Unsafe conditions are hampering search and rescue teams looking for a missing hiker in Glacier National Park, according to the latest update from park officials on Friday afternoon.
Search crews have been forced to adjust their strategy after rainfall from Thursday night created very slick conditions on steep and rocky terrain. Crews are in their sixth day of searching for Jakson Kreiser, a 19-year-old seasonal employee at the park who went missing last Saturday.
Incident Commander Scott Emmerich emphasized two goals in a statement released by the park: find Kreiser and keep search personnel safe.
Crews are focused on the Hidden Lake and Mary Baker Lake areas following information received from a hiker who was on the Hidden Lake Trail over the weekend. Aerial observations are continuing as conditions allow.
The search for Kreiser, a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge, began July 29. Kreiser was reported missing when he failed to return following a hike on July 28.
Park officials are asking for information from anyone who may have been in the Logan Pass, Hidden Lake, Floral Park or Avalanche Lake areas over the weekend and may have seen Kreiser. Contact park dispatch at 406-888-7800.