A second body has been recovered following a rockslide at Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park.
In an update Friday afternoon, Parks Canada confirmed the second body was discovered by the Parks Canada dog team and by using infrared technology Thursday night, however, due to instability and continued hazards, the individual could not be recovered until the morning after it was deemed safe for visitor safety specialists to recover the body. RCMP are in the process of notifying the hiker’s next of kin.
RCMP continued to scan the area over the rest of the evening until it got dark.
A 70-year-old woman from Calgary was the first reported victim of the incident, which happened around 1:30 p.m. MDT on Thursday. She has been identified by her former employer, the University of Alberta, as Jutta Hinrichs, a longtime leader in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine who retired last summer.
In a statement to 660 NewsRadio, the post-secondary says it is saddened to hear of the sudden and tragic loss of Hinrichs.
“Jutta was a dedicated leader and educator in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Department of Occupational Therapy from September 2012 until her retirement last July,” a school representative said. “She was integral to developing a southern Alberta satellite for the department, growing it from the seeds of her deep clinical and leadership experience in the Calgary area.
“As an educator, Jutta nurtured many students, preceptors and clinicians to flourish and grow. That her work continues to enrich the tapestry of occupational therapy in Alberta is her legacy.”
Three others who were taken to hospital by STARS Air Ambulance and ground ambulance on June 19 are all reported to be in stable condition. In total 13 people were evacuated from the area following the rockslide.
RCMP say at this time, there are no additional people who have been reported missing and no additional unidentified vehicles at the trailhead at Bow Lake.
Parks Canada visitor safety will continue to work Friday with support from a geotechnical engineer with Canada Task Force One (CAN-TF1 Vancouver), as well as members of Canada Task Force Two (CAN-TF2 Calgary) and their partners in the Calgary Police Service.
François Masse, the Parks Canada Superintendent of the Lake Louise, Yoho, and Kootenay Field Unit, said Friday afternoon that the size of the rockslide couldn’t be measured at this time; however, he said, “the scope and size of this rockfall is extremely rare for the mountain.”
Masse would go on to explain the freeze-thaw cycle will cause small rocks or boulders to break off over time.
“What is less frequent, which was exceptional, in this case, is the size of the slab that detached at one time,” Masse explained.
“We’ve been able to see from the video, we’ve been able to see from debris on the round that what happened here was a very large-sized of rock, so probably a very deep crack behind the front of the rock wall, so that is not occurring very often, that’s why we’re saying this was an exceptional magnitude.”
Bow Lake and the trail to Bow Hut have reopened. However, Bow Glacier Falls remains closed to all visitors for the foreseeable future until further assessments can confirm that the trail is safe.
Parks Canada confirmed that a similar rockfall happened in 2023 in a similar area. Injuries were reported in that incident; however, they were minor.
The Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail is a nine-kilometre route open year-round, running along the edges of Bow Lake. It’s considered a moderate challenge for hikers, and day-trippers include families.
CityNews has spoken to several hikers in the area following the rockslide, who expressed concerns regarding hiking in remote areas that have limited or no cell service.
Parks Canada said that all hikers who are planning on traveling to a remote area should educate themselves on the trail, conditions and potential hazards of the area, and carry protective equipment like a helmet. Carrying a satellite phone and letting someone know where you plan on hiking, parking, and the vehicle you are taking to the hike is also recommended.
A no-fly zone remains in place to ensure public safety and for park operations.
Banff National Park remains open and safe to visit.
‘It was like a tidal wave’
Elizabeth Jackson, who lives in Cochrane, regularly hikes in Kananaskis Country.
She made the two-hour drive out to Bow Glacier Falls early Thursday morning to do a solo hike she had completed twice before.
This one, however, will be one she will never forget.
“I was right there when it happened,” she told 660 NewsRadio. ” I was below the group of hikers that stayed up there and unfortunately, one member of that group didn’t make it out.”
Jackson said she had stopped to chat with one of the women in the group who wanted to pet her dogs.
“I just heard this cracking sound and I looked to my left and just saw this huge shelf of rock dropping, just completely letting go,” she recalled. “That sound will forever make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.”
She adds that most hikers know what rock fall sounds like, but this was different.
“To hear that much coming down, it was like a tidal wave,” Jackson said, describing the deafening sound.
It was at this point she began to fear for her life.
“I just knew there’s no way I could survive that amount of rock coming at me,” she said. “I’ve never thought I was going to die before, that was definitely the first time in my life where I thought I was going to die.”
Jackson ran as fast as she could away from the scene and began pitching in to help those who were injured.
She and others on the trail began activating their emergency satellite devices. About an hour later, helicopters arrived to rescue Jackson and the other hikers.
A lover of the mountains who was raised in B.C., Jackson says this incident has changed the way she feels about spending time in the Rockies.
“If I ever do that hike again, I will go to just the viewpoint, and that’s the furthest I would ever go,” she said. “The mountains aren’t forgiving and you always have to be prepared, and you just have to be very careful.
“I hope it doesn’t stop me from hiking entirely. I’m sure I’ll get out there again, but as of right now, I just don’t really feel like it.”
-With files from Logan Stein and The Canadian Press