TCSAR Responds to Paddling Fatality on Gros Ventre River

Jackson, Wyo. — Just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, Teton County Search & Rescue responded to a paddling accident on the Gros Ventre River. The emergency call reported that a pair of two-person catarafts had launched onto the whitewater stretch below Lower Slide Lake, and that one of the crafts had flipped near the rapid known as Hermit. One person was able to recover and climb back onto the craft, while the other continued downstream. The remaining members of the party attempted to chase their companion down the river, but were unable to retrieve him. 

TCSAR volunteers search for a missing paddler on the Gros Ventre River on June 21, 2022. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR volunteers responded to the site with swiftwater teams on foot and in rafts, and deployed an aerial drone. Grand Teton National Park dispatched a team of Jenny Lake Rangers and the interagency helicopter due to the accident site’s close proximity to the park boundary. Teton County Sheriff Deputies also responded, as did many recreational river users who were already on scene.

The man was reportedly last seen near a large boulder about a quarter mile upriver from the park boundary at a sharp bend known as Jumping Rock. SAR volunteers probed the area but were unable to locate the missing person. Shortly after, a spotter at Jumping Rock saw the man floating downriver. He was unresponsive.

The helicopter was able to follow the man as he floated downriver and eventually became hung up on a log jam about a mile downriver from Jumping Rock. TCSAR volunteers managed to reach the man and bring him to shore. Tragically, he did not survive. His party was visiting from out of state and had been well equipped, prepared and experienced. The man was wearing a PFD.

Photo: TCSAR

This three-mile stretch of whitewater in question is categorized as Class IV and is the most demanding, accessible whitewater stretch in Teton County. On Tuesday, it was flowing above average at about 2,000 cfs, or 2.5 feet. Local boaters characterize the current level as the low side of medium, but the stretch is very fast with few eddies. The numerous rapids were formed by the Gros Ventre Slide from 1925 and ensuing flood, which created sharp, angular rocks that make any swim especially hazardous.

TCSAR extends its sincere condolences to the deceased man’s family and friends. The team is also grateful for the assistance from the numerous different agencies and boaters who helped in the response.

Before Hitting Hero Dirt, Learn These Hero Skills

With the bike trails around Jackson Hole coming into primo condition due to an unusually wet spring, more than 20 eager mountain bikers showed up at the season’s first Backcountry Zero workshop on June 7. What’s in Your Pack for Mountain Bikers is in its second season owing to the increase in trail use from this group across the region. This increase has correlated to a growing number of rescue callouts by TCSAR to help injured mountain bikers. So it was good to see so many people looking to build the skills to help them be prepared for a day on the trails.

The workshop was sponsored by The Hub Bicycles, with collaboration by Mountain Bike the Tetons and TCSAR Foundation.

The event started with Lynne Wolfe, a longtime backcountry ski guide and avid mountain biker, providing insight to what she carries, and just as important, how she carries it. As she pointed out, the best approach is to figure out what works best for you, and then dial in your system.

The group then broke into three stations: how to fix a flat, how to repair a busted chain, and how to apply first aid to common bike injuries.

Professional mountain biker Kait Boyle offered her vast expertise in helping participants learn how to repair a broken chain. As with all stations, each person got the chance to practice using the tools they’d carry with them in the backcountry.

Connor Nolan, TCSAR Foundation’s Donor Relations Coordinator and resident bike nerd, demonstrated how to fix a flat. He went through different scenarios of using tire plugs to fix a ripped tire, as well as how to change an inner tube in a tubeless tire. In the first aid station, TCSAR Foundation PSAR Manager Liz King helped attendees learn how to bandage scrapes, splint sprains and broken bones, and put a sling on an injured shoulder or collarbone.

This was just the first class of the summer through Backcountry Zero, TCSAR Foundation’s education and outreach project that seeks to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in the Tetons. The classes are intended to provide practical skills for the outdoors while instilling a positive mindset for decision making and preparedness.

Thanks to everyone at Mountain Bike the Tetons and The Hub for making this class possible!

