According to an RCMP release, two missing hikers were found dead at the bottom of a ridge in Crowsnest Pass, located in southwestern Alberta, on Friday July 28.
The two men were identified as Greg Gaudette and Jonah Swen. They were located by search and rescue crews at Mount Coulthard, about 12 kilometres from Coleman.
Their bodies were successfully recovered with the help of a long-line helicopter from Fernie, British Columbia. These helicopters use a long line to rescue or recover hikers from vertical or overhanging rock faces.
The two men were hiking the North York Creek Plane Crash Trail the day before their bodies were discovered. This 20.3-kilometre loop trail is generally considered a challenging route.
On average, it takes about six hours to complete the loop and features moderate rocky climbs. The trail is named after the 1946 plane crash of the Royal Canadian Air Force Dakota aircraft, which is still in the area.
Greg Gaudette was 34 years old and a Lethbridge fire and EMS team member. His wife, Colby Gaudette, described him as the best father and husband she could have asked for.
“Flags will be lowered at City Hall and our five fire stations in his honour,” the city said in a release.
Jonah Swen was 35 years old and an Alberta Health Services (AHS) EMS employee. He was a valued AHS Emergency Services team member who worked as an advanced care paramedic and emergency department nurse.
“We share our deepest condolences to the families of those involved in this tragic incident. In his honour, flags will be lowered at all AHS EMS stations,” public information officer Stuart Brideaux told CBC News.
Greg Gaudette and Jonah Swen were best friends. They began working together at Káínawa (Blood Tribe) in southern, Alberta, where they worked for EMS.
“Jonah and Greg both played high school football…So they knew each other from football in high school, and then both of them became EMTs,” Grace Garratt, Jonah Swen’s fiancée, told CTV News.
“They became very, very close, and they have been kind of attached at the hip since then,” she continued.
Jonah died the day before he would have turned 36. Greg leaves behind his wife and 13-month-old son, Kace. Both men were extraordinary and left a positive mark on those around them.
