Search Underway for Missing Hiker in Glacier National Park
Anthony Pollio, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was last heard from Sunday evening. He is believed to have been hiking to the Mount Brown Fire Lookout in the Lake McDonald area.
By Beacon Staff
A search is underway for a hiker missing in Glacier National Park since Sunday evening.
Anthony Pollio, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is believed to have been hiking toward the Mount Brown Fire Lookout in the Lake McDonald area, according to a Tuesday evening press release from park officials.
Pollio’s last known message was sent at approximately 8:20 p.m. on Sunday, May 3. The park was notified of his disappearance on Monday afternoon, and discovered Pollio’s vehicle parked at Lake McDonald Lodge.
Park officials said Pollio had communicated his plans to hike toward the Mount Brown Fire Lookout. The route, which begins at the Lake McDonald Lodge, involves a 10-mile out-and-back trek along a trail that ascends more than 4,000 feet to an alpine lookout perched at an elevation of nearly 7,500 feet.
The press release described Pollio as a 5-foot-11-inch white male, with short brown hair and brown eyes, who weighs about 180 pounds. He may be wearing jeans, boots, a black backpack, and a blue or gray jacket, according to the release.
Park rangers are concentrating search efforts in the Mount Brown and Snyder Lake areas, as well as adjacent trail corridors, including the mainline Gunsight Pass Trail that climbs to Sperry Chalet. Flathead County Search and Rescue is assisting Glacier National in the operation, while aerial search resources are also on hand for support.
The Gunsight Pass Trail, whose lower stretch rising above the Lake McDonald Valley is more commonly known as the Sperry Trail, has been closed as search efforts continue in the Mount Brown area. The spur trail to Mount Brown Fire Lookout branches off of the main Sperry Trail less than 2 miles from the trailhead at Lake McDonald Lodge.
Anyone with information or who was in the area and saw an individual that matches Pollio’s description should contact the park tip line at (406) 888-7077.