What’s in your bike pack? All photos: Matt Hansen/TCSAR Foundation

Lost...and Found with Lifeseeker, a Heli Rescue Transmitter

This story is being republished from its original release date of May 27, 2020, with updated info and new photos.

Let’s say you are backpacking in the middle of the Gros Ventre Wilderness, or deep within a remote canyon in the Jed Smith. Somehow, you unfortunately break your leg. Without having cellular service and being very far from help, what do you do?

TCSAR volunteer Lexie Drechsel uses Lifeseeker during a training on May 24, 2022, to find a cellular device where no cellular service exists.

If you can, send someone for help and hunker down as best as possible. But even then, that leaves many questions about the outcome of your potential rescue: How long can you last due to exposure? What about weather, wildlife, and the seriousness of your injury? 

These situations, though rare, occur when someone becomes stranded, lost, or incapacitated in a wilderness environment, leading to extended rescues involving dozens if not hundreds of people searching for clues of your whereabouts.

But thanks to one of the more unique tools within the Teton County Search & Rescue toolkit, you might be found in a much quicker fashion. Known as Lifeseeker, this aircraft-mounted cellular transmitter enables a helicopter search team to locate you based on the pings in the cellular network—even when there is no cellular service. 

“Lifeseeker is another tool in toolbox and I think it’s amazing that TCSAR has access to this technology,” says TCSAR volunteer Lexie Drechsel, who joined the team in 2021. “I feel very fortunate to have been able to be part of multiple trainings this spring, running several iterations with Lifeseeker. In the case of a missing/injured party of unknown location, it’s a huge asset that we have multiple team members trained and prepared to operate the technology smoothly.”

When activated, Lifeseeker effectively acts as an airborne cellular transmitter, allowing a helicopter search team to pick up and locate specific numbers coming off your phone. When your phone is powered on and not in airplane mode, it constantly sends out a unique IMEI number (think of it as a digital fingerprint) to connect with the nearest cell tower. If the SAR team knows that IMEI number, they can hone in on its exact location as the number is transmitted through Lifeseeker. When Lifeseeker picks up on the IMEI, the location is displayed on a pair of iPads connected to a primary controller box. Both rescuer and pilot have iPads so they each both see the location of the device.

TCSAR pilot Steve Wilson hones in on a lost subject using Lifeseeker during a training on May 24, 2022.

In other words, when Lifeseeker passes overhead inside the TCSAR helicopter, it acts as a temporary service provider, connecting your phone to the team inside.

“Once we have a confirmed location, we can send a text message to that device, and, if able, someone can text back,” says TCSAR team member Eric Helgoth, a volunteer since 2004. “However, if we fly over looking for phone X, and phone Y sees they have a cell signal, phone Y can’t use that signal.” 

Nor does TCSAR have the ability (and, it should be noted, the desire) to block or interfere with anyone’s cellular service. Lifeseeker is simply a rescue aid. Designed by a Spanish firm, Centim, this is the first such device in use in the U.S. TCSAR obtained it through an anonymous donor.

“We’ve got a dozen different ways to find someone,” Helgoth says. “It’s just one more tool in our toolbox. It’s not going to work in every instance.”

Turn it up to 11. And if you’re lost, keep your phone charged up and on so Lifeseeker can find you.

For example, Lifeseeker won’t find you if your phone is turned off or in airplane mode. It is only able to receive and transmit phones that are actively seeking a cell tower. So it’s a good idea to bring a backup power source, and make your phone active if you know you’re being sought by Search & Rescue. Goal Zero makes some great power banks for rugged outdoor use, as does Outdoor Tech. 

TCSAR has a range of options to do helicopter searches depending on the rescue scenario. One is the RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector, a 174-pound drum that hangs 15 meters (about 49 feet) below the helicopter. Flying 300 feet above the ground at 60 mph, the detector scans 600 square feet every second. The team also has a heli avalanche beacon, which picks up signals from buried avalanche transceivers.

Another useful took from TCSAR is Backcountry SOS, a free app that allows a user to text an emergency directly to 911 in Teton County. The app is now available in 12 counties across the West, and has been used to save lives in Jackson Hole.