragedies took place.

On Sunday, June twenty third of twenty twenty four, twenty six year old Jillian Tones of North Apollo, Pennsylvania, was visiting the park with her boyfriend Dominic when tragedy struck.

Jillian was a traveling nurse working at West Penn Hospital.

She had graduated from Apollo Ridge High School in twenty fifteen and went on to earn her nursing degree at Westmoreland Community College.

Those who knew her described her as a passionate adventuress and someone who loved deeply.

That Sunday, while hiking with Dominic, Gillian reportedly slipped on slick wet rocks along Virginia Creek between Saint Mary and Virginia Falls, about two hundred yards or one hundred and eighty three meters above the trail bridge.

She lost her footing and fell into the cold, fast moving water.

She was swept downstream over a series of small waterfalls and pinned underwater by a log for several minutes.

Bystanders acted quickly and heroically, managing to pull her from the water and attempting CPR while others called nine one one.

At five.

Park Dispatch received multiple emergency calls, and rangers arrived on scene by five point forty five.

An alert helicopter landed nearby around six point twenty, and first responders continued resuscitation efforts.

Despite all attempts, Jillian never regained consciousness and was pronounced deceased at seven pm.

The National Park Service extended thanks to Glacier County Alert bad Ambulance US for patrol and especially the many bystanders who risked themselves to help.

According to her obituary, she loved hiking, traveling, and being in nature, and had a fondness for music, especially old country and folk songs.

She was survived by her parents, her older brother and sister in law, two younger sisters, and her boyfriend of almost two years, among many others who loved her deeply.

Her brother Dylan, described her as a free spirit who was both adventurous and ambitious.

She was just always open to new ideas, new walks of life, and she was very accepting of anybody and everybody.

A message on her go fundme page echoed that spirit, remembering her as a truly bright light in the lives of everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.

She had an uncanny ability to lift the spirits of those around her and a remarkable gift for making people feel seen and valued, and as of this recording, the fundraiser has received more than thirty nine hundred and sixty five dollars WOW.

The message concluded, though her time with us was far too short, the impact of her life on those who shared it with will be long remembered.

She taught us to embrace life fully, love deeply, and always look for the good in others.

Her family also expressed gratitude to those who tried to save her, including Dominic.

Dylan said she was an avid hiker and loved being outdoors and experiencing nature.

Words can't describe her.

She was passionate and loved deeply.

She knew how far fragile life was, and I think she's happy with the life she lived.

I think it's there's something also to be said for the loved ones, whether it's family, partners or friends who are with someone and see an incident take place and still need to keep their bearings to I mean, in this case, Dominic actively was trying to rescue her, and you know, I can't imagine being in that situation.

I was thinking that in the previous story when he was swept into the water, and I was just thinking about the panic and helplessness his friends must have felt in those moments, right, and just trying to process it all in real time.

Just these stories are just all unfortunately reminders that you're standing next to someone on what is a very described as easy hike, if you will, and one moment they're there, the next one there you know, they've lost their footing and they're in the water, and what do you do?

What can you do?

And that's when that helplessness kicks in and trying to make sense of it all.

Okay, and the last.

One that we're going to be covering, And I just want to say, like I mentioned before, these are just some of the more recent ones, but there are so many people.

Who have.

Lost their lives here.

Others have had close calls, and others have gone missing and have still not been found.

So I'm sure we will be revisiting this park for some of those stories.

So this is just a.

Small version of what has taken place here, just a fraction exactly.

In late August of twenty twenty three, thirty two year old Adam Fusellae of Castle Pines, Colorado, set out to climb Reynold's Mountain in the park rises nine thy one hundred and twenty five feet or two thousand, seven hundred and eighty one meters, and the route to its summit is no simple trail According to All Trails, it covers about six point two miles or ten kilometers, with an elevation gain of twenty four hundred and twenty seven feet or seven hundred and forty meters.

After leaving the Hidden Lake trail, climbers must navigate an unmarked route across alpine terrain.

