RED LODGE - A search has been launched for a hiker who fell into a creek in Carbon County and was swept away by the fast-flowing water, officials said Monday.
The hiker fell into East Rosebud Creek at Rimrock Lake at about 12:15 p.m. Sunday while hiking the Beaten Path from East Rosebud Lake to Cooke City, according to a press release issued Monday by Red Lodge Search and Rescue.
Watch this video to learn more about the rescue efforts:
Red Lodge Fire Rescue search and rescue crews and the Carbon County Sheriff's Office are currently conducting a search with ground teams and a drone.
The Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office helicopter is assisting the teams by searching the cascades in the creek just below Rimrock Lake.
Red Lodge Fire Rescue Chief Tom Kuntz said it's important to start these searches immediately.
"We try to do it as best we can and as quickly as we can, but it's a long way up there," Kuntz said. "It's a few-hour hike."
The incident, which happened about five miles into the trail, was reported shortly after it happened by the hiker’s companion, who alerted a forest service trail crew camped in the area.
"The person who's missing is a 23-year-old male that was hiking with his friend," Kuntz said.
Search and Rescue members responded immediately to begin searching the area on the ground while the Montana Army National Guard responded to search the creek from the air with two helicopters, the press release states. Rescuers were unable to locate the hiker on Sunday.
This hiker fell at the exact same spot that 20-year-old Montana State University student, Dylan Honnoll from Minnesota, did last July. Honnoll's body was found two weeks after he fell in.
Kuntz said it's a treacherous portion of the trail, partly because a man-made bridge that used to be in that spot was destroyed in the floods of 2022. In addition, the water in the early summer is rushing so quickly, he said.
"That's part of a trail that they're working on repairing after the flood damage," Kuntz said. "There's a lot of risk, especially this time of year. Sometimes it can look like you can cross very easily, but those currents can be stronger than they appear."
Kuntz said it's deja vu for his rescue team and the worst case scenario for the family involved.
"It's hard, you know, these are people and their families," Kuntz said, as tears filled his eyes. "You do this kind of thing a lot, but it doesn't make it less personal."
The Carbon County Sheriff's Office and Red Lodge Fire Rescue are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the Carbon County Sheriff's Office at 406-446-1234.
RELATED Q2 COVERAGE:
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