Two hikers were airlifted by emergency helicopters after suffering injuries on the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park in separate incidents over the weekend.

The two women were treated for minor injuries at Kalispell Regional Medical Center and had been discharged as of Monday morning, according to hospital spokeswoman Allison Meilicke.

One of the hikers, a 15-year-old girl, was transported by ALERT medical helicopter to the hospital after she fainted while hiking the Highline on Sunday.

According to ALERT pilot Matt Weller, a woman also injured her knee while hiking at about the same time. Weller said ALERT was unable to land near the patient, prompting the crew to call for Two Bear Air, a private search-and-rescue operation, which maneuvered into the area and hoisted the woman out before she was transported by private ambulance to the Kalispell hospital.

Weller said the trail was packed with hikers after it opened for the season last week. A relatively easy hike directly across from the high-volume Logan Pass Visitor Center, the crowded Highline Trail precluded responders from bringing the injured hiker out on a stretcher.

“The Highline Trail is one of the busiest trails, and it was the busiest I’ve ever seen it,” Weller said. “We were all blown away by how many people were up there.”

Further complicating the scene, park rangers told the team as they headed to the 15-year-old victim that a sow grizzly bear and a cub had just been seen near the alpine trail, but ALERT flight nurse Liz Sheehan said they managed to avoid any bear encounters.

The ALERT and Two Bear Air crews had a busy day, responding to another hiking injury on Sunday near Doris Lake in the Swan Mountains.

Sheehan said a 27-year-old man sustained a concussion and abrasions to his head after falling 15 to 20 feet down a cliffside while scouting for mule deer with a friend.

“He went head over feet and then he saw a rock coming up and he put his right arm up, and that’s what actually stopped him,” Sheehan said.

Weller said the ALERT helicopter responded after the man’s friend used his cell phone to call for help, but the crew was again unable to land near the victim in the steep terrain.

“It was a remote spot. We tried to land in a couple places, and it was doable, but it was really going to be difficult to get the medical crew to him at this point,” he said. “I could have put them on the top of the mountain, but probably couldn’t have gotten much medical equipment out of there.”

Two Bear Air was able to hoist the man to the waiting ALERT helicopter, which transported him to Kalispell Regional. He was treated and had been discharged from the hospital by Monday.

Sheehan added that the man was likely too compromised by the concussion to successfully navigate back down the trail.

“He was dizzy and he could have really hurt himself trying to get out,” Sheehan said. “His friend did a great job because he actually wanted to hike down, but his friend wouldn’t let him, which was a wise move.”

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.