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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 22, 2011 - 04:31pm PT
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I have created this thread to archive on-topic and other interesting incidents from www.nps.gov/morningreport
From Aug 9th, 2011
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Rangers Conduct Simultaneous Rescues In Garnet Canyon
Rangers conducted two rescues in Garnet Canyon on the afternoon of Saturday, August 6th. The first incident was reported to the Jenny Lake Ranger Station at 11 a.m. that morning. Robert Martin, 70, of Birmingham, Alabama, was hiking down a snowfield near Spaulding Falls in Garnet Canyon when he slipped, fell and tumbled into piles of rocks. Two hikers in the area at the time helped Martin descend to the Meadows area of Garnet Canyon, where rangers eventually met the party. One hiker descended the canyon to get cell phone service and placed an emergency call directly to the ranger station. Martin was part of a private party that intended to summit the Grand on Saturday. After spending Friday night at the Lower Saddle, Martin and his son decided not to attempt the climb but hike out instead. An EMT and emergency room nurse, who were in the area encountered Martin and provided initial medical care until rangers arrived on scene at 11:45 a.m. Rangers determined Martin's injuries to be severe enough that he would not be able to safely hike out of the canyon, so requested that the Teton interagency contract helicopter fly him from a landing zone in the Meadows to the rescue cache at Lupine Meadows. He was met there by a park ambulance and transported to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further treatment. Martin did not have a helmet, ice axe, or crampons during his mountain trek. While on scene with Martin, rangers were notified just before 1 p.m. of another individual who needed medical assistance. Heather Hanamaikai, 34, of Rexburg, Idaho, had intended to summit the Grand with her party on Saturday, but started feeling ill and began a retreat from the base of the headwall of the Lower Saddle. Hanamaikai was descending on her own when the ER nurse who had assisted Martin encountered her and directed Hanamaikai to stop and wait for help. Given the nature of Hanamaikai's illness, rangers decided to stabilize her and assist her in hiking down to the Meadows in Garnet Canyon, where she was also met by the interagency helicopter and flown inside the ship to Lupine Meadows.
[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Specialist]
Edit: anyone can add reports, please do not alter them however. Unfortunately, the NPS no longer has their Morning Report archives available on the public web, I remember some real funny ones in the past like the people who ran Cataract Canyon in a canoe because somehow they MISSED the confluence of the of the Green and Colorado.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
or some such
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Aug 22, 2011 - 04:36pm PT
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That's sad. Folks really need to understand that it can get REAL in a hurry.
Hopin' for the best for all involved.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 22, 2011 - 04:45pm PT
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Here's a funny one from today...
New River Gorge National River (WV)
Three Cited In Bath Salts Drug Case
On the afternoon of August 1st, rangers received report of a naked woman on a remote bank of the New River. She'd flagged down a passing party of private boaters, saying that she was being chased by someone. In short order, rangers were able to make contact and she told them she and two others had snorted "bath salts" the previous night. She also told rangers her friends were in the woods and that their car was parked somewhere in the area - but she was not really sure where. With the aid of a West Virginia Department of Forestry bloodhound, the woman's vehicle was soon located. It was found wrecked and stuck on a remote dirt road. As the search progressed, another woman and a man, both naked, soon emerged from the woods asking for help; both were under the influence of bath salts. All three of the people had spent most of the night wandering in the woods and were dehydrated and suffered from numerous cuts and insect bites. They were all transported to a local hospital by ambulance for treatment. Investigation revealed that the trio had driven to a remote part of the park the previous day and set up a "camp" by the roadside near Dowdy Creek. After ingesting the bath salts, they stripped naked due to the heat and then became separated from one another, wandering around in the woods until discovered by rangers. Rangers issued citations to the trio at the hospital. This is the second known bath salts incident handled by rangers during the summer. In both cases, subjects hallucinated and became paranoid under the influence of the drug, wrecked their vehicles, and were taken from their accident scenes by EMS. Ranger CW Mitchem was IC for the incident and is the case ranger.
[Submitted by Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
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Staples10
climber
Around the Way
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Aug 23, 2011 - 08:14am PT
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News from Grand Teton National Park:
August 20, 2011
<i>Just before dark on Friday August 19, Grand Teton National Park rangers rescued a 28-year-old climber after he became stranded near the top of the Grand Stand below the North Face of the Grand Teton. Jesse Selwyn of Florence, Montana and his climbing partner intended to climb the Black Ice Couloir on the northwest side of the Grand. Selwyn and his companion could not find the entrance to the Black Ice Couloir and got off route. They ended up on the Grand Stand instead.
At 4:55 p.m., the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received notification from the Teton County Sheriff’s office that an individual had activated a SPOT rescue locator somewhere on the Grand Teton. Rangers requested a Teton Interagency helicopter to conduct a reconnaissance flight to assess the situation. A ranger inside the helicopter used a white board with the words “OK?” written on it to ask the climbers if they were alright. The climbers gave a thumbs down sign, so rangers responded by writing the words “rescue?” and the climbers gave a thumbs up, indicating they were in trouble and needed help.
Based on the climbers’ location, rangers flew inside the helicopter to a landing zone on the west side of Teewinot Mountain. From there, one ranger was inserted via short-haul to Selwyn’s location just after 8 p.m. Once on scene, the ranger prepared Selwyn for a short-haul evacuation off the mountain to Lupine Meadows rescue cache on the valley floor. Selwyn was uninjured and released soon after landing. Short-haul is a rescue technique where an individual is suspended below the helicopter on a 100 to 200 foot rope. This method allows a rescuer more direct and expedient access to an injured or stranded party; it is often used in the Tetons where conditions make it difficult to land a helicopter in high-elevation, steep and rocky terrain. Patients are typically flown out via short-haul below the ship with a ranger attending to them, as was the case for this rescue.
After rescuing Selwyn, the helicopter made one last flight to retrieve the other rangers from the landing zone on Teewinot. The ship landed back at Lupine Meadows at 8:47 p.m., just two minutes before it was required to stop flying due to darkness. This time is called the “pumpkin hour,” and is 30 minutes after official sunset.
By the time rangers reached Selwyn, his climbing partner had begun to backtrack the route in hopes of reaching the lower saddle before it got too dark to continue. After realizing it was too dark to safely backtrack across the Valhalla Traverse, Selwyn’s partner decided to spend the night on the mountain and begin his retreat again at first light on Saturday. The climbing partner reached the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton just before 8:30 a.m. on August 20.</i>
Dear Jesse Selwyn,
Fvck you. You didn't take responsibility for yourself and risked the lives of the rescuers and wasted precious park resources. If your partner, who was clearly wearing his Big Boy pants, was able to walk out (across a traverse I know well; it's just as easy to traverse south as it is north), then you have no excuse unless you were bleeding from every orifice.
So, you are hereby directed to leave the mountains to the adults. I hope the Park Service sends you a bill. Jackass.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 23, 2011 - 02:33pm PT
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So, you are hereby directed to leave the mountains to the adults. I hope the Park Service sends you a bill. Jackass
lol. It seems that GT has alot of "climbers" that don't know what they are doing...
Here's another, a Tale of Two Rescues
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Two Climbers Rescued In Separate Incidents
Rangers twice last week rescued injured climbers from park peaks. A climber attempting to scale the Middle Teton on Tuesday required rescue by rangers after sustaining injuries from a fall. Steven Zaleski, 43, of Madison, Wisconsin, and two companions were on the approach to Buckingham Ridge, the southeast ridge of the Middle Teton, when Zaleski pulled off a loose block of rock and fell about 15 feet. The Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received an emergency phone call from a member of Zaleski's climbing party just after 9 a.m. A contract helicopter flew rangers to a backcountry landing zone in the South Fork of Garnet Canyon, and the rangers then hiked to Zaleski's location, arriving on scene at 11 a.m. They determined that Zaleski would not be able to hike out of the canyon on his own due to the nature of his injuries and prepared him for a helicopter evacuation. He was flown via short-haul to the South Fork landing zone and then taken to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further treatment. Zaleski and his climbing companions were unroped on the approach and scrambling on fourth-class rock. Each of the climbers had appropriate climbing gear; they were all wearing helmets and carrying ice axes and crampons at the time of the accident. On Thursday, rangers conducted a 1,200-foot technical lowering operation on the north side of Nez Perce Peak to rescue a 21-year-old climber who fell about 100 feet and suffered injuries that made it impossible for her to hike further. Laura Mason of Royal Oak, Michigan, was glissading a snowfield to the west of the Hourglass Couloirs when she ran into the rocks at the base of the snowfield. Rangers, who were assisting another hiker with minor injuries, received notice of Mason's accident at 11 a.m. Once they reunited the hiker with his party, they hastily made their way to Mason's location on Nez Perce Peak and arrived on scene at 11:30 a.m. After reaching Mason, rangers determined that high winds were not favorable for a helicopter short-haul operation. Two other rangers on routine backcountry patrols (one on Disappointment Peak and another between the South and Middle Tetons) were summoned to assist with a ground-based rescue. An additional ranger and three Teton interagency helitack personnel were flown up from the valley by contract helicopter into to assist in the technical lowering operation. Mason was placed in a rescue litter and rangers rigged ropes to carefully lower her down the snowfield to the Garnet Canyon Meadows landing zone. Rangers lowered Mason 300 feet at a time in four separate sets. The last set placed her at a location near the landing zone at the Cave Couloir in the upper meadows of Garnet Canyon. She was then flown to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further treatment. Mason and her four climbing partners intended to summit the Middle Teton. Two of her partners turned around earlier in the day, while the rest of the group continued up but strayed off route. After realizing they were in the wrong location, Mason and her climbing partners started descending in an attempt to find the correct route. Although Mason was carrying an ice axe, rangers do not believe she was wearing a helmet or carrying crampons on her mountain trek. This incident marked the third rescue this year involving a climber or hiker who received significant injuries while glissading down a snowfield.
[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Specialist
Imagine the thought process:
let's see, do I need an Ice Axe? Yes. If I need an Ice Axe, do I need a helmet and crampons? No, I guess not...do I?
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 24, 2011 - 03:03pm PT
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Finally, someone serving time for this....
Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Man Sentenced To Jail For Petroglyph Defacement
David Smith, 21, of Bullhead City, Arizona, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $9,995 in restitution for defacing petroglyphs with paint balls in the Grapevine Canyon area of the park. Grapevine Canyon is considered one of the most sacred places by Colorado River Indian tribes, and the sentence followed a two-hour hearing in which members of six different Colorado River Indian tribes addressed the court. Smith, who pled guilty to a charge of unlawful defacement of an archeological resource, a felony violation of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, was also ordered to serve a year of supervised release and to perform 50 hours of community service. Grapevine Canyon lies within the park just west of Laughlin, Nevada. The area contains over 700 petroglyphs and numerous rock shelters, and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Smith admitted that he passed signs at the entrance to the canyon saying that it contained cultural resources and that it was illegal to damage and deface them. He also admitted that he knew that the petroglyphs were important to Native Americans. Smith used a fully automatic paint-ball gun and oil-based pellets to shoot at the petroglyphs. Approximately 38 areas containing petroglyphs were defaced, and hundreds of paint balls were scattered and recovered from the Canyon. A ranger investigated after receiving a report that people were in the canyon with spray paint. Smith was with two other individuals, one of whom was a 12-year-old boy. Park staff, assisted by members of area tribes, removed the paint, but residue remains on the petroglyph panels. Colorado River tribes view the Grapevine Canyon area as sacred and believe it is the birthplace of many of their tribes. Archeologists believe that the area has been inhabited and used by humans for at least 1100 years.
[Submitted by Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Specialist]
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Aug 24, 2011 - 03:16pm PT
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It would be nice to at least call out each NPS report posted, that has "alleged" climbers. The reports are short, but often one can tell that they are hikers with overly ambitious goals for their skills.
Maybe a scale
1. likely a hiker
2. potentially inexperienced
3. climber caught in a bad circumstance
bummer about the archives. Clint Cummins turned me onto those. They were fascinating, but I always worried that the park service used the term 'climbers' too loosely and that they would then define their rescue policy about 'climbers' on these "climbers."
