Montana Father and Son Rescued From Fire on Hike

KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — A Whitefish man and his son were rescued from Glacier National Park's backcountry shortly after a fire began Sunday afternoon.

Marc Roston and his son Simon were hiking the Nyack-Coal Creek loop and had planned on camping in the Nyack area on Sunday night, but the Thompson Fire changed those plans.

Roston estimates they were about 5 miles from the fire when they spotted it. They decided to turn back toward a campground where they'd spent the previous night. They were exhausted after completing a 2,000-foot descent, and now they faced the return trip.

However, Roston and his son had filed backcountry permits with their planned route and when the fire started, park rangers began looking for them. They were rescued by helicopter.

Roston said paying for the backcountry permits was the best $30 he'd ever spent.