A 19-year-old Michigan man who went missing in Glacier National Park after departing for a solo hike up Huckleberry Trail last Friday was found alive Monday night, according park officials.
Rescue crews with Two Bear Air on May 8 located Matthew David Read at 11 p.m. in heavily forested terrain using thermal camera technology. He was “somewhat responsive,” and he was extricated with a 175-foot hoist, flown out of the park, and transferred to Evergreen Ambulance. Read was then taken to a hospital where he remains in stable condition, Glacier National Park officials said late Tuesday morning.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said he was cold and hypothermic.
Reports indicate Read hiked the Huckleberry Lookout Trail on Friday and reached the first saddle where a snowfield covered the trail. He slipped into a drainage on the east side of Huckleberry Mountain and descended into chest-deep snow where he lost his phone, water bottle and shoes. He continued working his way down the drainage after determining he couldn’t make it back up to the trail.
The search began on Sunday when Glacier National Park rangers were alerted Read was overdue returning from his hike. Shortly after, they located his vehicle at the Huckleberry Trailhead.
Rangers conducted a hasty search on Sunday afternoon and the search expanded on Monday morning to include a search party of 30 individuals, U.S. Border Patrol officials, North Valley and Flathead search and rescue crews, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and county search dogs.
Two Bear Air flew over the region on Sunday night but were forced to land due to weather conditions. Flight crews resumed operations yesterday and located Read that night.
This story will be updated.