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Aug 24, 2011 - 04:49pm PT
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Maybe a scale
1. likely a hiker
2. potentially inexperienced
3. climber caught in a bad circumstance
There's always Tom Patey's scale:
1. A beginner. Someone (often dead) who should be kept away from the cliffs at all costs.
2. An experienced climber. Someone whose death was inevitable.
John
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 13, 2011 - 04:18pm PT
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From the 9-13-2011 report:
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Injured Climber Rescued from Face Of Thunderbolt Peak
On the evening of August 23rd, park dispatch was informed of a mountaineering accident on Thunderbolt Peak in the North Palisades of Kings Canyon National Park. Thunderbolt Peak is a 14,003-foot peak with a popular Class 4 ascent route. Rangers began mobilizing that evening, with the first ranger on scene hiking through the night and arriving in the area before 6 a.m. That ranger was able to confirm calls for help coming from the mountain. Two additional rangers were flown to the area and conducted an aerial reconnaissance, locating the climber on a cliff face above the 13,000-foot elevation. He was on a small sloping ledge in otherwise completely vertical terrain. A possible short haul operation was dismissed due to unstable and increasing winds. The two rangers were flown to a landing zone near Barrett Lakes, where they began a 1,300-foot Class 4 and 5 ascent to the victim. They reached him in mid-afternoon and found that he was suffering from exposure and from open fractures to his right leg and left arm. As they were preparing to spend the night on the ledge with him and continue evacuation operations in the morning, there was a brief window of clear and calm weather. A short haul operation was begun and the climber was successfully removed from the ledge and taken to the base of the mountain. He was then flown to Bishop, California, where he was admitted into the hospital.
[Submitted by Ned Kelleher, District Ranger]
Yosemite National Park (CA)
Missing Hiker’s Body Found In Tent By Searchers
Tuolumne rangers received a report on September 2nd that Gene Hall, 69, of Olympia, Washington, was overdue from his solo hiking trip on the High Sierra Camp loop. Hall had made arrangements to meet his daughter for dinner after his trip on September 1st and had not been at the scheduled engagement. His rental car was soon located at a nearby trailhead, and an investigation revealed that Hall had last been seen at Vogelsang High Sierra Camp on either August 29th or 30th when he ate a meal there. Camp records showed that he had not arrived at Merced Lake as planned on the 30th. Since relatives indicated that Hall intended to climb Vogelsang Peak and possibly other nearby peaks, an air and ground search was begun. At that point, Hall had not been seen for several days, and the search area was extensive. Four other agencies assisted the NPS in the effort, which included 65 search personnel and a multidisciplinary incident command team assembled from within Yosemite. On the afternoon of September 3rd, a dog team found Hall's body in his tent off trail near Fletcher Lake. An investigation is underway but preliminary evidence indicates that he died of natural causes.
[Submitted by Kevin Killian, Deputy Chief Ranger]
From the Sept 8th, 2011 report:
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
VC Evacuated Following Accidental Bear Spray Discharge
As a park ranger was greeting visitors for a morning program in the Colter Bay auditorium this past Tuesday, a man sat down on what was apparently his unsecured can of bear spray, causing the can to discharge its contents of highly irritating spray into the room. The irritating element in bear spray is oleoresin capsicum, the same element in the pepper spray carried by law enforcement rangers but with a higher percentage of the irritant. The ranger immediately recognized what had happened and directed all the occupants to the emergency exits. The visitor who accidently discharged the bear spray ran from the room and building. Park emergency personnel were notified of the incident, as the building's air handling systems moved the residual pepper spray into the main lobby. The first arriving units found approximately 20 employees and visitors in the main lobby coughing and experiencing other side effects from the pepper spray. Incident command was established and the building was evacuated, after which structural fire personnel in full PPE began ventilating the building and emergency medical staff evaluated both employees and visitors. All the affected individuals declined medical treatment. Visitor services were continued through the day at portable tables in front of the visitor center while cleanup was begun by facility management staff. Cleanup presented a challenging task, though, as the irritant is dispersed in an oil-based aerosol that attaches to any surface it contacts, including vinyl, plastics, carpeting, clothing and human skin. The cooperating association bagged and sealed many soft items, such as t-shirts and stuffed animals, for decontamination at a later date. Rangers were unsuccessful in locating the person who discharged the bear spray, but statements from the interpreter in the room and other visitors indicate that the discharge was accidental. The visitor center was reopened on Wednesday.
[Submitted by Patrick Hattaway, North District Ranger/Incident Commander]
From Sept 6th, 2011
Glacier National Park
Body Of Missing Seasonal Employee Found
Search personnel found the body of seasonal employee Jacob "Jake" Rigby last Friday afternoon. It was found on the mountain known as "8888" in the southern end of the park. The initial investigation indicates that Rigby may have fallen approximately 800 feet on the north side of the extremely steep mountain. Rigby's body was spotted by helicopter personnel during an aerial search of the high-probability area between Ole Creek and Park Creek drainages. The extensive search effort began on Monday, August 29th, after Rigby was reported overdue from a personal day hike in the park the previous day. More than 50 people helped with the search efforts. Personnel from Flathead Valley Search and Rescue and the Flathead National Forest assisted with the search. Rigby, 27, had worked for the exotic plant team at the park for the past three summers. He also worked at other National Park Service sites during the winter season.
[Submitted by Denise Germann, Public Affairs Specialist]
From Sept 2nd, 2011
North Cascades National Park (WA)
Climber Rescued From Mixup Peak
Around midnight on August 25th, rangers received a 911 call reporting that a climber had taken a 60-foot "leader" fall near the summit on the east face of 7,440-foot Mixup Peak. Two members of the group of six climbers went for help and reported that the injured climber had sustained a potential head injury and broken lower leg. Meanwhile, the three remaining climbers lowered the injured climber to a shallow, down-sloping ledge that was nearly 2,000 feet above the glacier below. Rangers organized a rescue for the next morning after a reconnaissance flight determined that a helicopter short haul operation was the safest and most efficient recovery method to use. Two rangers were short hauled to the site to stabilize and package the patient, who was then short hauled to an ALS ambulance at the closest trailhead. Kelly Bush, Wilderness District Ranger, was incident commander.
[Submitted by Kinsey Shilling, Chief Ranger]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 13, 2011 - 04:19pm PT
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One more, from Sept 1st, 2011...
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Body Discovered Near Tanner Beach
A ranger at the Mather Campground on the South Rim received a report of a hiker possibly in distress on the Tanner Trail last Sunday morning. The backpackers who made the report told the ranger that they ran into a hiker on the Tanner Trail on Friday and that he appeared to be exhausted and had abandoned his pack further down the trail. The pair, who were also feeling heat-stressed, provided the hiker with additional water and told him they didn't think he could make it out. They urged him to go with them down to the river. He refused, saying he wanted to continue up the trail. On their way to the river, the pair passed the man's abandoned pack. On Saturday, as the pair began their return journey, they again passed the abandoned pack, took note of the permit information, and looked for the distressed hiker as they continued to their next campsite. They were carrying an extra gallon of water in case they ran into him again. On Sunday, they finished their backpacking trip without again seeing the distressed hiker. Concerned for his welfare, they reported their encounter with the hiker as soon as they returned to the rim. After receiving the report and determining that the hiker's car was still parked at the trailhead, rangers called for the park's helicopter to fly the Tanner Trail in an effort to quickly locate the man. Late in the morning, the helicopter's crew reported spotting a body in a wash just above Tanner Beach. Rangers who arrived at the scene confirmed that the body matched the description of the hiker that the backpackers encountered on Friday. The body was prepared for transport then flown to the South Rim by helicopter and transferred to the Coconino County medical examiner. The Tanner is a rugged, exposed trail. High temperatures over the period from Wednesday through Sunday ranged from 103 to 108 degrees at the Colorado River.
[Submitted by Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Specialist]
Comment: I wouln't want to do the Tanner trail in the summer!
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 14, 2011 - 03:51pm PT
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Some items from today's (9-14) report
Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Flash Flood Causes Significant Damage, Closures
Torrential rains caused widespread flash flooding in the Pinto Basin and Cottonwood Spring areas of Joshua Tree National Park yesterday morning. Extensive flood damage occurred to Park Route 11 - the Pinto Basin Road - with loss of pavement in numerous areas. The Cottonwood Visitor Center was flooded and parts of the Cottonwood Campground were washed away. Until further notice, Park Route 11 is closed from the entrance of White Tank Campground to the park's south boundary at Interstate 10. The Cottonwood Visitor Center and Cottonwood Campground are also closed. No visitors or park employees were injured during the flood event and no vehicles were damaged. It is estimated that at least three inches of rain fell during the morning storm. Park crews are continuing to assess the full extent of the damage though it may be some time before complete damage estimates are available.
[Submitted by Joe Zarki, Public Information Officer]
Colorado National Monument (CO)
Body Of Apparent Suicide Victim Recovered
Rangers responded to an apparent suicide just after midnight on Friday, September 9th, when a visitor called 911 to report seeing a woman run and jump off the edge of a cliff near Cold Shivers Point. Units from Glade Park and Grand Junction Fire Departments responded to assist the rangers. Due to darkness and hazardous terrain, search and recovery operations were suspended until first light. The body of a 24-year-old Grand Junction woman was located and recovered below Cold Shivers Point on Saturday by the Mesa County Technical Rescue Team. The recovery involved an approximately 300-foot technical raise from the base of cliff. The Mesa County Coroner's Office assisted with the investigation and notifications to the family.
[Submitted by Karen McKinlay-Jones, Acting Chief Ranger]
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 15, 2011 - 11:22am PT
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Did the smell go away after the tasing?
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Sep 15, 2011 - 12:38pm PT
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Shenandoah National Park (VA)
Disoriented Hiker Found After Multi-Day Search
Last week, a DC area hiking club contacted the park and reported that a member of their group had become separated from the party on the Lower Hawksbill Trail. The missing 53-year-old man had just joined the hiking club for the first time that morning, so the person who called had limited helpful information. Moreover, no one actually saw him with the group once they started on the trail. The parking area they started from serves numerous trails that go off in virtually every direction.
With no information to work with, only hasty searches of the extensive trail system could be conducted on the following day. Those hasty searches did provide one lead, a possible witness who reported seeing someone along the Appalachian Trail above Timber Hollow with the one identifying feature of the missing hiker - he hiked with an ice axe, something not normally seen in Shenandoah in August. But the man was described as very disoriented and frustrated. This piece of information led to a more focused search of the area around the possible point last seen, although no clues were discovered during the second full day of searching. The investigation however, led to a better understanding of potential problems this hiker may have been experiencing. He was described as an alcohol user who had a history of seizures that would leave him mobile but disoriented for hours at a time.
On the third day of search, teams were sent down into Timber Hollow below the AT, where it seemed likely he may have stumbled or otherwise entered - terrain described as some of the worst in Shenandoah. Almost immediately one team found clues believed to be associated with the missing person, including an empty bottle of vodka. Shortly before noon on the third day, another team found the missing man at the bottom of Timber Hollow, lying in Hawksbill Creek. He was suffering from hypothermia with a body temp of 94 degrees and had a significantly altered mental state.
He was littered to the boundary, where he was picked up by an ambulance that took him to a hospital. The man ultimately spent four days in the hospital, being treated for significant chemical imbalances among other things. Once he regained his mental alertness, he was able to provide some details of his experience. He had started with the group on the trail but was the last in line. He then experienced a seizure shortly into the hike. When he came to, he began to search for his party, but was still somewhat disoriented. The weather had deteriorated, with thick fog and heavy rains.
He remembered meeting the man who had provided searchers with information on the point where he was last seen. After talking with him, he was hiking the AT when he stumbled off the trail and tumbled down the steep slopes, ending up well below the trail. He was injured from the fall but otherwise still able to move. He did not want to climb back up to the trail, so he walked across the slope, hoping the trail came down to him. He ultimately found the drainage and decided to follow it down. He then spent the first night near the bottom of the hollow, and on the following morning continued to look for a way out but started having difficulty with his legs going out. He ultimately just stopped and sat down. He had no memory of what happened on much of the second day. He spent about another 48 hours in stormy weather until the search team found him.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 15, 2011 - 04:54pm PT
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Another one from today, and another who is lucky to be alive!
