Teen hikers slip on snow and fall 500 feet onto rocks, Grand Teton National Park says

Two 19-year-old hikers slipped on snow and fell 500 feet to land on large rocks at Grand Teton National Park, and they weren’t the only ones rescued this weekend, park officials said.

Samantha Edgcombe and Mackenzie Finton, both from Michigan, were hiking from Cascade Canyon to Paintbrush Canyon at the Wyoming park on Saturday when they slipped on snow and crashed into large rocks, Grand Teton park officials said in a Monday news release.

“Another hiker in the area called for help and provided a GPS location,” park officials said. “Initially it was believed only one of the hikers was significantly injured, but both were.”

Rangers were flown by helicopter to the area, and the two were hoisted from the rocks and taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance, park officials said.

That wasn’t the only rescue park rangers were part of this past weekend. A man from New York was hiking Saturday when he injured his leg and wasn’t able to move on his own, park officials said.

“Jeremy Fraser, 31 years of age from New York, New York, was hiking when he had a misstep and injured his lower leg and was unable to move on his own,” the park said. “A backcountry ranger in the area responded, attended to the injury and determined Fraser would need to be transported to the Lupine Meadows parking area by trail wheel litter. “

Fraser was taken to the trailhead, where his hiking partner was able to take him to a nearby hospital.

“All backcountry hikers and climbers are strongly encouraged to be prepared for their respective recreational activity, including knowledge about the current conditions, required skills and experience, and wayfinding skills to safely navigate the route,” park officials said. “Hiking areas such as the Teton Crest Trail, Alaska Basin, Paintbrush-Cascade Canyon Loop, or any other loop involving higher elevation mountain passes still involve a large amount of snow travel.”

This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Teen hikers slip on snow and fall 500 feet onto rocks, Grand Teton National Park says."