Emergency responders were called out to two separate incidents of hikers lost in the Juneau area over the last several days.
Tuesday evening’s incident involved a couple that became disoriented off of West Glacier Trail. Alaska State Troopers and Capital City Fire/Rescue found the couple in good condition and transported them by boat to the trailhead. They were identified as Eric Wheeler, 32, and Helen Tegg, 30, of Orlando, Florida.
Saturday night’s incident involved two hikers who got lost coming down from Mount McGinnis in the dark.
Brennon Oakley, 24, of Texas, and Ryan Rigsby, 36, of Idaho, lost the trail at about the 1,200-foot level above Mendenhall Glacier. They were able to provide their GPS coordinates and describe their location, which included dense brush surrounded by cliffs. Troopers were called out just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday night and two SEADOGS teams responded just before midnight. The hikers were found and escorted down to the trailhead after 4 o’clock Sunday morning. There were no injuries reported.
Alaska State Troopers say hikers should always carry a fully charged cell phone and familiarize themselves with mapping programs in case they have to report their position to rescuers.
