The body of a 19-year-old Michigan man who failed to return from a rugged backcountry hike in Glacier National Park back in July has been found near Hidden Lake.
Hikers discovered the remains of Jakson Kreiser on Thursday in an area to the southwest of the lake, park officials announced.
Park rangers and a Flathead County coroner traveled to the site and the coroner confirmed that the deceased body was that of Mr. Kreiser, who was spending his first summer working in the park. The young man's body was recovered and an autopsy was to be performed to determine cause of death, park officials said.
Mr. Kreiser reportedly intended to hike from Logan Pass to the Avalanche Lake area, a cross-country route that park officials described as "treacherous" due to its steepness, cliff bands, waterfalls, and dense vegetation. After a week of searching, park officials suspended the active search.
The search area was focused between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake, and in the Floral Park area. This area includes some treacherous country filled with rock cliffs, water falls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation, park officials said.
Comments
Dave and I were on vacation in Glacier when Jakson went missing. We could hear helicopters and we knew that they were part of the search operations. I remember thinking how a family "back home" was anxiously awaiting a good report that he would be found.As each day passed, we knew the odds were working against him. Now we know that a young life full of promise is gone and a family is left to try and somehow move forward. Sending thoughts and prayers to the Kreiser family...