News Release

Hiker Falls on the Root Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Date: July 12, 2022
Contact: Carrie Wittmer, 907-822-7255

Copper Center, AK – On Monday, July 11, 2022, 65-year-old Peter Townsend from Homer, AK sustained lower leg injuries from a ground-level fall on the Root Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve near Kennecott, AK.   

Park Rangers and volunteers with the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Search and Rescue Team responded to the scene.  Townsend was transported off the glacier to Kennecott by litter and then transferred to an ambulance in Chitina, AK for transport to advanced medical care.