Canyonlands National Park (UT)
Rangers Find Injured Man Crawling Across Desert
On Friday, September 9th, rangers in the Island in the Sky District began looking into circumstances surrounding a campsite at the Willow Flat campground, which appeared to be abandoned and unoccupied. The investigation led to a search for Amos Richards, a 64-year-old visitor from North Carolina. Details led staff to believe that he may have been in or around the park's Maze District. A search was begun for Richards two days later. He was spotted from a helicopter around 2 p.m. in the area of Little Blue John Canyon, just outside the park's boundary, and was flown to Moab Regional Hospital, where he was treated for leg fractures, internal injuries, trauma, and dehydration. Further investigation revealed that Richards attempted to hike in and out of Lower Blue John Canyon via the entry/exit route between West and Little Blue John Canyons. He fell approximately 10 feet trying to gain the wash bottom, suffering extensive leg trauma in the process. Richards couldn't bear weight on his right leg, so spend the next four days and three nights crawling across the desert in an attempt to get back to his car. He had no overnight gear, warm clothes or a map, but did have five liters of water and two power bars with him. No one knew where he was or what his plans were. It rained on him several times as he crawled across the desert. Richards is expected to fully recover. Matt Jenkins was IC for the search.
[Submitted by Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 15, 2011 - 05:01pm PT
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Ha-ha, Horton2U...where'd you get that one?
Perhaps they should have used pepper spray instead
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Sep 15, 2011 - 06:30pm PT
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Crafty troll.
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Cain J Waters
Mountain climber
Ithaca, NY
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Sep 21, 2011 - 11:56am PT
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Yosemite National Park (CA)
Crisis Negotiator Successfully Intervenes In Suicide Attempt
Monday, September 19, 2011
Park dispatch received a call on the evening of September 9th from a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, regarding an at-risk student. The 31-year-old man had been in cell phone contact with UC Berkeley Health Services throughout the afternoon and had reported that he was on top of a mountain and intended to kill himself. He did not provide a specific location, but, based on conversations in the past, the professor presumed that the student was on top of Half Dome. Rangers stationed in Little Yosemite Valley were directed to the top of Half Dome to attempt to locate the man. Special Response Team members, including ranger and crisis negotiator Rob Lewis, were also dispatched. While responders were en route, a hiker stopped one of the rangers to let him know about a friend of his who was threatening suicide on top of Half Dome. A telephone interview was conducted with the hiker, and Lewis used the information obtained to conduct a crisis negotiation with the man via text message. After a lengthy text message exchange, he called 911, said that he was okay, and asked for help. By this time rangers were arriving on the summit of Half Dome and they were able to secure and hold him while waiting for additional responders to assist in getting him safely down the cables. The man was escorted out of the backcountry, transported to an area medical facility, and held for evaluation. Statements he made during the hike out indicate that Lewis' text messages had caused him to change his mind about jumping. After interviewing the man, a doctor at the medical facility said that he was surprised that he hadn't jumped.
[Submitted by Kevin Killian, Deputy Chief Ranger]
Props to Rob Lewis, Cal faculty and health services and the hiker who reported his friend's possible attempt at suicide.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 28, 2011 - 03:49pm PT
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Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Some Flood-Damaged Facilities Reopen, Others Remain Closed
A section of Pinto Basin Road, damaged in a severe flashflood on September 13th (click here for the initial report), will reopen to the public on Friday. The segment of road that will reopen extends from the present closure at White Tank Campground for approximately nine miles southeast to the Ocotillo Patch pullout. This will allow public access to the popular Cholla Cactus Garden. Also opening on Friday are all park campgrounds and campsites that were closed for the summer due to low visitation. This means that for Friday night all park campgrounds except Cottonwood Campground will be fully open for normal visitor use. Cottonwood Campground will remain closed due to flood damage. The following park areas remain closed due to flood damage:
Cottonwood Campground
Cottonwood Visitor Center
Cottonwood Springs
Black Eagle Mine Road
Old Dale Road
Pinkham Canyon Road
Thermal Canyon Road
All hiking trails originating at Cottonwood Springs
Future updates on repair of recent park storm damage will posted on the park website (www.nps.gov/jotr).
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 29, 2011 - 03:21pm PT
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Yosemite National Park (CA)
Austrian Climber Rescued From El Capitan
Yosemite rangers made a complex, high-angle helicopter rescue of an Austrian climber on El Capitan on the afternoon of Monday, September 26th. The climber and his partner were ascending El Capitan on The Nose Route, a popular and difficult climbing route on the 7,569-foot-high granite monolith in Yosemite Valley. After two days of climbing, they were approximately 1,000 feet below the summit. In mid-afternoon, the lead climber fell, losing his thumb when a secondary rope wrapped around the appendage and severed it. The thumb fell about 80 feet and landed on a two-foot by one-foot ledge, where his partner was able to retrieve it. The climbers then called the park for assistance. Just before 4 p.m., the park's contract helicopter, piloted by Richard Shatto and carrying helitack crew members Jeff Pirog and Eric Small and rangers Jeff Webb and Dave Pope, flew from Yosemite Valley to assess the situation. Although the weather was favorable, impending darkness was an issue and Eric Gabriel, district ranger for Yosemite Valley and IC for the incident, made the decision to attempt to extract the climber via short haul. Gabriel, who had consulted with the park's medical clinic, knew of the short window of time in which the thumb could successfully be reattached and felt the complex mission was worth pursuing. The helicopter hovered near the climbers and Webb and Pope were successfully short-hauled to the injured climber, who was flown back to El Capitan Meadow. He was then transferred to another air medical helicopter to be flown out of the park. Webb remained with the partner overnight and was raised approximately 1,000 feet to the summit the following day using traditional rock-rescue techniques. Later that evening, the injured climber underwent surgery at the California Pacific Medical Center's Davies Campus in San Francisco, where his thumb was successfully reattached. "This was an incredibly technical and complex rescue mission with a lot of inherent risk," said Gabriel. "However, knowing that the thumb could be reattached, coupled with the confidence I have in my team, I made the decision to attempt this rescue. I was relieved and thrilled that this ended successfully and we were able to make a positive difference in this person's life."
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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Sep 29, 2011 - 05:21pm PT
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"thumb fell about 80 feet and landed on a two-foot by one-foot ledge, where his partner was able to retrieve it"
What are the odds?
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 3, 2011 - 05:48pm PT
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Monday, October 03, 2011
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Multi-Agency Search Suspended When Missing Hiker Reappears
An extended search for a man overdue from a hike in Kings Canyon came to a conclusion on Saturday evening when he reappeared in Bishop, California. John Williams began his trip at the Bishop Pass trailhead on Saturday, September 17th, intending to conclude his hike on the following Friday. His planned itinerary included Simpson Meadow, Tehipite Valley, Crown Valley, Blue Canyon, and the John Muir Trail between Evolution Valley and LeConte Canyon. When he failed to return as planned, a search was begun. As of last Friday, the park had committed 45 people to the operation, which was supported by searchers from the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, Tulare County Sheriff's Office, Kern County Sheriff's Office (China Lake Rescue Unit), San Mateo County Sheriff's Office (Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit), Inyo National Forest, and the California Rescue Dog Association. Although more than a week overdue, Williams was in good health.
[Submitted by Dana Dierkes, Public Affairs Specialist]
New River Gorge National River (WV)
BASE Jumper Fined In Federal Court
A BASE jumper who parachuted from the 876-foot-high New River Bridge in May of 2010 has been identified after a year-long investigation and has paid a substantial fine in federal court in West Virginia. BASE jumping is the act of using a parachute to jump from fixed objects, with the four-letter acronym standing for the four categories of objects from which one can jump -building, antenna, span, and earth. BASE jumping is a violation of 36 CFR, and is considered to be one of the most hazardous of parachuting techniques. An investigation was undertaken by rangers and a video of the jump was found on the internet within a few days. The BASE jumper in the video was identified as Andy Lewis, a professional athlete who has represented several organizations. Lewis left the state after the event and several agencies collaborated to track him down. Assistance was provided by the Littleton, Louisville, and Boulder Police Departments in Colorado and the NPS Investigative Services Branch in Denver. On September 14th, Lewis agree to settle the case by paying a fine of $650.
[Submitted by Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 3, 2011 - 05:51pm PT
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"thumb fell about 80 feet and landed on a two-foot by one-foot ledge, where his partner was able to retrieve it"
What are the odds?
Good question! Extremely unlikely events happen all the time, but to actually notice one is unusual.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 4, 2011 - 05:02pm PT
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Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Grizzly Linked To Hiker Deaths Euthanized
A grizzly bear sow and two cubs captured by Yellowstone National Park staff have been linked to the scene of the recent mauling death of a hiker in the Hayden Valley. Results from DNA tests obtained from bear hair and scat samples indicate the 250-pound, six- to seven-year-old sow was present at the scene on the Mary Mountain Trail where hiker John Wallace's body was recovered on August 26th. This is the same bear that was responsible for the death of hiker Brian Matayoshi during a defensive attack on July 6th on the Wapiti Lake Trail. Rangers and an interagency board of review determined Matayoshi's death near Canyon Village on the Wapiti Lake Trail resulted from a defensive attack by the sow protecting her cubs. "We will more than likely never know what role, if any, the sow might have played in Mr. Wallace's death due to the lack of witnesses and presence of multiple bears at the incident scene," said Dan Wenk, the park's superintendent. "But because the DNA analysis indicates the same bear was present at the scene of both fatalities, we euthanized her to eliminate the risk of future interaction with Yellowstone visitors and staff." The adult female grizzly was captured on Wednesday, September 28th; her two cubs were captured the next day and placed in the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. The sow was euthanized on Sunday morning. Grizzly bear cubs typically adapt successfully to captivity. Adult bears that are removed from the wild do not adapt well to captivity. In the Wallace incident, Yellowstone officials determined that at least nine grizzly bears were feeding on two bison carcasses in the area, including one carcass which was located 150 yards from where Wallace was hiking alone on the Mary Mountain Trail. Seventeen bear "daybeds" were also found in the same vicinity. Capture operations, reconnaissance flights, and DNA sampling and testing will continue through the fall. Any future management decisions will be made on a case by case basis for any additional bears that are captured and provide a DNA link to the scene. Hikers are encouraged to travel in groups of three or more, make noise on the trail, and carry bear spray. Visitors are reminded that park regulations require people to stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves and at least 25 yards away from all other large animals.
[Submitted by Public Affairs, Yellowstone NP]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 12, 2011 - 05:28pm PT
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Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Indiana Man Indicted For Child Abuse
On August 28th, rangers contacted a man hiking with his three juvenile grandsons and found reason to believe that he was physically abusing them. They asked for a special agent to assist and a joint investigation was begun. On September 20th, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a six count indictment against Christopher Carlson, 45, for knowing child abuse committed under circumstances likely to produce death or serious bodily injury. The indictment alleges that Carlson took his three grandsons, ages eight, nine and twelve, on two separate hikes in the park in August when temperatures were in excess of 100 degrees and severely limited their water and food, marched and ran them up dangerous terrain, and placed their health at risk. "The indictment alleges that the defendant repeatedly denied food and water to his grandchildren, physically abused them, and placed them in harm's way," said acting U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel. "The children were rescued because of the quick action of park staff and concerned hikers on the same trail. Together, they prevented a tragic outcome." Conviction carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
[Submitted by Christopher Smith, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Investigative Services Branch Central]
Sheesh. What a scumbag. According this article, he is 45 and daughter is 28...
