The episode opens with Colter and a search and rescue worker named Roger (Diego Klattenhoff), looking for two young female snowboarders in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana. They find tracks going in two different directions and split up. Colter immediately finds Shelly (Lexi Simonsen), and his buddy just as quickly finds her sister Brianna (Madison Lawlor). Shelly is suffering badly from a head injury, and both girls have hypothermia. They can’t be moved off the mountain until she gets better. Plus, the SAT phone is smashed.
If you thought Colter Shaw had already been through enough, think again. Tracker Season 2, Episode 16 throws a curveball no one saw coming—Colter joins a Search & Rescue (S&R) unit. And it’s not just a cameo. This is a full-on dive into dangerous missions, emotional stakes, and new dynamics. Whether you’ve been following Tracker since day one or just tuned in for the hype, this episode is a must-watch. Let’s dig into why it’s such a big deal.
Colter puts his survivalist skills to work. He builds a campfire so the girls can warm up. Brianna tells a scary story fit for the crackling glow: she and her sister separated because she saw a man wearing antlers in the woods and tried to follow him. The search and rescue guy heads back towards cell service, and Colter goes looking for more firewood. He’s not gone long before he runs into a cabin with electricity and a girl, Amelia (Ariana Guera), not much older than Shelly and Brianna, dancing on the porch. The girl knocks on the cabin, and two brothers named Dash (Sean Depner) and Rufus (Jedidiah Goodacre) jovially emerge. They welcome the three of them into their home and serve them soup. But when Colter mentions that Roger is still out there, they share some furtive looks.
Now, we’ve had plenty of hints about Colter’s unconventional childhood on Tracker. We know his upbringing lacked a lot of normal activities. But has he never seen a horror movie before? How does he not immediately clock that something is off about the young adults living off the grid on a “digital detox” in a cabin? Sure, the fact that Depner played the antagonist (and incredibly named) Brett Weston Wallis on Riverdale and Goodacre played Dorian Gray on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina makes it more obvious to the viewer. But still! Given the aforementioned Yellowjackets parallels, it’s honestly a miracle that the protein in the stew was actually elk and not something worse.
Colter leaves the girls with these strangers to search for Roger on foot, which again seems deeply irresponsible. Sure enough, he finds Roger bleeding in the woods. He got injured by a trip wire. Then someone starts shooting at them! They manage to stumble back to the cabin, but wouldn’t you know it… the girls and the “digital detoxxers” are gone with the only working snowmobile. Not only that, but some photographs in a drawer indicate that it was not in their family at all. Colter goes out back and finds the dead bodies of the real owners in a tool shed.
Episode 16 of Tracker Season 2 isn’t just another week in the woods. It redefines who Colter Shaw is, adds emotional depth, and raises the stakes in thrilling new ways. From high-octane rescues to internal growth, it’s the kind of episode that sticks with you. If this is the new normal for Tracker, fans are in for one hell of a ride.
