A video shows incredible footage of a missing hiker being rescued in Glacier National Park, Montana, on Monday night.
Park rangers were alerted Sunday of Matthew Read’s absence, when the 19-year-old’s parents reported him “overdue,” according to the Two Bear Air Rescue Facebook page.
An aerial search began the same day, but partly because of low visibility, rescuers were unable to find the hiker.
Despite the conditions carrying over to the next day; however, the helicopter team, using infrared technology, spotted Read late Monday night.
A 19-year-old was found alive after he went missing in Glacier National Park on Friday.https://t.co/ZkdlDvitlt (?: Two Bear Air Rescue) pic.twitter.com/NTVgppNrYN
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) May 9, 2023
When the team found him around 11 p.m., Read was only “somewhat responsive,” according to the Montana newspaper Flathead Beacon.
Rescuers airlifted Read with a 175-foot hoist before transferring him to Evergreen Ambulance.
He was then taken to the hospital, where he remained in stable condition.
Before being rescued, Read was last heard from on Friday, May 5, around the time he began hiking the Huckleberry Lookout Trail, according to Fox News.
When he was reported missing on Sunday, rescuers attempted a search flight the same day.
Not long after, they discovered his vehicle at the Huckleberry Lookout Trailhead, according to Flathead Beacon.
The search grew more expansive on Monday, as more than 30 people, along with search dogs, began looking for Read. Among the searchers were the Glacier National Park rangers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and other organizations.
Evidently, the lone hiker had made it to the first saddle of the hike, but the trail was covered in a snowfield. He slipped on the east side of the mountain into a drainage, landing chest-deep in snow, according to Flathead Beacon.
He lost his phone, water bottle and shoes, and when he decided he could not make it back up to the trail, began making his way down the drainage.
According to Two Bear Air Rescue, they were able to spot Read’s slide and footprints.
“Both slide marks and footprints were identified in the snow below the lookout, directing the aircrew down the mountain and into a thick drainage. Due to the recent warm temperatures, the snow patches diminished and footprints became more challenging to follow.
“After a few separate flights and crew swaps, the teen was located after dark in thick timber with our infrared camera. The crew then inserted a rescue specialist, hoisted the survivor out and delivered him to an awaiting ambulance,” Two Bear Air Rescue wrote on their Facebook page.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
