BOZEMAN — It’s that time of the year when temperatures can change fast. One minute it feels like a nice summer day and the next, it’s below freezing. That’s why if you’re recreating this fall you should pack a few extra layers—it might save your life.
“We did five miles up Sourdough today. Had lunch at the bridge. And now we just got back,” says Ethan Kitsch.
Ethan and his friends are all avid hikers. They just drove 12 hours from North Dakota straight to the Sourdough trailhead in Bozeman. I asked Ethan if he typically packs layers on his hikes.
“Yeah. So I brought five layers today. It was very cold; I started off with a vest and shed about four layers down to my t-shirt. So I definitely would recommend many layers," he says.
Ethan came prepared. A smart move for any recreator this time of year, especially considering on Sunday, Sept. 29, two climbers became stranded near the summit of Mount Cowen, the highest peak in the western Beartooth Mountains.
“They’d gotten a little off course and were kind of stuck on a ledge. And really couldn’t go down or go up,” says Jason Revisky.
Jason, who has been involved with Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue (GCSSAR) for more than 30 years, was in the helicopter that rescued those climbers. He tells me Sunday night, the Park County Sheriff’s Office requested GCSSAR's helicopter rescue team. But because it was so close to nightfall, they were unable to launch a helicopter.
The Montana National Guard and the US Air Force were brought in overnight in an attempt to rescue the climbers. But due to the high altitude and technical terrain, they were unsuccessful.
Temperatures dipped down into the teens that night. But Jason tells me because each climber had an extra puffy coat, they were able to bundle up and tough it out overnight.
“Monday morning, we did a fly over there and were able to locate the subjects and successfully short haul them off of the cliff they were on,” says Jason.
And I was curious, what would’ve happened to those climbers if they hadn't brought extra layers?
Jason tells me, “We could have, if it was truly life threatening, tried to insert ground crews. But it’s a long way up there and by the time we got to them it would have been close to morning."
So, bringing those extra layers may have just saved those climbers' lives. A message Jason wants anyone recreating this fall to hear, whether it’s a walk down Sourdough or a 30-mile backpacking trip?
“It’s always good to carry extra clothes. I always tell people to think about the worst-case scenario, not the best-case scenario. And if you had to stay out all night, what would you want to have?” says Jason.