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/29060494/detail.html
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 23, 2011 - 03:28pm PT
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Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Climber Cited For Creating Hazardous Situation
Rangers have completed an investigation stemming from a search and rescue response in August that was initiated by the activation of a SPOT rescue locator. Dave Shade, 33, of Missoula, Montana, was issued a citation because his actions that day created a hazardous situation during a late-hour rescue operation to retrieve his stranded climbing partner, Jesse Selwyn of Florence, Michigan. Shade was charged with disorderly conduct. On Friday, August 19th, Shade and Selwyn intended to climb the Black Ice Couloir on the northwest side of the Grand Teton, but the two climbers could not find the entrance to the couloir and got off route, ending up on the Grandstand. After an extended discussion about how to proceed, Selwyn informed Shade that he felt he was unable to continue. Selwyn said that he believed he would become injured or die if he attempted to retrace the route they had come. He then told Shade that he was going to call for a rescue by activating the SPOT rescue locator that he was carrying. Until that time, Shade did not know that Selwyn was carrying the device. Selwyn then activated the device and rangers were notified. After they hovered over the scene in a Teton Interagency helicopter and Selwyn signaled that he desired a rescue, Shade told Selwyn that he (Shade) did not need to be rescued. Further discussion ensued and ultimately, Shade left with the party's climbing rope, made four rappels and then began to retrace his route to the Valhalla Traverse. Shade made this decision before confirming that rangers were indeed going to return to rescue Selwyn. The citation was issued because Shade assumed a rescue would occur and left his partner, taking their only climbing rope. Shade's decision created a hazardous condition for Selwyn, since at this point there was no guarantee of rescue. Selwyn was reached by rangers that night and was extracted via short haul with darkness imminently approaching. Climbers are reminded that pursuing these activities requires a high level of personal accountability and responsibility. There is no guarantee of your safety or rescue when climbing or traveling in the backcountry. Disorderly conduct is a violation under the Code of Federal Regulations 36§2.34(a)(4).
[Submitted by Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, Public Affairs Officer]
Discussion of this incident here...
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1640310&tn=0
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 10, 2011 - 06:41pm PT
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Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
BASE Jumper Injured
A California man was injured in a BASE jumping accident on the morning of Monday, November 7th. William Fleming, 23, sustained minor injuries when his parachutes was blown onto rocks following an illegal jump from a park cliff. Rescue personnel found Fleming high up in granite rock and boulder formations on the northwest slopes of Ryan Mountain near an area known as the Oyster Bar. He was treated at the scene by search and rescue personnel, airlifted to a nearby parking area, and then taken by ambulance to Desert Regional Hospital in Palm Springs. The park's SAR team was supported by emergency personnel from San Bernardino County Fire Engine 36, Morongo Basin Ambulance, two Riverside County helicopters, and a California Highway Patrol helicopter.
[Submitted by Joe Zarki, Public Affairs Specialist]
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Pacific West Region
Major ARPA Case Concludes With Second Sentencing
An ARPA search warrant was served on a residence in the Sacramento area in California in March 20007 by agents from the NPS and FWS and rangers from the NPS and Sacramento County Parks. The residents were believed to have taken artifacts from NPS, USFS, FWS and Sacramento County Park lands. Interviews resulted in admissions that the residents went to northwestern Nevada on two occasions (2003 and 2006) and collected artifacts from BLM land. The residents knew this activity was illegal and these artifacts were recovered at their home. The suspects also admitted removing artifacts from other publicly owned lands. Searchers found and seized computers, GPS units, maps, photographs showing the residents searching for and collecting artifacts, and other documentary evidence. Officers also discovered approximately 38,000 artifacts on the property and in the vehicles associated with the property. These artifacts included beads and other burial objects, such as abalone breastplates and pendants, projectile points, mortars, pestles, metates, and stone tools. About 100 evidence lots were seized that included roughly 500 artifacts that may have come from federal lands. In June of 2008, damage assessment field work was conducted at the looted site in northwestern Nevada. This resulted in the documentation of over $15,000 in damage. Two of the residents, a father and adult son, were indicted in October 2008 on four felony counts including ARPA, conspiracy, and theft. In July 2010, after extensive negotiations, the father agreed to surrender approximately 30,000 nonfederal artifacts to the California Native American Heritage Commission. These artifacts, predominantly burial goods, were then returned to the appropriate tribes by the commission. In July 2011, the father was sentenced to three years probation, including six months home detention as a condition of his probation, a $3,600 fine, and $100 special penalty assessment based on his one count felony ARPA conviction. In October 2011, following a three hour sentencing hearing that included testimony by a BLM archaeologist and Native American tribal representatives, the adult son was sentenced to 30 days in prison, three months home detention and one year of supervised release for his one count misdemeanor ARPA conviction.
[Submitted by Todd Swain, Special Agent, ISB West]
3 years probation????
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 22, 2011 - 04:02pm PT
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Unusual Condor activity???
Friday, November 18, 2011
INCIDENTS
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Body Found Near Navajo Bridge
On Thursday morning, Peregrine Fund employees contacted rangers at Lees Ferry and reported unusual condor activity in the vicinity of Navajo Bridge, which spans the Colorado River five miles below Lees Ferry. Two rangers checked out the report and found the body of an unidentified man just below the bridge and about 20 feet from the water. The body was retrieved and turned over to the county medical examiner. An investigation into the cause of death is underway.
[Submitted by Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Specialist]
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Overdue Hiker Rescued
The park and California Highway Patrol began an aerial search for an overdue 54-year-old hiker on the morning of Wednesday, November 16th. Searchers determined that the man had planned a five-day trip in Sequoia National Park, beginning at the Wolverton parking lot and ending in the Black Kaweah/Big Arroyo area. During the search, an orange tent was spotted by the CHP helicopter along the expected route. They found the hiker there and flew him back to the park's Ash Mountain helibase. He was in good physical condition despite having encountered challenging snow and avalanche conditions in the backcountry.
[Submitted by Dana Dierkes, Public Affairs Specialist]
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (PA)
Hiker Falls To Her Death In Stream Gorge
Early on the afternoon of Sunday, November 13th, Kathleen Stein, 67, and a friend met in the park at Spackman's Creek to go hiking. The two friends often come to the park to hike, and typically meet at one location, then separate and take different trails. On this occasion, Stein's companion hiked up the main branch of the stream to seek some waterfalls. Stein reportedly had some health issues which kept her from keeping pace with her partner, so she left him to hike along the creek's north rim. When she failed to return, the park was notified and rangers began a hasty search for her late in the evening. Around 10 p.m., they found her blaze orange hat on the rim of the gorge and shortly thereafter discovered her body in the stream below. It appears that she fell over a 100-foot-high embankment and landed face down in the creek. The scene was secured until additional rangers, an NPS special agent, a Pennsylvania State Police forensic unit, and the Pike County coroner arrived to complete the investigation. The park's high-angle rescue team assisted by descending into the gorge and recovering the body. The investigation continues.
[Submitted by Eric Provencher, Deputy Chief Ranger]
Another slob hunter...
Monday, November 14, 2011
INCIDENTS
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Hunter Charged For Killing Bison In Park
A local outfitter licensed to remove legally taken elk from the park notified rangers on November 6th that a hunter had shot and killed a bison within the park's boundaries. Rangers subsequently contacted Daniel Kluth of Kimberly, Idaho, who cooperated and led park staff to the dead bison. Kluth had a Wyoming state permit to shoot a bison on national forest lands. He entered through the park's marked eastern boundary and then walked for two miles inside the park before shooting the animal south of Uhl Hill. Kluth has been charged with illegal taking of wildlife and has a pending mandatory court appearance.
[Submitted by Patrick Hattaway, District Ranger]
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Mr_T
Trad climber
Northern California
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Nov 22, 2011 - 09:51pm PT
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Are you kidding me!?
A BASE jumper who parachuted from the 876-foot-high New River Bridge in May of 2010 has been identified after a year-long investigation...
Lewis left the state after the event and several agencies collaborated to track him down...
On September 14th, Lewis agree to settle the case by paying a fine of $650.
*Multiple agencies are tracking down base jumpers across state lines!?!* An outstanding use of taxpayer money indeed.
Gee I wonder what would happen if multiple agencies collaborated to investigate the events that led to the economic collapse. Or perhaps the SEC might be funded well enough to investigate things like Madoff, Olympus, Enron or other mulit-billion dollar frauds. Sheesh.
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enjoimx
Trad climber
Yosemite, ca
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Nov 22, 2011 - 10:37pm PT
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Yeah that is insane. Andy Lewis too, of recent reel rock tour fame!
I wonder how many parking lot thefts and resource destruction crimes were NOT investigated at the New this year? Probably a lot. But the base jumper again gets the fines and criminal record.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 23, 2011 - 05:48pm PT
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Zion National Park (UT)
Woman Seriously Injured In Canyoneering Accident
On November 15th, a 26-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman completed the Jolly Gulch canyoneering route, a seldom visited route on the east side of the park. The route involves two rappels, one of 160 feet and the other of 100 feet. After completing the rappels, most canyoneers then hike a mile and a half through the canyon to a road. Instead, the pair attempted to free climb up the side of the canyon with the goal of reaching the canyon rim. The woman fell 60 feet from a small ledge to the ground and suffered shoulder and ankle fractures as well as lacerations to her spleen and liver. The man and woman worked at a local resort and made contact with the resort front desk by family radio. The National Park Service response was delayed due to confusion amongst the resort staff, who initially believed resort employees could resolve the incident without assistance. When a Kane County deputy arrived on scene, he requested an immediate response from the Zion SAR team due to the patient's deteriorating condition. Ranger/medics Ryan McDonald-O'Lear and Brandon Torres responded and stabilized the hypotensive patient. Ranger Therese Picard was the incident operations chief and led the rope raising operation, which was conducted entirely in the dark. Members of the Kane County Search and Rescue Team assisted with the operation and coordinated the medical helicopter evacuation. The woman survived and is currently in stable condition. The man was cited for failing to obtain a required canyoneering wilderness permit.
[Submitted by Ray O’Neil, Plateau District Ranger]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 6, 2011 - 05:40pm PT
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Second body found from the Vernal Falls accident...(old news, I know!)
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
INCIDENTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yosemite National Park (CA)
Body of Missing Man Recovered
The body of Ninos Yacoub, 27, one of three hikers swept over Vernal Fall last July, was found in the Merced River approximately 100 yards below the Vernal Fall footbridge last Tuesday. Yacoub has been missing since July 19th, when he, Hormiz David, 22, and Ramina Badal, 21, were seen being swept over the 317-foot-high waterfall. David's body was found on August 5th approximately 240 feet below the waterfall. Another body was found in the same general area as Yacoub's last Saturday. Positive identification has not been made, but is expected within the next several days. The park will issue a news release when the body is positively identified
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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"3 years probation????" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From "Pacific West Region
Major ARPA Case Concludes With Second Sentencing" 6 or 7 posts above.
How could stealing artifacts of this volume and over the duration of time it would take only result in limited jail time and probation? Shouldn't the number of offenses be compounding?
Erik
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 7, 2011 - 04:56pm PT
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It was probably difficult to prove where many of the artifacts were from, some may have come from private land, although I bet the land owners didn't always know about it.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 9, 2011 - 12:56pm PT
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Thursday, December 08, 2011
INCIDENTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Five Killed In Tour Helicopter Crash
A tour helicopter operated by Sundance Helicopters crashed just before 5 p.m. yesterday on the western side of the River Mountains within the park. All five people on board were killed. The National Park Service, Las Vegas Metro Police, Clark County Fire and Henderson Fire responded to the initial call. The helicopter was on a tour flight from McCarran International Airport to Hoover Dam and crashed along a normal route take by tour helicopters. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are due to arrive on scene today. The identities of the deceased will not be released until the remains have been recovered and next of kin have been notified. Updates will be available on the park's Twitter site at http://www.twitter.com/lakemeadnra. A map showing the location of the crash site can be found at http://binged.it/s2JMKi. Operations will resume this morning; the first incident will be posted at 9 a.m. Pacific Time.
[Submitted by Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs]
Yosemite National Park (CA)
Body Of Third Waterfall Victim Found
A body found in the Merced River last Saturday about 120 yards below the Vernal Fall footbridge has been positively identified as that of 21-year-old Ramina Badal, who was swept over the 317-foot-high waterfall last July 19th along with Hormiz David, 22, and Ninos Yacoub, 27. David's body was found on August 5th and Yacoub's was recovered on November 29th. The three victims were visiting the park with family and friends when they entered the water above Vernal Fall, approximately 25 feet from the precipice. Witnesses reported that several people urged them to step back from the river, since it was flowing swiftly and was extremely cold. The area is signed as a dangerous area, and the trio had crossed a metal guardrail placed there to keep visitors away from the dangerous, fast-moving water. Park staff and personnel from several other agencies had been searching for the bodies since July. Fluctuating water levels in the Merced River, changing weather conditions, and treacherous terrain contributed to a difficult and challenging search. However, with low water levels in the Merced River and dry weather, rangers were able to access areas within the river corridor that were previously impossible to search.
