A climber dies after falling from the Dragon’s Tail in Glacier National Park
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David Williams and Jeremy Harlan, CNN
(CNN) — A climber died at Glacier National Park in Montana after falling several hundred feet from a ridge known as the Dragon’s Tail.
The 20-year-old man, identified as Josh Yarrow, was attempting to retrieve a backpack on Tuesday evening when he fell, the National Park Service said in a statement.
A climbing partner saw Yarrow fall and went to get help, according to the park service..
Park rangers received the accident report at about 7:45 p.m. and began a search and rescue operation. A rescue helicopter was able to recover Yarrow’s body.
Yarrow was from Wichita, Kansas, and had gotten a summer job with a business in the West Glacier area, according to the statement.
The Dragon’s Tail is a steep, off-trail climbing route southwest of Reynolds Mountain. It’s not far from Logan Pass, which is popular with visitors and the highest elevation in the park that can be reached by car.
The terrain is very rugged and drops off on either side of the ridge, a park service spokeswoman told CNN.
Last week rescuers had to save another climber, who was hurt after sliding down a snowfield in the Logan Pass area.
Falls while hiking and climbing and drowning are the leading causes of death in Glacier National Park.
This was the second death at the park this year.
The body of a missing Idaho man was found in the Hidden Meadow area south of Polebridge on July 1.
The owners of the guest house where George Calvin Adams was staying reported him missing and authorities found his vehicle at the trailhead of Hidden Meadow Trail on June 29, according to a park service statement.
A helicopter search crew found his body in an inaccessible area and the cause of death was not known, but animal attack was not suspected, the statement said.
More than 3 million people visited Glacier National Park last year.
Attendance has been lower this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The park closed on March 24 and partially reopened last month, park officials said.
Visitors can expect congestion on the park’s west side and parking spaces have been filling up at about 8 a.m. the spokeswoman said.