Infrared technology used in search for missing hiker
A search operation continues in Glacier National Park for missing hiker, 19-year-old Jakson Kreiser. Ground and aerial searches were conducted yesterday, with several crews staying overnight in the backcountry. Crews returned to the search area early yesterday, and aerial observations continue.
The park is using forward looking infrared technology (FLIR). This technology, available through the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, uses thermal imaging cameras that detect heat sources. It is being used in early morning operations before the rocks and vegetation warm.
Canine search teams from the U.S. Border Patrol are also being utilized, as well as human tracker expertise from the North Valley Search and Rescue Team.
The search area is focused in the area between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake. Kreiser’s vehicle was located in the Logan Pass Visitor Center Parking Lot and it is believed that Kreiser was attempting a day hike from Logan Pass to Avalanche Lake.
His intended route is in some treacherous country filled with rock cliffs, water falls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation. The descent is more than 4,000 feet in steep conditions.
Kreiser was reported missing when he failed to return following a day hike on Saturday, July 28. He is a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge.
Ground and aerial searches were initiated on Sunday, July 29.
A park incident management team has been organized and is managing the incident. Approximately 50 people are dedicated to the incident.
Kreiser is from Michigan. This is his first year working in the area.
He is 6-feet 2-inches tall, weighs somewhere between 180 and 200 pounds and has black, short and curly hair, and a black beard.
It is believed he is wearing a yellow sweatshirt and grey colored khaki pants, and carrying a grey and yellow backpack with a 2-liter water bladder.
He may also have camouflage gloves, a large knife in a sheath and a hiking pole.
Anyone that may have been in the Logan Pass, Hidden Lake, Floral Park or Avalanche Lake areas over the weekend and may have seen Kreiser, is encouraged to contact park dispatch at 888-7800.