[Submitted by Scott Gediman and Kari Cobb]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 13, 2011 - 02:33pm PT
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New River Gorge National River (WV)
BASE Jumpers Cited For Parachuting From Bridge
Ranger Randy Fisher developed information that a BASE jump group out of Ohio was planning on making multiple parachute jumps from the New River Gorge Bridge this last weekend. On the night of December 10th, as a full moon rose over the gorge, the ranger assigned to observe the bridge for activity heard and then saw several individuals parachuting from the catwalk below the bridge. The river was flowing around 20,000 cubic feet per second, very high for this time of the year. Due to the high water, the only place available for the BASE jumpers to land was the railroad track. The surveillance ranger watched as the jumpers were picked up by someone in a vehicle and was able to vector in rangers stationed nearby. Rangers stopped the vehicle a short distance away and found five people from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana inside. They also discovered four deployed parachutes. A total of nine mandatory appearance citations were issued for trespassing, illegal air delivery, and for aiding and abetting illegal air delivery. One of the five had previously been cited by rangers for trespassing on the bridge while attempting an illegal BASE jump. Rangers Karl Keach, Randy Fisher, Nate Freier, and District Ranger Frank Sellers worked the case.
[Submitted by Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Dec 13, 2011 - 03:38pm PT
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Wow, four rangers spending hours to catch a few guys parachuting.
You'd think they were child molesters. I guess I just don't understand the need to spend big bucks, hours, court time and the rest to go after this activity. Never jumped myself but it seems out of balance to me
Peace
Karl
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 13, 2011 - 06:01pm PT
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There would probably be alot of problems* associated with unrestricted jumping. They do have a day set aside for jumping...
http://www.nps.gov/neri/photosmultimedia/Bridge-Day-Photos.htm
*like if those guys had landed in the 20,000 cfs river or in front of an oncoming train
Also, I suspect, the LE rangers are pretty bored this time of year :)
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 16, 2011 - 02:51pm PT
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New River Gorge National River (WV)
Rangers Assist In Takedown Of Stolen Vehicle Ring
On October 17th, a ranger received a tip concerning a possible stolen Featherlite trailer stashed in the Quinnimont area of the park. While investigating the report, he saw a local man driving away with the trailer in tow and recognized him as someone rangers had previously charged with theft offenses in the park. After a short chase that eventually left the park, he was able to stop the man and determine that the trailer was stolen. The man was arrested by state police, charged with theft, released by the court, and restricted to home confinement. Several towns exist within the park's boundaries and the only major thoroughfares in this part of the state pass through the park. Rangers began receiving information from residents of local communities to the effect that the man was involved in the transporting of stolen vehicles, property, weapons and drugs - much of the activity occurring with the park. The rangers passed the information on to state police and federal prosecutors. Investigators assigned to the case asked that rangers remain involved due to the quality and quantity of verified information they were able to provide. While out on home confinement, the man was tracked via his monitoring device and found to be spending a good deal of time traveling back and forth through the park at all hours of the day and night. On November 7th, with the assistance of a National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) agent, rangers and state troopers verified a stolen vehicle with an obliterated vehicle identification number dumped in a remote area just outside of the park and linked it to the man. On November 14th, he was arrested for violations of his home confinement. On the following day, rangers, state troopers, and the NICB agent linked two other vehicles and a trailer that had been stolen in the area with the man and connected them with his travels through the park. Based on information provided by an informant, investigators believed there were more stolen vehicles at his brother's residence which were linked to the criminal enterprise. State police conducted a helicopter flyover of the property before Thanksgiving, which revealed a number of vehicles that were consistent in description with stolen vehicle reports and corroborated information gathered from numerous sources. Additional information indicated that there was a stolen vehicle chop shop on the property. The numerous backcountry roads through the park and ready access to major thoroughfares made this an ideal location for such an operation. On December 5th, rangers and the NICB assisted state police with the execution of a search warrant on the brother's property. The results of that warrant confirmed a dozen stolen trucks and approx 20 others with the VINs obliterated that are believed to be stolen. Also found were a stolen UTV, two stolen ATVs, a stolen tractor, a stolen lawnmower, a stolen trailer, a stolen diesel tank, 63 firearms (several stolen), and evidence of cockfighting. Rangers and state police executed a similar search warrant on the same property in the mid 1990's to recover a John Deere tractor that had been stolen from the park by the same suspects. West Virginia State Police authorities have commended the rangers for their investigative determination, local knowledge, and community interaction, without which the case would not have progressed as quickly or completely as it did.
[Submitted by Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
My comment:
Making their way, the only way they know how, just a little bit more than the law will allow! Yee-HAW! :)
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 5, 2012 - 03:07am PT
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Monday, January 02, 2012
INCIDENTS
Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Ranger Shot And Killed By Assailant
Ranger Margaret Anderson, 34, was shot and killed on the road to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park on Sunday morning. As of this time (early on Monday), the assailant is still at large and a manhunt is underway.
The incident began when a car failed to stop at a required tire chain checkpoint. A ranger tried to pull the car over, and, when it failed to stop, Anderson established a road block with her vehicle. The assailant jumped from his car and opened fire with a shotgun, fatally wounding her. He then fled on foot into the woods. Rangers and law enforcement officers from various agencies responded. The Pierce County SWAT team arrived on scene and they, too, were fired upon while rendering aid to Anderson.
Law enforcement officers closed the park road, evacuated park visitors from Longmire, and locked down Paradise, with all visitors in the area taking refuge in the Jackson Visitor Center. There were 125 park visitors and 17 park staff in the visitor center as of late on Sunday. The visitor center has a restaurant to provide food, restrooms and water, and law enforcement officers are on hand to provide protection.
The search for the murderer continued into the night, with fixed wing aircraft using forward looking infrared to scan the ground. There are a more than 100 officers from a variety of agencies assisting with the manhunt for the shooter, including National Park Service, Pierce County Sheriff, FBI, Washington State Patrol, US Forest Service, City of Enumclaw, and Lewis County Sheriff.
Mount Rainier National Park will remain closed today.
Anderson served at Mount Rainier for four years. She is survived by her husband, also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, and by two young children.
Director Jarvis issued this statement early today:
"Yesterday morning, Park Ranger Margaret Anderson was shot and killed while making a traffic stop at Mount Rainier National Park. As I write this late Sunday night, the murderer is still at large in the park, which has been closed. We are working closely with the FBI and local law enforcement to protect visitors and staff and to track down Margaret's killer and bring him to justice.
"This is a heartbreaking, senseless tragedy. Margaret was just 34 years old. She and her husband Eric, who is also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, have two young children. Margaret was killed while doing her job - protecting the visiting public on one of the park's busiest days of the year.
"Last week, we mourned the death of U.S. Park Police Officer Mike Boehm, who suffered a heart attack while responding to a serious incident in Washington, DC. Mike left behind a wife and a son.
"Our hearts go out to both families, and I ask you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers in the hard days ahead.
"As updates from Rainier are available we will share them with all employees through InsideNPS. These losses are painful reminders of the risks faced by National Park Service employees every day. Please be careful out there and watch out for each other."
[Submitted by Lee Taylor, Chief of Interpretation and Education]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 5, 2012 - 03:08am PT
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
INCIDENTS
Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Suspect In Ranger Killing Found Dead
Ranger Margaret Anderson, 34, was shot and killed on the road to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park on New Year's Day morning. The body of her assailant, Benjamin Barnes, who fled into the backcountry, was found by searchers yesterday afternoon.
The intensive manhunt for Barnes came to an end when searchers in an aircraft spotted a body lying face down and partially submerged in the Paradise River in the vicinity of Narada Falls. Searchers on the ground traversed challenging terrain to reach the spot and confirmed that it was Barnes and that he was dead.
An investigation into the incident is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with park rangers and Pierce County Sheriff's Department officers assisting. The Western Incident Management Team (Denny Ziemann, IC) is en route to the park to assist with planning a memorial service for Anderson and with ongoing park needs. Information on the service will be posted on InsideNPS once it becomes available.
The park will remain closed to the public through today to let staff begin to work through their grief.
On the morning of January 1st, Anderson set up a traffic block to intercept a vehicle that had failed to stop at a chain-up checkpoint. The driver, Benjamin Barnes, opened fire on Anderson, killing her, and then fled on foot into the woods. Anderson had worked at Mount Rainier for three years. She is survived by her husband, Eric, also a ranger in the park, and by two young children.
Mount Rainier National Park closed during the hunt for the gunman, with the park evacuating park visitors to get them out of potential danger. There were 125 visitors in lockdown at the Paradise Visitor Center from Sunday noon until 3:30 a.m. on Monday. They were escorted out of the park in small groups of five vehicles, accompanied by law enforcement officers. There were also 25 visitors at the National Park Inn at Longmire who were evacuated out of the park. Visitors had been held at these locations for their own safety.
Approximately 200 personnel were involved in search operations on Monday, January 2nd. Agencies participating in the search effort included the National Park Service, Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tacoma Police Department, Washington State Patrol, Customs & Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Forest Service, Pierce County Fire Districts, Lewis County Sheriff's Department, Enumclaw PD, Portland PD, Seattle PD, Snohomish PD, and law enforcement officers from other jurisdictions as well. Resources included K-9 units, armored vehicles, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
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Rock Eagle
Trad climber
Central Coast
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Jan 12, 2012 - 10:27pm PT
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I wonder what they will do for their first anniversary?
WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Newly Engaged Couple Found By Interagency Searchers
On the afternoon of Monday, January 9th, the park learned that two visitors who had been hiking within the dunes since noon were lost and unable to find their way out. Russell Vandameer and Karen Renshaw, both of Oklahoma, left to go hiking with their three dogs, Stitch, Suzy, and Griswald. After finding a suitably beautiful spot within the dunes, Vandemeer proposed to Renshaw. The newly engaged couple than attempted to hike back to their car, but were unable to find their way back. Rather than continue to wander becoming more lost, they contacted a cousin via cell phone and requested that help be sent. An interagency effort was begun that involved the NPS, the Alamo West Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army. While two Army Rescue Blackhawk helicopters were en route from Fort Bliss, approximately an hour away, Holloman Air Force base diverted an F-22 Raptor from a training mission to the search effort. The pilot of the Raptor was able to positively identify the couple with their three dogs. Two Air Force drones were also tasked, which were able to relay specific coordinates and monitor the lost hiker’s location and movement from the air while the Army helicopters were en route. The hikers and their dogs were transported by the Army Blackhawks out of the dunes to the command post, where they were examined by NPS and Alamo West EMS for exposure to the below freezing nighttime temperatures. Renshaw accepted Vandemeer’s marriage proposal. The newly engaged couple invited the Blackhawk crew to the wedding. The search effort was greatly aided by the assistance of the military aircraft, which utilized night vision and infrared equipment to safely locate the hikers after nightfall. Ranger Kelly Roche acted as IC.
Contact Information
Name: Becky Wiles, Acting Superintendent
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 13, 2012 - 11:39pm PT
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Get lost in Area 51? :)
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jan 13, 2012 - 11:48pm PT
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Per the just prior: Lost couple in White Sands!
Ain't it great to see where our taxes go?
A military over-reaction to overdue Okie hikers.
I'm sure all the armed-forces involved will raise their budget requests for 2012, based on their rescue.
I'm not bitching about the military.
I'm bitching about the system.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2012 - 04:45pm PT
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A bunch of new rescues, including another at White Sands...
Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Missing Snowshoer Found By Searchers
A massive search for a snowshoer missing in the park since last Saturday culminated in a successful rescue on Monday night. A team of three searchers led by ranger Jordan Mammel located missing snowshoer Yong Chun Kim at approximately 2 p.m. on Monday afternoon in the Stevens Creek drainage just east of the Paradise area. It took until 11 p.m. to safely evacuate Kim by sled and Snowcat. Despite his ordeal, he was in relatively good health and was able to return home with his family. Kim, 66, was leading a snowshoe walk for a hiking group from Tacoma on Saturday afternoon when he slipped down a steep slope. He was unable to ascend back to the group and told them he would go around and meet them. His hiking companions returned to Paradise; when Kim failed to return by mid-afternoon, the National Park Service began a search that continued through Sunday and into Monday, ultimately involving more than 100 people. Kim is an experienced snowshoer who has done many day trips at Mount Rainier. He was well equipped for day travel but did not have overnight gear or experience. The search took place in mountainous terrain at elevations of from 4,000 to 6,000 feet. The weather was wintry, with fresh snow each day, low temperatures in the teens, and high winds. Organizations that participated in the search include National Park Service staff from Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades National Parks; Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol; German Shepherd Search Dogs; Volcanoes Rescue Team; and Mountain Rescue Units from Tacoma, Everett, Seattle, Olympic, Portland, and Central Washington. The IC was Stefan Lofgren.
[Submitted by Lee Taylor, Chief of Interpretation and Education]
White Sands National Monument (NM)
Autistic Teenager Found After Overnight Search
An autistic teenager was found by the crew of an Air Force Blackhawk helicopter on Monday morning after a 15-hour search. The search was begun for the 15-year-old boy around dusk on Sunday after he wandered away from his family during a visit to the park. Over 100 searchers were involved in the all-night operation, which was managed under a unified command and involved the NPS, Air Force, Army, Border Patrol, New Mexico Search and Rescue, New Mexico State Police, and Alamo West Volunteer Fire and Rescue. The incident began when members of an extended family group from El Paso who had spent the afternoon sledding and picnicking in the park realized that the teen was not with them. They searched for him for about an hour before contacting rangers, who conducted an unsuccessful hasty search of the area. The search was quickly expanded and given high priority due to the teen's autism, impending darkness, and weather. Canine units, ATV searchers, aircraft, and ground personnel were deployed during the night. At first light, additional resources were utilized to expand the operation, including three helicopters (two from the Border Patrol and a Blackhawk helicopter from Kirtland AFB) and several canine units (teams from Holloman AFB, New Mexico Search and Rescue, and the Border Patrol). Ground searchers, all-terrain vehicles, and equestrian teams from all previously listed agencies also supported this complex search and rescue operation. At 10:15 am, personnel in the Blackhawk spotted the teenager walking in the dunes about six miles from the point where he'd last been seen. He was found to be in good health and spirits. The boy was flown to the command post and reunited with his family. The missing teen was excited to have a helicopter ride and asked one of the Blackhawk crewmen for his patch. The crewman ripped the patch off his shoulder and handed it to the rescued teen. The teen's family was extremely grateful and thanked everyone who was involved with bringing their son home.
[Submitted by Becky Wiles, Acting Superintendent]
Glacier National Park
Cross-Country Skiers Rescued From Park
Glacier National Park, Flathead County Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue Team and Kalispell Regional Medical Center's A.L.E.R.T. air ambulance responded to and rescued two cross-country skiers who were lost and stranded overnight in the North Fork area of the park. The married couple from Kalispell sent a 911 message using a spot messenger device, reporting that they were lost and stranded in the park. Flathead County dispatch received the message at approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday evening and determined that the message originated from a remote location approximately a mile north of the Akokala Creek Trail in the North Fork area of park, approximately six miles north of Polebridge. Park rangers were immediately notified and an incident team was organized. Due to bad weather, downed trees, difficult trail conditions, darkness and overall unsafe conditions for ground or aerial searches, it was determined that a response would need to take place early Sunday morning. Operations resumed that day with rangers and members of the county's rescue team snowshoeing and cross-country skiing toward their location. A helicopter joined them when weather conditions improved. The crew spotted tracks on the ground, landed briefly, and dropped off two crew members, who hiked a half mile to the couple's location. They were treated at the scene and flown out. Rangers met them and transported them to the Polebridge Ranger Station. The couple then returned home.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2012 - 04:48pm PT
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I like this monument, it's really remote...anybody been there?
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (NM)
Park Reopens Following Road And VC Repairs
The park reopened on January 10th following a closure of two-and-a-half months due to reconstruction of a highway bridge on the road to the cliff dwellings. The multi-agency Gila Visitor Center has also reopened. It was closed due to ceiling repairs required due to asbestos removal and water damage.
[Submitted by Steve Riley, Superintendent]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 21, 2012 - 01:57am PT
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Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Major Search Underway For Two Missing Parties
Search efforts are underway for two parties overdue from a weekend trips on Mount Rainier. A party of two planning to winter camp on the Muir Snowfield over the weekend was due out on Sunday, January 15th; a second party of two climbers on a summit attempt via the Disappointment Cleaver route was due back on Monday, January 16th. Western Washington was hit by a storm over the weekend, followed by a severe winter storm through mid-week, forcing a delay in the field search. Both parties were outfitted for winter weather with the exception of snowshoes or skis. Due to the weather conditions, it is expected that they are waiting out the storms before attempting to descend to Paradise. Visitors to the upper mountain are advised to stop moving, dig in and wait for better weather during severe weather and whiteout conditions. On Tuesday, a search team of two skied the route above Paradise to Panorama Point to assess conditions in the area and to look for signs of the two overdue parties. Travel was extremely difficult, with team members sinking two to three feet into the snow. Visibility was limited, winds were gusting up to 100 mph, and their tracks filled in behind them as they negotiated the deep snow. Yesterday, a team of ten searched from Paradise up the Muir Snowfield to Camp Muir without locating either of the parties. Eight of the team members skied back down to Paradise, searching along the way. There may be a short weather window this morning for the two searchers remaining at Camp Muir to search under better conditions before the next storm arrives midday. A helicopter is on standby at Joint Base Lewis-McChord awaiting favorable flight conditions, although freezing rain precluded flight operations on Thursday. The weather is the greatest challenge to search efforts at this time. Both a winter storm watch and a moderate level avalanche warning were issued for the area. The search team is made up of highly skilled mountaineers who are familiar with the route and in mitigating associated avalanche exposure. The team is composed of Mount Rainier climbing rangers and park staff and members of Everett Mountain Rescue, Seattle Mountain Rescue, International Mountain Guides and Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated. Kelly Bush from North Cascades NP is IC. Although both parties are equipped for winter camping, concern for their wellbeing grows each day. The Western Incident Management Team is en route to assist with the incident. For information on weather conditions visit the park Weather webpage at http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/weather.htm. For a look at current conditions at Paradise visit the webcam webpage
http://www.nps.gov/mora/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm (note that the Camp Muir webcam is not maintained in winter).
[Submitted by Patti Wold, PIO]
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Body Of Falling Victim Identified
A body found near Yaki Point has been identified as that of 41-year-old Peter Reichner of Glenside, Pennsylvania. Reichner's body was found on Thursday, January 12th, next to the South Kaibab Trail about a third of a mile from the trailhead, which is located near Yaki Point on the South Rim. It has been determined that Reichner died of injuries sustained in a fall. An investigation into the incident is ongoing and is being conducted by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Coconino County medical examiner.
[Submitted by Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Specialist]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2012 - 12:40pm PT
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First death in Yosemite this year...
Monday, January 23, 2012
INCIDENTS
Yosemite National Park (CA)
DNC Employee/Past Seasonal Ranger Killed By Falling Tree
Ryan Hiller, an employee of Delaware North Companies and a former seasonal protection ranger for the park, died last Saturday when a tree landed on his tent cabin in the stables housing area during a storm. The park has released the following statement: "With intense sadness, we share with our employees and partners the news regarding the death of Ryan Hiller during Saturday's winter storm event. Ryan was employed by DNC and worked this past summer for the Yosemite Protection Division at Little Yosemite Valley, where he was involved in many Half Dome emergency responses. Although the investigation is ongoing, initial information is that Saturday's storm and associated thunderstorm with winds resulted in a tree failing in North Pines Campground adjacent to the stables. The tree landed on the tent cabin in the stable complex occupied by Ryan causing traumatic injuries. He was to work at Badger Pass Ski Area this winter. Coworkers describe Ryan as a strong, soft spoken, stoic ranger. His focus was that of public service and he had the character and qualities to pursue that dream. Emblematic of this was an encounter during the summer of 2011 intervening to save a life. Ryan hiked four miles from Little Yosemite Valley to the sub-dome and then ascended the cables to the summit of Half Dome at dusk. There he and a fellow ranger met an individual who rangers had identified as suicidal but willing to seek assistance. He then was a participant in the descent and escort team during nightfall to safely bring the person out of the backcountry without further incident. Ryan attended the seasonal ranger training center in Silva, North Carolina, in the fall of 2010. He had completed two seasons at the Devils Postpile and one season at the Grand Canyon as a trail crew worker. Ryan brought a diverse background of outdoor experiences, including working as a deckhand for a summer on a fishing boat in Alaska, hiking 1,200 miles of the Appalachian trail, and working as a veterinary assistant, a farm manager, horse caretaker, just to name a few. Ryan had a love of wild places and had determined to dedicate himself to protecting them. Ryan was planning on returning to work in Yosemite National Park as a backcountry ranger in Little Yosemite Valley and was excited to attend Yosemite's Mounted Horse Patrol School. We extend our condolences to the Hiller family, friends, and co-workers here in Yosemite and in his home town. Ryan is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and would have turned 28 this month. We also extend our appreciation to the staff who responded to this tragic incident."
[Submitted by Charles Cuvelier, Chief Ranger]
Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Search Continues For Overdue Parties On Mount Rainier
The search for four people in two parties continues on Mount Rainier. On Sunday, a small improvement in the week's severe weather allowed ground teams to conduct visual searches of terrain previously obscured by weather. A US Army Reserve Chinook attempted to join the effort but had to turn back due to limited visibility. The helicopter remains on standby at Joint Base Lewis McChord. No sign of the missing parties has been detected to date. Over the last week, ground teams have encountered 30 to 60+ mph winds, whiteout conditions, ice crusted snow, and snow depths from 10 to 15 feet with drifts up to 50 feet. The two teams were due back on January 15th and 16th. The search effort will continue today, depending on weather and avalanche conditions. In the event a weather window materializes, the Chinook and a Washington State Patrol airplane are prepared to respond. The weather forecast calls for snow, 5 to 10 degree temperatures, and winds up to 65 mph through today. The Western Incident Management Team (Denny Ziemann IC) is managing to the incident. Mount Rainier and Denali climbing rangers, personnel from Pacific West, Intermountain and Alaska Regions, guides from Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated and International Mountain Guides, and Olympic, Tacoma, Everett and Seattle Mountain Rescue are contributing to search operations.
[Submitted by Patti Wold, PIO, Western IMT]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2012 - 12:47pm PT
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The number of deaths so far this year is
Mount Rainier 1
Grand Canyon 1
Yosemite 1
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 26, 2012 - 10:38pm PT
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Independence National Historical Park (PA)
Man Fatally Assaulted In Park
A contract security guard in front of Independence Hall reported hearing a female screaming on Chestnut Street around 2:30 a.m. on January 14th. Responding rangers found a man in his early 20s lying on the sidewalk in front of the Second Bank of the United States, evidently the victim of an assault. He had no pulse and was unresponsive; the rangers immediately began CPR and called for EMS and police assistance. An AED was employed, but indicated that a shock was not advised. The man was taken to Jefferson Hospital, where he remained on life support until members of his family could arrive. He was removed from life support that evening and succumbed to his injuries. Witnesses said that the man and two women with him were attempting to hale a taxi after leaving a local bar, and that the man, who was reportedly intoxicated, became agitated at a taxi driver who declined to stop for them and began shouting obscenities at the driver. A car right behind the taxi then pulled up next to him and four men jumped out and assaulted the man. They then fled down Chestnut Street. None of the assailants were known to the two women who were accompanying the victim. The suspects have not yet been identified, but footage from park surveillance cameras is being reviewed. Investigators are hopeful that the suspects will be identified after the footage is released to local media outlets. The National Park Service is assisting Philadelphia PD with the investigation. The victim has been identified as Kevin Kless, 23, a resident of Philadelphia.
