Twin brothers who were rescued by helicopter from the remote Teton Wilderness on Tuesday after wandering into an outfitters camp dehydrated, disoriented and possibly having encountered a bear were "in way over their heads," Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr told Cowboy State Daily.
Carr said the men went into the mountains “woefully unprepared,” without sufficient food or water.
“There was one tent and one sleeping bag between them,” he said.
They turned up at a camp in the Hawk’s Rest area of the Teton Wilderness southeast of Yellowstone National Park, a place known for being farthest from a road — 30 miles — in the contiguous United States.
They had abandoned their gear, according to Carr.
The Teton County Sheriff’s Office has not publicly released their names, though Carr said they are from Bismarck, North Dakota. Carr could not confirm whether either of the men had in fact encountered a bear.
Communication Barriers
According to a police report Carr referenced, the brothers were dropped off at Turpin Meadows Trailhead east of Moran Junction. He did not know when or by whom.
The trailhead, approximately nine miles from U.S. Highway 26, is the primary access point to the Teton Wilderness and for many guided trips into Yellowstone Meadows, Parting of the Waters National Landmark, and Hawk's Rest. The area is known to have a high density of grizzly bears, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Communication barriers frustrated the rescue effort from the beginning. Carr said the brothers seemed to suffer from “some fairly significant mental challenges” and spoke Spanish. That made understanding their ordeal all the more difficult.
Teton County Search and Rescue received a call Monday evening from an outfitter in the camp where the men appeared.
The men reported having a bear encounter, Carr said. One had bear spray residue on his arm and his pants were torn, according to a Teton County Search and Rescue statement.
Carr expressed doubt that the men had actually encountered a bear.
“We don’t think there was any bear attack,” he told Cowboy State Daily, adding that there was no physical indication a bear attack occurred.
“Whether they came across one or actually got charged, we can’t establish,” he said.
The men likely had sprayed each other, he added.
According to a search and rescue report, the brothers, who are in their 30s, were not connected to the outfitters camp. They wandered in distressed, the report states, and the outfitter helped the men rehydrate and fed them.
Because the men did not appear to be in immediate danger, search and rescue waited until daylight to get them.
The Rescue
A TCSAR helicopter team consisting of a pilot and two volunteers left at first light Tuesday to retrieve the twins. Upon landing, the team learned one of the brothers had left the outfitting camp earlier that morning.
Carr said he couldn’t be sure why the brother left.
It complicated the rescue effort, as the team had to pivot to the possibility of organizing a larger ground search with more volunteers. However, Carr said, the brother returned to the site before a ground search was launched.
The brothers were flown to TCSAR headquarters in Jackson.
TCSAR Communications director Matt Hansen said he had no further information.
Lost in Translation
“We were kind of chasing things,” Carr said of the overall rescue effort. “You never know what you’re going to fly into.”
He said much of the communication between TCSAR personnel and the outfitter was done via a Garmin InReach.
“A lot gets lost in translation,” he said of information coming in piecemeal.
Carr said he didn’t know how long the brothers were in the wilderness.
According to the TCSAR statement, Tuesday’s rescue served as a reminder for all backcountry users to make sure they are prepared for their adventure and carry adequate gear, clothing, and enough food and water for the duration of their trip.
“It also is very important for groups to stay together, especially after making an emergency call,” the statement said.
Carr summed up the incident by saying the brothers “just seemed to get in way over their heads.
“Things went wrong and we’re there to help when things go wrong,” he said. “I just know they’re out. They’re safe. I’m not sure what their next move is.”
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
