Rescuers Race Winter Storm To Find Lost Hiker

On the morning of December 7th, rangers came upon a vehicle parked near the Door and Window Trailhead that they noted had not moved since the previous day. Since hikers and overnight campers are not unusual, rangers were not initially concerned, but began a preliminary investigation anyways to ensure that the vehicle’s occupants would not be taken by surprise by a fast-moving winter storm forecast for the area later that evening. The rangers quickly learned that the vehicle’s sole occupant, Julia Urbanski, 22, had been reported missing by her fiancé when she failed to arrive in Bozeman, Montana, the previous night. Urbanski’s last communication had been a text message she had sent her fiancé informing him that she had arrived at Badlands National Park and was stunned by the park’s beauty. The park quickly organized a hasty search, utilizing most available personnel. Because of the extremely rugged terrain east of Urbanski’s last known location, additional outside searchers and air support were requested. As a perimeter was established and ground teams began working their way into high probability areas, searchers learned that Urbanski had little backcountry experience and no cold weather gear with her. Air search efforts were delayed by the poor visibility and the steady advance of the winter storm system. After approximately four hours of searching, several of the ground teams located footprints in the snow that had fallen over the previous night. Once tracks were found, searchers quickly located Urbanski, who was found suffering from the cold but otherwise uninjured. Urbanski was found deep in the badland crevasses east of the parking lot, about a mile from the point where she was last seen. Urbanski reported that she’d wandered off the heavily-used Door Trail and become lost in the maze of ravines and crevasses in the badland formations. She said that she was unable to climb any of the formations because of the snow and ice. Realizing that she was lost and that darkness was approaching, Urbanski searched for a safe place to stay the night and filled her clothing with pine needles and leaves to help stay warm. At first light, Urbanski moved to the only open area she could find, hoping that the park would use helicopters to search for her the following day. When searchers found her, the only winter clothing she had with her was a stocking cap and light jacket.