Broken Wrist & an Amazing Rescue on the Hike to Grinnell Glacier

Glacier National Park has been on my bucket list for many years. My husband always said he wanted to visit the park before the glaciers disappeared. Since my husband's death in 2017, I've been on a quest to visit all the places we had on our list.

August 22, 2023, would have been my husband's 69th birthday. I decided a trip to Glacier National Park would be the perfect way to celebrate his birthday.

As I researched things to do in the National Park, I learned of a much-loved hike to Grinnell Glacier.

Grinnell Glacier is in the heart of Glacier National Park. The Glacier is named for George Bird Grinnell, a strong advocate for the creation of this beautiful National Park. The hike to Grinnell Glacier is approximately 10 miles round trip from the Many Glacier Hotel with an elevation gain of over 1800 feet.

The first time I saw a glacier was on our Alaska cruise in 2004 while celebrating my husband's 50th birthday. Since then, I've seen glaciers in other parts of Alaska and Norway. As I was making my plans for this National Park adventure, I thought it would be a shame to go to Glacier National Park and not see a glacier. Needless to say, I was determined to get to Grinnell Glacier.

I arrived at Many Glacier Hotel on the afternoon of August 15. I spent the remainder of the day settling into my beautiful room overlooking the Swiftcurrent Lake and exploring all that this beautiful hotel had to offer.

***This is the beautiful view from my hotel room.***

***Below are photos of the hotel lobby and surrounding area.***

The next day, I had three things planned. The first was a hike around Swiftcurrent Lake. This hike is a 2.6-mile loop with no elevation. The starting point for this hike was directly behind the hotel. I was excited to get started on this adventure.

I left the hotel at 7:30am well equipped with water, snacks, cell phone, map, identification, and the infamous ***Bear Spray***.

As I approached the trail head, I said a quick prayer. I wanted to see a bear at a distance for a picture. I wasn't interested in having one close enough to use bear spray.

As I began this hike, I whistled and sang songs so that I wouldn't surprise any animals - especially bears. It didn't take long for me to see other people on this hike. Within a half hour, there was constant movement of people coming and going on this beautiful trek around Swiftcurrent Lake.

The second thing on my list was the hike to Red Rock Falls.

Now, this is truly where the wrist-breaking story begins. God's amazing grace and presence is interspersed throughout this story -- and that story begins here.

The hike to Red Rock Falls is 1.7 miles with a 200-foot elevation gain. The trail begins behind the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. I walked 1.3 miles from my hotel to the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. As I proceeded down the first stretch of the trail, I came to a crossroad. I stood in the center of this intersection with map in hand trying to figure out which way to go.

After a few minutes, I saw a woman walking toward me with trekking poles. I asked her if she knew the way to Red Rock Falls. She knew exactly which way to go and with confidence said, "It's this way. I've been there before."

This is the first angel in this wrist-breaking story. After introducing ourselves, we continued walking and sharing our stories. Cary Hofstad and I are the same age, and we are both widows. She lost her husband four years ago to pancreatic cancer. I lost my husband six years ago to lymphoma. Twenty-eight years ago, Cary and her husband, Dave built their dream home in Kalispell, Montana, located three hours from the National Park. We had a great time visiting with each other on this trail. When we completed the hike, we exchanged contact info. Somehow, we both sensed a strong connection. I knew God placed this woman in my life and I was happy to meet her but at the time didn't realize the role she would play in this wrist-breaking story.

The last thing I had planned for my first full day in Glacier National Park was to take a boat tour of Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. The dock for this tour is located directly behind the Many Glacier Hotel. On this tour, one boat takes you across Swiftcurrent Lake. You then hike a short distance to another boat on Lake Josephine. At the end of Lake Josephine, you can exit the boat and hike to Grinnell Glacier. My plan was to hike to Grinnell Glacier the next day, so I remained on the boat.

This is the beautiful creature that greeted us as we pulled into the dock at the end of Lake Josephine. ***My first moose sighting!*** It was a great way to end the first day.

The next day, I woke up ready for Grinnell Glacier. I gathered all my equipment and started on the hike from the hotel at 7:30am. Before long the trail was bubbling with all sorts of folks with the same look of determination. We all wanted to see the glacier.

On the way, we were all pleasantly surprised to see this beautiful moose at the end of Lake Josephine.

As stated earlier, the elevation gain for this hike is over 1800 feet. It was a constant climb up. At first there were tree roots to climb over. Then, it was a never-ending path of stairs made up of all different kinds of rocks. The path was approximately three feet wide on the edge of a cliff the entire way up.

