Gun fired to get help in Park climbing accident

A father seeking help after a rock struck his 21-year-old son in the head while climbing Glacier National Park’s Mount Siyeh fired a handgun to attract help.

Park spokeswoman Sarah Grieb said a father and son from Alabama, whose names were not released, were climbing the popular 10,014-foot peak near Logan Pass on Sunday, Aug. 10, when a boulder got dislodged.

The boulder, estimated to weigh 200 pounds, glanced off the son’s head as he tried to dodge out of the way. He subsequently fell about 200 feet, suffering a head injury.

The father waved his arms and yelled to attract help and then fired his gun once at the ground. Nearby hikers heard the shot and yells for help, and one hiker was able to reach them and help the two hike out.

Responding Park rangers met up with the party as they made their way down Piegan Pass Trail not far from its junction with Siyeh Pass Trail.

Park personnel gave the injured person first aid and called in the Two Bear Air rescue helicopter, which hoisted up the injured climber and transported him to the horse corral landing zone in Apgar. An ambulance transported the man to North Valley Hospital.

It is legal to carry firearms in Glacier Park but illegal to fire them in most instances.

This is the second handgun incident in Glacier Park this year. A few weeks ago, a Texas man shot at a bear he claimed had charged him on the Mount Brown Lookout Trail. The man said he discharged his bear spray at it before firing his handgun.

The bear was wounded but never found. Park officials closed the Mount Brown Lookout Trail as a result. It reopened last week. The Park continues to investigate the incident.