Kalispell Man Recovered from Middle Fork Flathead River Identified
Search teams recovered the body of John Fitch, 43, on June 21 after his raft flipped in rapids below Moccasin Creek
By Maggie Dresser
A Kalispell man who died after his raft flipped in whitewater rapids below Moccasin Creek on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River on June 21 has been identified as 43-year-old John Fitch, according to a Flathead County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Last Tuesday, the sheriff’s office received a report of an individual thrown from a boat while running the rapids in high water. The man, later identified as Fitch, was spotted floating down the Middle Fork, prompting a search-and-rescue response involving multiple agencies. There were two other people in the rafting party who reported the incident and were uninjured, Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said last week.
North Valley Search and Rescue teams recovered Fitch’s body near the Glacier View Golf Course in West Glacier.
Fitch was wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident, according to the release.