[Submitted by Patrick Suddath, Chief Ranger]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Worker Dies From Injuries Sustained In Construction Accident
Rangers and EMS providers responded late on the morning of January 9th to a report of a worksite injury that had just occurred at a construction project in the park. Bryon Peck, a 33-year-old resident of eastern Colorado, had fallen approximately 15 feet and sustained serious injuries while working on a new housing unit near the park's headquarters complex. Peck was treated at the scene and then taken by park ambulance to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson. From there, he was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, where he died two days later. Peck, the plant manager for a housing assembly company out of Fort Morgan, Colorado, fell while installing a second floor door on one of the new units being constructed in the employee housing area at Moose. An investigation into his death is underway.
[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Saguaro National Park (AZ)
Driver Killed In Head-on Collision
On the evening of January 19th, a three car accident occurred on Picture Rocks Road, a two-lane roadway within the park boundary, near the Contzen Pass area. One person was killed and a second injured. An initial investigation revealed that the driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe was driving westbound and drifted into oncoming traffic and collided with two other vehicles, causing extensive damage to the passenger compartment. The female driver and lone occupant of the Tahoe died at the scene. One of the drivers from another vehicle was taken to a hospital for minor injuries and released. The Pima County Sheriff's Department is conducting the investigation.
[Submitted by Paul Austin, Acting Chief Ranger]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 26, 2012 - 10:39pm PT
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
INCIDENTS
Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Search For Four Missing People Scaled Back
On Monday, the seventh day of the search for four people in two missing parties on Mountain Rainier, the mountain came out of the clouds for the first time, providing perfect weather for extensive air and ground operations. In spite of a major search effort, the parties were not located. With the return of winter weather and the odds of a favorable outcome declining daily, operations are being scaled back and will transition back to the park today. Investigators will continue to work on an in-depth investigation, and operations are shifting to an extended limited continuous search. Family liaisons worked with four separate families throughout the week. The consulate provided translators to assist in overcoming language barriers with family from Korea. Ninety-one people were assigned to the search over the course of the incident, which was managed by the Western Incident Management Team (Denny Ziemann IC). The team took over management of the search on January 21st, providing assistance to a park staff depleted by the impacts of the tragic shooting of Ranger Margaret Anderson.
[Submitted by Patti Wold, Incident Information Officer]
Haleakala National Park (HI)
Search For Missing Hiker Successful
A search was begun for a lost day hiker late last Sunday when he failed to meet a family member at Keonehe'ehe'e trailhead as planned. The day hiker arranged to be dropped off by a family member at the Halemau'u trailhead (elevation 7,990 feet) around midday on Sunday. He apparently planned to descend Halemau'u Trail into the crater and then ascend via the Keonehe'ehe'e (Sliding Sands) Trail five hours later - a distance exceeding 11 miles and 4,000 feet total elevation change. He was poorly prepared and did not possess a trail map. After the family member reporting the missing hiker, Maui Fire Department conducted a hasty search of the Halemau'u trailhead, but suspended the search when it became too dark. Search and rescue operations resumed at first light on Monday. Despite inadequate preparation, water, and clothing, he'd found his own way out of the crater overnight through Kaupo Gap and apparently hitchhiked back to Kahului. He was found to be in relatively good condition.
[Submitted by Navnit Singh, Public Affairs Officer]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2012 - 10:36pm PT
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Friday, January 27, 2012
INCIDENTS
Petrified Forest National Park (AZ)
Twelve Arrested Or Cited For Drug And Resource Violations
Ranger Lindsey Pruett responded to a visitor report of other visitors collecting pieces of petrified wood at Crystal Forest on the afternoon of January 9th. She contacted one occupant of a converted school bus who turned over several small pieces of petrified wood. When asked if there was any more on the bus or anything else Pruett needed to know about, he told her that there was also a quantity of marijuana on the bus. Ranger Marc Schlauch then arrived and assisted Pruett. A county sheriff's office canine unit came out and positively alerted on the bus, indicating the presence of a controlled substance. The bus and all twelve occupants were searched. Approximately twelve pounds of petrified wood, two pounds of rocks, three pounds of marijuana, nine pounds of food with THC content, and a small quantity of bath salts and hashish were recovered from the bus along with numerous smoking pipes and $2,941 in cash found with the hashish and marijuana. No one admitted to any knowledge of the drugs on the bus. Two occupants were arrested and brought the next morning to the federal magistrate in Flagstaff; the rest were issued violation notices to appear in court later that week. Seven of the ten individuals showed up for court and were found guilty of class B misdemeanors for the resource and drug violations. The two people who were arrested were each fined a total of $1,025 for the petrified wood and the drugs, placed on a year's unsupervised probation, and banned from all national parks in Arizona for one year. The other seven paid fines of $610 each and were sentenced to the same period of probation and exclusion from Arizona parks. Of the three remaining cited individuals, one was a juvenile and had her tickets dismissed. The remaining two were arrested days later on failure to appear warrants from this case.
[Submitted by Greg Caffey, Chief Ranger]
My comment: In Petrified Forest NP there is a noticeable decrease in the number of petrified wood pieces within 100 feet of the road. This is especially true of pieces ranging in size from 2 inches to a foot. The NPS has actually considered moving the roads to allow areas to recover naturally through erosion. I learned this when I volunteered there for a few months about 10 years ago.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 31, 2012 - 12:53pm PT
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Friday, March 30, 2012
INCIDENTS
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (NM)
Search In Progress For Missing Marathon Runner
A search was begun on Wednesday for a missing marathon runner who failed to return home Tuesday evening after a run in the rugged Gila Wilderness surrounding the park. As of yesterday morning, no sign of him had been found even with infrared radar searches overnight and daytime aerial flights on Wednesday. NPS staff at the Gila Visitor Center, the operations center, have been providing logistical support to the effort since Grant County Search and Rescue mobilized on Wednesday afternoon. The search area now covers over 300 square miles of deep canyons and heavily timbered forest.
[Submitted by Steve Riley, Superintendent]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Two Convicted Of Galax Poaching
While investigating a report of a suicidal person on March 24th, a ranger observed a driver operating a vehicle in a very suspicious manner in an area known for galax poaching. The ranger turned on the vehicle, and, as he approached, saw two men exit from it and flee into the adjacent woods, carrying duffle bags. The ranger conducted a traffic stop and subsequently arrested the driver, identified as Oscar Rincon Reyes, of Spruce Pine, North Carolina, for illegally harvesting galax. Other rangers responded and a search of the adjacent woods yielded three duffle bags containing 15,000 galax leaves. During the investigation, one of the other subjects was identified and an arrest warrant was obtained. On March 27th, rangers and Mitchell County Sheriff's Office deputies executed the warrant and arrested Francisco Rincon Felipe, also of Spruce Pine. Both Reyes and Felipe appeared before the U.S. magistrate, pled guilty to conspiracy to harvest galax, and were sentenced to 30 days in jail. Investigation is continuing to identify and prosecute the third conspirator. Currently, local market value for galax leaves, used in floral arrangements, is two to six cents per leaf. Galax leaves are being sold for more than a dollar a leaf in the international flora trade and is estimated that galax harvesting is a $40 million a year industry in western North Carolina.
[Submitted by Tim Francis, Pisgah District Ranger]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 2, 2012 - 01:16pm PT
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Monday, April 02, 2012
INCIDENTS
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (NM)
Body Of Missing Runner Found
The body of Micah True, an internationally renowned distance runner and subject of the book Born to Run, was recovered by Grant County Search and Rescue and US Forest Service personnel on Sunday, April 1st.
True had been missing since last Tuesday morning, when he departed from the nearby small town of Gila Hot Springs, where he had been staying with friends, for a 12 mile run. He was found by friends some two miles off-trail and two miles south of the park's Cliff Dwellings Unit on Saturday afternoon.
At the peak of the search on Saturday, some 75 searchers on foot and another dozen on horseback were in the field. New Mexico State Police, Army National Guard and Civil Air Patrol furnished helicopters and fixed wing aircraft for the search and to provide for radio coverage in the rugged terrain of the Gila Wilderness. The five day search and recovery effort was based out of the multi-agency Gila Visitor Center, where NPS staff provided logistical support.
[Submitted by Steve Riley, Superintendent]
Pacific West Region
Additional Convictions Made In Operation Antiquity
On March 19th, Michael Malter and Malter Galleries were each sentenced for felony Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) violations in US District Court in Los Angeles. The sentencings stemmed from a five-year-long investigation called "Operation Antiquity" that focused on looting, importation, sale and tax fraud violations related to cultural items from the U.S. and other countries.
Participating along with the NPS in this investigative effort are Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division.
Looted Native American and pre-Columbian artifacts were consigned to Malter and Malter Galleries in June 2004 by an undercover NPS agent. Malter and the auction company knew that the domestic artifacts were illegally taken from public lands and that the pre-Columbian artifacts had been smuggled into the US from Central America. Despite this knowledge, these antiquities were sold by Malter at an auction in October 2004 for $3,000.
In January 2005, a second lot of smuggled pre-Columbian artifacts were consigned to Malter and Malter Galleries. Having been provided information about the smuggled nature of the artifacts both verbally and in writing, these antiquities were sold for $1,500 by Malter at an auction in February 2005. In both instances, the illicit artifacts were purchased back by NPS rangers and agents posing as buyers. In January 2008, a search warrant was served at Malter Galleries in Encino, California, by agents with the NPS and ICE. Malter and gallery employees were also interviewed at this time.
At the sentencing hearing on March 19th, Malter was sentenced to a year of home detention, two years of probation and 150 hours of community service. Malter Galleries and Malter were jointly ordered to pay about $24,000 in fines, restitution and community service. Additional cases against other entities are pending. More information about this ongoing investigation may be found at the link below.
[Submitted by Todd Swain]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 2, 2012 - 10:06pm PT
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"A five year investigation results in a $24k fine?
Good grief."
Unfortunately, it seems only people without a good lawyer are getting any significant jailtime under ARPA.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sagebrusher, you overlooked the real import of this case in that it provided
quasi-gainful employment for otherwise unworthy people for five years. The
whole point of the current legal/law enforcement system is job and pension security.
On a related note yesterday Arellano Felix, he of the Tijuana Cartel, was
sentenced to 25 years in a plea bargain. What a joke! It took the
government lawyers 7 years to come to a pathetic plea bargain deal?
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aguacaliente
climber
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Apr 11, 2012 - 02:11am PT
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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
INCIDENTS
Blue Ridge Parkway
Two Suffer Hallucinogenic Mushroom Overdoses
On the evening of March 31st, rangers were dispatched to the Craggy Gardens picnic area in response to a 911 call concerning a probable drug overdose. Upon arrival, they found a man and woman parked in a vehicle, both exhibiting an altered mental status. They said that they'd ingested psilocybin mushrooms, with the woman adding that she was dead and had no pulse. Rangers and EMS personnel began an assessment and noted that the woman was suffering from periodic convulsive events. At one point, she jumped from the stretcher, climbed into the rear seat of a patrol car, exited again, dropped to the ground, and experienced another convulsion. She was eventually placed in an ambulance, where she was transported to a hospital for treatment and evaluation. During the transport, she continually asked if she was alive or dead and if what was happening was real. Rangers remained at the hospital until she returned to a coherent state. Both the man and woman were issued violation notices for using a controlled substance. The driver was released to the custody of his father. The 911 call actually originated from the couple, who were concerned that they were already dead.
(Submitted by Tim Francis, Pisgah District Ranger)
I don't know whether this falls in the category of frivolous calls to 911/SAR or not. I mean, if you're dead, that probably is a legitimate reason for calling.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 23, 2012 - 02:40pm PT
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I don't know whether this falls in the category of frivolous calls to 911/SAR or not. I mean, if you're dead, that probably is a legitimate reason for calling.
LOL!
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 23, 2012 - 02:43pm PT
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Monday, April 23, 2012
INCIDENTS
El Morro National Monument (NM)
Exchange Students Fined For Vandalism
On March 21st, two South Korean foreign exchange students attending the University of New Mexico on student visas pled guilty to charges of disturbing an archeological site. On October 13, 2011, park employees discovered two names - "Super Duper Dana" and "Gabriel" - illegally carved into the sandstone bluff known as Inscription Rock. After ascertaining that the monument visitor register included an entry that day by a visitor who identified herself as Dana Choi of South Korea, a protection ranger began an investigation. Through Facebook, the ranger was able to identify the defendants, who were arrested on December 2, 2011 based on a criminal complaint. The students entered their guilty pleas under plea agreements that required them to pay almost $30,000 to the NPS to cover the costs of repairing the damage they caused.
