FALL FROM TREE, BEARS

Wyoming, Tetons

At 0730 on August 14, 1985, Susan K. Walker (32) telephoned the Jenny Lake Ranger Station to register for a solo one-day climb of the East Ridge of Buck Mountain.

According to a friend, Walker departed the Whitegrass parking area to begin her hike into Buck Mountain about 0915. Prior to leaving, Walker had promised to meet her friend and her husband for an early dinner that evening. When Walker failed to return from her climb, her friends traveled to Lupine Meadows to report the overdue Walker to climbing Ranger John Carr at 2230. Carr notified Ranger Burgette and left a note for Ranger Jackson who was scheduled to be SAR Coordinator for the following day.

Upon his return to Lupine Meadows about 0200 on August 15, Jackson read the note left by Carr and immediately contacted Carr for more information. Although a climber would not normally be considered overdue until later in the morning, Jackson, considering Walker’s excellent physical condition, level of experience and his personal knowledge of her capabilities, developed a gut feeling that something may have happened to her.

At 0300, a search was initiated. At 0330, Carr and Harrington found that Walker’s mountain bike was padlocked to a tree at Whiteglass Parking Area indicating that she had not yet returned. Carr started searching up from the base of Stewart Draw. Harrington ascended the drainage immediately south of Stewart Draw.

About 0530, Carr found Susan Walker lying dead beside the trail about the 2485 meter elevation in Stewart Draw. Walker’s body temperature and degree of rigor mortis suggested to Carr that she may have been dead for several hours. The body was lying in a state of easy repose near the base of a tree and touching the trail. A tree branch was lying across her body. Carr could see no physical evidence which would indicate an obvious cause of death. He reported the situation to the SAR Coordinator by radio, secured the scene and awaited daylight. As daylight became available, Carr could see deep scratch marks in the tree near which Walker’s body lay. He also found what appeared to be bear tracks on the trail and evidence which suggested that Walker may have encountred a bear, climbed a tree, and fallen to her death.

Harrington, in the interim, had contacted another hiking party of three who were camped at the horse camp above the accident site. They told Harrington that they had met Walker and talked with her briefly the previous evening around 1730. Walker had summit- ted, and she asked them if they had seen any bears. She mentioned to them that she was afraid of bears.

Harrington joined Carr and together they secured the scene until the investigative team arrived. (Source: John Krambrink, Ranger, Grand Teton National Park)

Analysis

An extensive investigation revealed that Walker, while descending the trailhead through Stewart Draw, encountered an adult bear with one or more cubs. She retreated a short distance, dropped her pack, and climbed a tree to reach safety. The bear, for reasons which are still uncertain (perhaps to protect a cub), climbed some distance up the tree in pursuit of Walker, who had climbed nearly to the top, some 22 meters. The section of freshly broken terminal branch of a tree found lying across Walker’s left leg matched the broken double top of the tree at the base of which the body was found. (Source: John Krambrink, Ranger, Grand Teton National Park)