Glacier National Park Climber Dies In Fall Same Day 2 Bodies Recovered

EAST GLACIER PARK, MT — A climber fell to his death at Glacier National Park on the same day that the bodies of two other climbers were found on another mountain 17 miles away.

A 79-year-old Florida man fell to his death while trying to ascend a steep off-trail slope with a friend on Rising Wolf Mountain. The fall happened several hundred feet above Two Medicine Campground, the National Parks Service said in a news release.

His friends descended to his location, shouted for help, and dialed 9-1-1.

Two helicopters diverted from a separate incident and took the unconscious man to a ranger station, where medics were standing by to treat him. The man was declared dead.

Park staff expressed their condolences to the family and asked that the public respect the family’s privacy.

Rising Wolf Mountain is one of the first — and "most immediately dominating" — mountains seen when entering the Two Medicine area of the park, according to SummitPost.org. With an elevation of about 9,500 feet, it's the area's highest summit.

The death came the same day that the bodies of two overdue hikers were found on Dusty Star Mountain in the Lewis Range of the park. They were identified Tuesday as Brian Kennedy, 67, of Columbia Falls and Jack Beard, 67, of Kalispell.

Park staff knew the men personally and considered them expert climbers who summited mountain peaks in Glacier National Park for decades.

"As long-time members, both men contributed greatly to the Glacier Mountaineering Society and were well-known in the Flathead Valley community," the parks service said.