Glacier National Park officials suspect a body they found over the weekend is that of a man who fell into Avalanche Creek in July.
At about 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, a park visitor alerted rangers to a body they saw in Avalanche Creek below the gorge, according to a news release from Glacier National Park. Rangers pulled the body from the water.
Officials suspect the body recovered on Saturday is that of Siddhant Vitthal Patil, a 26-year-old man from Indian who fell into Avalanche Creek, a popular destination in the park which is north east of Lake MacDonald, and drowned on July 6. Rangers have been searching for his body since.
The Flathead County coroner is working to officially confirm the identity through DNA and dental records, the news release stated. Clothing and gear Patil was wearing (according to his friends) were also found on Saturday.
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Recovery crews temporarily closed Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake Trail on Saturday, but reopened them in the later afternoon.
“Rangers suspected that the body was being held underwater by submerged obstacles such as fallen trees or rocks and were limited in their ability to search the gorge for weeks due to water depth and whitewater conditions during spring/summer runoff,” the news release stated. “As the water level dropped, rangers were able to probe larger portions of the gorge with long poles but were unable to reach the deepest and most dangerous areas.”
Patil was hiking with friends above the gorge on Avalanche Lake Trail on July 6, according to park officials. He strayed from the trail and while standing on a large rock fell into the creek.
“It is unclear if he slipped on a wet portion of the rock or lost his balance,” the news release stated. “Friends and witnesses saw him go into the creek, go underwater, and resurface briefly before being swept up by the current and into the gorge.”
According to the news release, ALERT helicopters searched for Patil in the air after he went into the water on July 6. Rangers looked on the ground, too, and found personal items downstream. Since July 6, ground search efforts continued. Rangers used a drone multiple times over the gorge looking for the body.
Patil was living and working in California during his visit to Glacier National Park, according to the release.
“Park officials offer their sincerest condolences to family and friends and hope that recovering the body helps bring closure to loved ones,” it stated.
Zoë Buchli is the education reporter for the Missoulian.