The climb requires class two to three scrambling, involves steep drop offs, and can still hold snowfields well into the summer, conditions that may require traction devices or even technical training in self arrest techniques.

Adam was last heard from on the afternoon of Tuesday, August twenty ninth, and rangers were alerted the following morning when he was reported overdue.

His vehicle was located at Logan Pass that same day.

Search efforts began immediately, but poor weather, rain, wind, and heavy fog limited visits ability and slowed operations.

By Thursday, conditions improved, and two Bear Air Rescue joined the search.

On Friday, AUS Forest Service helicopter also assisted.

More than fifty searchers, including dog teams and ground crews, scoured the mountain with support from the air.

Reports called in by fellow hikers helped narrow the search area, and on Friday, September one, around eleven am, Adam's body was located on Reynolds Mountain.

His remains were transported to West Glacier by a Forest Service helicopter out of the Hungry Horse Ranger District, and while his official cause of death has not been released, the National Park Service confirmed that the incident remained under investigation, and I could not find any updates as to what they ultimately determined to be the cause okay.

Adam's family and Glacier officials later extended thanks to North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead County Search and Rescue, the US Forest Service, Flathead County Sheriff's Department, go Bear Air Rescue, NPS staff, and the many members of the public who provided tips during the search.

But beyond the headlines and search details, Adam's obituary painted a fuller picture of the man he was.

He was an avid outdoorsman who loved climbing Colorado's fourteen ers, fishing in Alaska with his dad and uncle, and floating rivers with his mom, dad, sister, and brother.

He cherished traveling with his family to national parks, and more than anything Adam was remembered for his heart, one of the sweetest, kindest people you've ever met, someone who gave, in his family words, the best hugs he has deeply loved and dearly missed.

Glacier National Park is breathtaking, but like so many wild places, it can also be very unforgiving.

The stories that we've covered today are tragic reminders of how quickly conditions here can shift from beautiful to deadly.

Swift rivers, steep cliffs, slick rocks, and unmarked alpine routes all present hazards that even experienced hikers and climbers can underestimate.

So if you're.

Planning a visit to Glacier or any mountain park, keep these takeaways in mind.

Stay on designated trails whenever possible.

Many accidents occur just steps away from the path.

Know your limits off trail.

Climbs or scrambles often require mountaineering skills, technical gear, and experience.

Respect water.

Glaciers, creeks and lakes may look calm, but currents are deceptively strong, and water temperatures can stun the body in seconds.

Check conditions, snowfields, runoff, and weather shifts can transform routes into serious hazards, hike prepared and with communication plans.

Always tell someone where you're going, carry the proper gear, and have a plan if things go wrong.

So I think it's pretty clear that no one in any of these stories intentionally did anything careless or reckless.

It was either just you know, misstep on a rock where you slip and fall, or climbing a mountain that they felt prepared and experienced for and were experienced for.

It is scary that several of these stories happen with the maybe false sense of security of being with a group, and like you said, just feet from a trail, you just step off and slip on one of those slick.

Rocks, and that's a popular trail.

It doesn't require experience.

You're not being irresponsible going on this trail.

And these are just very somber reminders of what can happen and the potential outcome of these incidents.

So, like I said, these.

Are not there's no theorizing, there's no speculating, but these are lives lost that still deserve to be talked about.

And more importantly, even though the focus point is on what happened, there is still a person behind that tragedy, and there's so much more to them, so hopefully we were able to spotlight a little bit more about these people outside of what happened to them and their lives being cut short.

All right, Well that does it for today's episode.

And I can't believe it's already the end of August.

Tomorrow's September first, and that's the kickoff to Fall, right, that's the unofficial kickoff to Fall.

So Halloween decorations are coming out, but they have been waiting in the wings at my house.

Yeah yeah, the Spooky playlist is just ready.

It's on stamp.

Yeah, well it is.

We are recording on Labor Day weekend, so we hope everyone has been able to enjoy their weekend and stay safe.

H