Cyclists escape fire, take refuge in Whitefish

A group of cyclists riding across the country found refuge in Whitefish after the Reynolds Creek Wildfire forced their evacuation from Glacier National Park.

The 31 college-age cyclists with 4k For Cancer are riding from Baltimore to Seattle this summer to bring awareness to youth cancer. On July 21, the 52nd day of their ride, the group stopped in St. Mary for an afternoon of hiking and swimming.

On the way back from a day hike to a waterfall, one of the cyclists noticed a plume of smoke in the distance.

“By the time I reached near our campsite again, I turned around behind me and saw a ton of smoke,” team member Jennifer Elkin wrote in a blog post. “There were wildfires coming from the trail that I just came from, meaning that my team was right there.”

Moments later, the fire blew up and an emergency evacuation was ordered. Some in the group caught rides away from the blaze, while others were told by Park rangers to run to safety.

“It was quite a panic scene,” Elkin said. “My team was breathing in a lot of the smoke, since they were close to the scene. I could still breathe in the smoke, and I was already back to the campsite. The ashes were falling everywhere.”

She said it was scary not having cellphone service to confirm that everyone on the team was OK.

“Luckily, everyone met back at the campground, and we were all accounted for,” she said.

While the cyclists were fleeing the raging fire, a few groups in Whitefish were preparing to assist in any way they could.

Knights of Columbus Council member Rod Samdahl was planning to host the cyclists later in the week, but after learning of their situation, he rallied for help.

Samdahl and his wife, Laura, arranged for the group to stay at the Whitefish United Methodist Church that night, where they used the kitchen to cook meals and slept on the floor.

North Valley Food Bank provided food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, while The Wave allowed the group use of their showers.

“All of this was put together quickly by a few individuals without filling out a single government form, without a permits and without direction or controls,” Samdahl said. “This is how volunteerism is supposed to work.”

The group spent the next day relaxing in Whitefish before saddling up again.

“The whole group of young people was so grateful and they thanked us many times,” Samdahl said.