I huffed and puffed. I made numerous stops, ate snacks, and drank lots of water. The scenery kept getting better and better as I was climbing ever so slowly upward.

As people came down from the glacier, I would ask, "How much further???" No matter who I asked, they all had the same response, "It's a long way, but well worth it."

I was determined but I was also very tired. I was one mile before the glacier when I tripped and fell face forward bracing myself with my left hand. As I fell forward, I watched my left hand spring backward and immediately swell. I got myself to a sitting position and cradled my left hand in the palm of my right hand. As I looked up toward the glacier, standing before me was a gentleman who was about my age. I said, "This isn't good." He then said, "No it isn't. How are we going to get you down???"

Within seconds hikers coming up the trail started stopping on this ledge and offering assistance. Because I could see that my hand was swelling, I wanted to get my wedding rings off. I heard a woman's voice behind me, and I asked her if she could help me get my rings off. She had Vaseline lip balm in her backpack. She swirled it around my finger and then put the rings on my necklace and tucked the chain in my shirt. It was a relief to know that my wedding bands were safe. Once that was done, I lowered my head because I started feeling lightheaded but I could hear people all around me asking questions. What is your name? How old are you? I'm going to take your phone. I need your thumb print so we can get in your phone. Who are your emergency contacts? Do you have ID?

One person was standing on a rock with her arm and phone extended high looking for a signal and was relaying text messages to Park Rangers below.

Another person grabbed paper and a pen and was listing all my emergency information as I answered their questions.

Two others decided that my wrist needed to be splint. They gathered two small sticks, and another offered a scarf and they began wrapping my left wrist.

Somewhere in the middle of all this activity, I passed out. When I came to, I felt so comfortable. My back was completely flat and my left arm, with a makeshift splint, was across my chest. When I lifted my head, I could see my knees. I knew I was safe and there were still plenty of people around me.

One of the women said, "Tell me how you fell." When I described the fall, several of them in unison said this strange word FOOSH. They then explained that it was an acronym which stands for a Fall On An Outstretched Hand. They all agreed that I was going to need an x-ray. They asked about my medical history and provided 800mg of Motrin.

As the scenario continued with texting to Park Rangers and a barrage of questions, I finally looked at all these beautiful young people and said, "Who are you people and where did all of you come from?"

One by one, they shared their names and professions. Until this incident, most did not know each other. I asked them to write down their names and email addresses. Some of them wrote down only their first names.

Here is the list of my On Trail Med Team Angels.

Grace is a Physician Assistant with a specialty in Gastroenterology.

Bridget is a Registered Nurse.

Carolyn and Jake are Physical Therapists.

As they each said their names and their professions, I noticed a young man standing next to Grace. When my eyes moved toward him, Grace said, "This is Frank. He's an economist."

These five beautiful people took the time to stop and help me. I was so grateful and amazed at the level of commitment in each of them.

After several texts to the Park Rangers, Grace announced that the Rangers were on their way, although we didn't know how they would arrive. I tried to convince them to continue their hike but none of them would leave. "Besides," Grace said, "if they come by helicopter, we might get a free ride!" We all laughed and then wondered how this would be accomplished on a three-foot ledge.

While waiting, many people passed in both directions offering water, snacks, and first aid supplies. One of these people coming down from the glacier was Nicole Gurtler. She quickly looked over the situation and then announced that she was a pediatrician and asked how she could help. Grace filled her in on all the details. Nicole then announced that since she had already been to the glacier, she was more than happy to wait with me while the others completed the hike. Grace then gave her cell phone to Nicole with password instructions so that the connection with the Park Rangers wouldn't be lost. She then instructed Nicole to leave the phone with the front desk at Many Glacier Hotel.

I can't begin to tell you how blown away I was by this entire event and yet, this wrist-breaking story is not even half over.

More text messages came in from the Park Rangers announcing that they would be arriving on foot. After a while, Nicole and I decided to make our way down the trail. We took it very slowly and talked the entire way.

Nicole is a 29-year-old pediatrician at a hospital in Seattle. She was on the trail that day with twelve family members including her parents. As we gradually made our way down the trail, I remembered the waterfall area on the path. This section of the trail had a waterfall coming down.

You could choose to walk close to the wall and get completely wet or walk near the edge of the rocky landing and avoid getting drenched. I was able to get across this part when coming up the trail. But now with my left hand in a sling, I wasn't as confident.

