“Woefully Unprepared” Hikers Rescued Deep in Wyoming’s Grizzly Country

“Woefully Unprepared” Hikers Rescued Deep in Wyoming’s Grizzly Country

Hawk’s Rest sits in the Thorofare country of Wyoming’s Teton Wilderness, a few miles south of Yellowstone and about as far from pavement as you can get in the Lower 48. It lies twenty, maybe thirty miles to the nearest road, and on Monday evening, two brothers in their thirties walked into an outfitter camp there looking like they’d been chewed on by the country itself.

The two men were twins from Bismarck, North Dakota who had been dropped at Turpin Meadows Trailhead, east of Moran Junction—the usual jumping-off point for the long walk into Yellowstone Meadows, the Parting of the Waters, and Hawk’s Rest. How they got from that trailhead to one of the loneliest camps in the Bridger-Teton remains unclear. What isn’t unclear is the shape they arrived in. The men were dehydrated, disoriented, short on food, and had but one tent and one sleeping bag between them when they walked into the remote Hawk’s Rest Wilderness Camp.

Thankfully for the disoriented pair, it was occupied at the time. A fact that, in all likelihood, ended up saving their lives. 

When personnel at the camp asked the twin brothers what had happened to them, they told the outfitters they had run into a bear somewhere along the way. One of the hikers had a pair of torn rain pants and bear spray residue on his arm—information that was passed along to Teton County Search and Rescue when the outfitter made contact.

It was after 7 p.m. when the call went out and given the lack of daylight and the rugged terrain, TCSAR decided to fly in at first light to pull the men out.  That evening, the outfitter at Hawk’s Rest fed and watered the disoriented men and waited on the early morning rescue teams to arrive.

It was 8 a.m. Tuesday morning when TCSAR’s chopper landed at the remote camp with a pilot and two volunteers on board. Somehow (and for whatever reason) one of the brothers had wandered off that morning, but was thankfully located before rescue crews had to spin up a full ground search. With both brothers on board, the twins were flown to Jackson for medical evaluation where they were soon cleared and sent home.

Now that a couple of days have passed, questions about the incident and the apparent bear encounter remain. According to Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr, the two men had no physical indications that a bear attack had actually occurred and was unsure if the two men even actually came across a bear at all.

He told the Cowboy State Daily that the two men were “woefully unprepared” and “in way over their heads”, which tracks with the kit (or lack thereof) that the brothers had on hand.

He added that communication on the way out was messy, Carr said the brothers spoke Spanish and appeared to have significant mental challenges, which made the story hard to pin down even after they were safe.

Either way you slice it, these dudes were lucky beyond measure. The Thorofare is the kind of unforgiving country that comes with the understanding that if you blow a plan, it’s going to be very difficult for someone to come save you. The fact that these boys hit an occupied camp was the difference between a helicopter ride and a much longer story.

TCSAR echoed that sentiment, reminding all backcountry users to ensure they are adequately prepared when venturing out.

“All backcountry users should make sure they are prepared for their chosen objective and carry adequate gear, clothing, and enough food and water for the duration of their trip,” TCSAR’s release read. “It also is very important for groups to stay together, especially after making an emergency call.”