As I shared my concerns with Nicole, a young couple behind me said, "We'll help you." They were wonderful. The young man held my right hand as he walked backwards down the trail while the waterfall splashed next to us.

When we got across, I thanked him and he immediately said, "If there are any more rough spots ahead, we'll wait for you."

Wow! Words can't express how I felt at that moment and yet the journey continued.

Finally, after a mile further down the trail, we met up with the Park Rangers. I hugged Nicole and thanked her so much as we said our goodbyes, not realizing that I would see her later at the hotel.

Park Ranger Ed Miller then checked my fingers and pulse for circulation and informed me that we had a seat on both boats back to Many Glacier Hotel where an ambulance would be waiting for us. Park Ranger Linnea Benson was also my escort down the trail.

As we continued our long slow journey downward, I learned that Park Ranger Ed was from Rochester, New York. Park Ranger Linnea had a very interesting background. Her parents were both Park Rangers in Glacier National Park. Linnea and her two sisters spent all their summers in this beautiful National Park with her parents. In the winter months, her family lived in Indiana. Linnea knew everything there was to know about the park including the names of plants, trees, and animals. At one point she picked a fern-like plant from the crevice of a rock, announced its name, and then placed it under my nose. It smelled wonderful.

As we continued our journey, another person, Lisa from New Jersey, was added to our group after she fell and decided she couldn't go any further.

I started this hike at 7:30am. My accident occurred at 10:30am. We finally arrived at the hotel at 4pm. The ambulance was waiting.

Because I travel alone, I was concerned how I would get back to the hotel after the hospital visit. The ambulance driver informed me that they would be taking me to a hospital in Browning, Montana, 45 minutes away. He didn't know how I would get back to the hotel and also didn't know if Uber was available since the hospital was located on an Indian reservation.

I was feeling fine. I had no pain. I could wiggle my fingers. So, I decided that I would drive myself to the hospital. I went to the front desk of the hotel and asked about my hospital options. While the front desk staff was researching hospital information on the computer, I remembered my new friend Cary who I met the day before on the hike to Red Rocks Falls. I called Cary and left a voice message asking her about hospital choices. In the meantime, the front desk staff gave me a phone number to the triage nurse station at Logan Hospital in Kalispell, Montana. Heather was the triage nurse that I spoke with. Between my conversations with Heather and text messages from Cary, it was decided that I would drive to the hospital in Whitefish, Montana.

As I was exiting the National Park on the gravel road, I got a flat tire.

Life is crazy!

A couple from Washington state and a man from Minnesota put on the donut spare tire. I don't remember their names, but I clearly remember their license plates. The Washington couple followed me back to the hotel.

As I walked through the hotel lobby, I saw Nicole. While hotel staff were calling the Park Rangers to assist my wrist situation, Nicole came up with a great plan. Go to Kalispell for medical care, drop off the rental car in Kalispell, and catch a flight home. The Park Rangers returned to the hotel and Park Ranger Ashley Golly properly splinted my wrist.

I made a lot of phone calls that night. The next morning, I got my tire fixed in Browning, Montana and then headed to the Urgent Care Clinic in Kalispell where the x-rays clearly confirmed a break. I was then instructed to go to the Emergency Room where I received the medical care that was needed by amazing staff.

The next day, my new friend, Cary from Kalispell picked me up at the airport hotel. We had lunch together and talked as if we had known each other for many years.

One of my favorite scriptures is from the Gospel of John.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)

There is an awful lot of darkness in this world. Falling on a three-foot ledge miles above the ground was one of those dark moments. However, the light of Christ always shines in the darkness. Every single person in this story displayed the light of Christ. I do not know the religious affiliation of any of the people that helped me. But because we are all wired for God, He can use us in so many different ways. All we need to do is say yes to Him and to those around us. It was so evident that every person in this story said yes to God and to their fellow man. I for one am so grateful for each of them. I truly believe that what God wants us to do is to love Him and to love each other the way He loves us. Love is a very powerful thing, and it is the only thing that can get you off a mountain even after a FOOSH.

Thank you to all who helped in this wrist-breaking adventure. God bless each of you always!!

I am also happy to share that my next book is being finalized with reviewers and proofreaders. Stay tuned for the book cover reveal and book launch date. If you loved my latest book – Mary’s Life Journey & Her Amazing Yes! (which recently received an award from the Catholic Media Association and five star reviews from Readers’ Favorite and the OnLineBookClub) – then you will love my next book. Subscribe below to be sure you receive all the updates on books and blogs. Be sure to share this page with your family and friends.