[Submitted by Leslie Bastik]
Apparently this has created quite a stir amongst Koreans...see comments section...
http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/03/22/abqnewsseeker/updated-2-admit-defacing-el-morro-monument.html
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - May 22, 2012 - 02:54am PT
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Monday, May 21, 2012
INCIDENTS
Denali National Park & Preserve (AK)
Climber Killed In 1100-Foot Fall
On the afternoon of Friday, May 18th, mountaineering rangers were notified that a member of a three-person climbing team had fallen from 16,200 feet on Mt. McKinley's West Buttress route. The un-roped team had just reached the top of the `headwall' or `fixed lines' section of the West Buttress route when one climber fell 1,100 feet down the north face of the buttress to the Peters Glacier. A witness said that the climber fell while attempting to recover a backpack that had started to slide downhill. At the time of the fall, an NPS mountaineering patrol was ascending the fixed lines shortly behind the three-member team. They soon arrived at the fall site, contacted fellow NPS rangers via radio, and asked that a helicopter be dispatched to the scene. The park's A-Star B3 helicopter launched from Talkeetna in clear, calm weather conditions with two ranger-paramedics on board. They confirmed that the climber had died of injuries sustained in the fall. The body was recovered and flown back to Talkeetna. There are currently 336 mountaineers attempting routes on Mt. McKinley. Four climbers have reached the summit this season. This fatal fall is the first serious incident on Mt. McKinley of the 2012 mountaineering season.
[Submitted by Maureen McLaughlin, PIO]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 11, 2012 - 04:47pm PT
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Needing an ice axe would seem to indicate that one needs something on the feet besides tennis shoes!
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Injured Climber Rescued After 50 Foot Fall
Grand Teton National Park rangers conducted their first short-haul rescue of the 2012 summer season late in the afternoon on Wednesday, June 6th. Danielle Mendicino, 21, of Las Vegas, Nevada was attempting to summit Albright Peak (10,552 ft.) with a climbing partner when she slipped on snow and fell approximately 50 feet before coming to rest in a rocky talus field. Mendicino was carrying an ice axe, but was unable to self-arrest. Park rangers were completing a day of short-haul training when Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received the call for help just before 5 pm. Two rangers boarded a Teton Interagency contract helicopter and accompanied the pilot for a reconnaissance flight. They located the injured climber and landed on the summit of Albright Peak. A ranger reached the scene after descending about 750 feet, stabilized Mendicino's injuries and prepared her for a short-haul extraction. Two hours later, Mendicino was flown via short-haul to the historic White Grass Dude Ranch where she was met by a park ambulance and transported to a local hospital. The climber was not properly equipped for her intended trip; she was wearing tennis shoes and did not have experience on snow.
Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Rangers Find Body of Missing Camper
The body of a missing park visitor was found by search-and-rescue personnel at Joshua Tree National Park on Wednesday evening, June 6th. A 41-year-old Vancouver, British Columbia resident who was reported missing that morning was found in an area of rock formations near Jumbo Rocks Campground. The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The camper was reported to rangers as planning to arrive at the park on Saturday, June 2nd with the intention of returning to friends in Santa Paula, California on June 5th. Initial reports indicated that the missing party was staying at Indian Cove Campground, but a search of the Indian Cove area by park rangers failed to locate either the missing person or his car. Rangers broadened the search to include all park campgrounds, picnic areas, and trailheads. The victim's car was found at Jumbo Rocks Campground, but there was no sign of the missing party. A ground search was started in the afternoon and involved park rangers, volunteers of Joshua Tree Search-and-Rescue (JOSAR), and the Riverside County Sheriffs Department. The California Highway Patrol provided a helicopter to assist with the search. The victim was located at approximately 9:30 p.m. in an area of granite cliffs and boulder formations about ¾-mile from the campground. Joshua Tree National Park rangers are assisting the Riverside County Sheriffs Department with the investigation of the fatality.
Glacier National Park
Analysis Confirms 2008 Missing Hiker’s Remains
Bone fragments found in Glacier National Park last summer have been analyzed by the National Missing Person's Program at the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification and identified as those of Yi-Jien Hwa, a hiker missing in the park since the summer of 2008. The analysis positively matched the bone fragments to Hwa, and several pieces of evidence were found that closely match the items identified in Hwa's equipment list. The park has contacted Hwa's family and closed the investigation. The search effort began August 21st, 2008 after receiving word from Hwa's family that he was three days overdue from a lengthy and arduous planned hike in the park's backcountry. After more than 2,500 hours of searching in difficult terrain and challenging conditions, the intensive effort was scaled back in early September of 2008. Since then, park rangers have continued to respond to new leads and analyze new information related to the investigation, including a report of suspected evidence found last summer. In July of 2011, a hiker found a portion of two items of clothing matching the description of Hwa's clothing in an area below the steep cliffs above Avalanche Lake. This area was determined to be in the area of Hwa's intended travel route. Rangers returned to the site for further investigation and found additional evidence, including bone fragments. Glacier National Park Rangers extend sympathy to the family, and appreciation to the Flathead County Sheriff's Department and Search and Rescue Team, and the many individuals and organizations that assisted with the investigation.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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Jun 11, 2012 - 04:53pm PT
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"climber" is not the right term there.
may the NPS never use the morning report for statistics
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 12, 2012 - 03:44pm PT
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"climber" is not the right term there.
may the NPS never use the morning report for statistics
I was looking at that mountain on Google Earth, looks like one of the easier mountains in the Tetons. It doesn't even seem to warrant a summitpost entry.
Meanwhile, in Yellowstone, they use the word "teen" to describe this would-be canyoneer...
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Teen Dies In Fall From Inspiration Point
An 18-year-old woman died last Thursday in an accidental fall near Inspiration Point in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Maria "Masha" Sergeyevna Rumyantseva of Kaliningrad, Russia, a Yellowstone concession employee on her first day in the park, was hiking the canyon's North Rim Trail with three other acquaintances when she ventured off trail onto a loose rock promontory, which quickly gave way underneath her. Rangers responded to a 911 cell phone call received late in the afternoon reporting that a woman had fallen into the canyon. With the assistance of ground spotters and a Teton Interagency helicopter, they spotted the woman's body at a point about 400 feet down the canyon wall and concluded that she had sustained non-survivable injuries. Despite the hazardous terrain, the body was successfully recovered from the canyon via a short-haul helicopter operation at approximately noon on Friday.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 14, 2012 - 05:53pm PT
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Bouldering for the first time at 35 feet? At least they didn't call her a climber :)
Acadia National Park (ME)
Two Rescued Following Separate Falling Incidents
Rangers rescued two people seriously injured in separate falling accidents last week. On the afternoon of June 8th, a 19-year-old Massachusetts man was jumping around on the rocks near the summit of Acadia Mountain with friends when he slipped and fell approximately 10 feet off a boulder, then rolled down the steep mountainside for an additional 75 feet. Rangers and the Mount Desert Island (MDI) SAR team set up a series of low angle raises and lowers to get him back onto the trail and then down the steep trail to the trailhead. He sustained head trauma, facial injuries, and a broken neck in the fall. Two days later, on the afternoon of June 10th, rangers received a 911 call reporting that a 23-year-old woman had fallen approximately 30 to 35 feet. Upon arrival, they found that the Montana woman had been bouldering (rock climbing without ropes) on the sea stack at Monument Cove, located along the park’s rocky shoreline. It was her first time climbing. At a distance of 30 to 35 feet above the ground, she fell from the rock face and landed on the cobblestone beach below. After a technical rope rescue by park rangers and MDI SAR, she was flown from the scene by a Life Flight helicopter. The woman sustained extensive injuries, including a broken neck, a basal skull fracture, a broken collar bone, bilateral ankle fractures, and thoracic bleeding.
Here's a photo of what is probably the seastack in question...
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4113/5043495379_8696e64ea0_z.jpg
More non-climbers...
Crater Lake National Park (OR)
Rangers Rescue Women From Caldera
On the afternoon of Sunday, June 10th, rangers received a request for help from a visitor who spotted two women stuck in deep snow in the Crater Lake caldera. They were unable to climb back up and continued to slide down toward the lake. The park SAR team responded and was assisted by staff from other divisions, including fire, natural resources, and fee collection. Rangers Seth Macey and Paul Schauer rappelled down to the two women, secured them, and raised them up to the rim. The women complained of being cold and wet but had no reported injuries. Operations supervisor Jason Ramsdell coordinated the operation. The women, both from Chicago, were illegally hiking in the caldera, which is prohibited due to the steep and dangerous nature of the area. The Cleetwood Cove Trail is the only exception to this regulation. Neither woman was near that trail, so they were cited for being in a closed area.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2012 - 04:45pm PT
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Hmm, "climbers" pioneering a new route???
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
INCIDENTS
Zion National Park (UT)
Injured Climber Rescued From Minotaur Tower
Just before 1 a.m. on July 1st, a climber, after running over two miles to get to a phone, reported that his partner had fallen approximately 40 feet and sustained serious injuries off the first pitch of the Moonlight Buttress route. He then returned to the area with two rangers, but in the darkness and steep terrain he was unable to find his injured friend. SAR team members gearing up along the roadside could see a faint headlight glow about a quarter mile down canyon from the base of the Moonlight Buttress, though, and therefore shifted their response. Subsequent investigation revealed that the two inexperienced climbers had planned to climb the route despite never having visited Zion before and never having practiced the aid climbing techniques typically utilized on the route. During their approach in fading light, the climbers mistook the Minotaur Tower for Moonlight Buttress and attempted to climb, in the dark, a crack system not associated with any standard climbing routes. Rescuers determined that the climber’s injuries were not immediately life threatening, so technical rigging operations were suspended until daylight. A 300-foot-high, steep-angle lowering and wheeled litter evacuation brought the climber to the roadside around 9 a.m. The climber survived the night with multiple injuries and was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center via the park’s ambulance.
Meanwhile, another rescue in GRTE...
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Injured Man Rescued From The Grand Teton
A New York man was rescued from the Grand Teton on the evening of Thursday, July 5th. David Perlman, 28, of Brooklyn, New York, was ascending the mountain between the Headwall and Lower Saddle around 6 p.m. when several rocks broke free, striking him and causing a significant injury. A member of Perlman’s climbing party continued to the Lower Saddle to seek help. Two park rangers on a routine backcountry patrol there were notified of the accident and immediately began a rescue operation. Once on scene, the rangers stabilized Perlman’s injury and provided emergency medical care. With the help of other climbers in the area, they brought him to the park’s seasonal hut on the Lower Saddle, where they waited for a helicopter to evacuate him from the mountain. He was flown to St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson for further care. Perlman was on the first day of a two-day guided climb of the mountain when he was injured.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Colombia, South America
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Jul 10, 2012 - 05:47pm PT
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During their approach in fading light, the climbers mistook the Minotaur Tower for Moonlight Buttress and attempted to climb, in the dark, a crack system not associated with any standard climbing routes.
Hopefully they will go back and SEND it.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 17, 2012 - 03:48pm PT
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A bunch of them today!!!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
INCIDENTS
Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Visitor Dies In Fatal Slide On Andrews Glacier
Rangers dealt with two medical emergencies and a falling fatality within hours of each other last Thursday:
Late that morning, park dispatch received a 911 call reporting that a 79-year-old man on the Gem Lake Trail was showing symptoms of a significant medical emergency. Rangers reached him at noon and carried him out on a litter. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby meadow, where a life flight helicopter picked him up and flew him to Boulder Community Hospital.
A 47-year-old Colorado man who was descending Andrews Glacier with some friends around 2 p.m. slid approximately 100 feet down the glacier onto some rocks. The person who called the incident into park dispatch reported that he wasn’t moving. A park trail crew was in the area and reached the man’s location shortly thereafter. His body was flown out and then transferred to the county coroner.
At about the same time, park dispatch received a cell phone call reporting that a 74-year-old man was experiencing some distress near Fern Falls, roughly three miles from the Fern Lake trailhead. Rangers left the trailhead about a half hour later and met the man and his friend hiking down the trail. He reached the trailhead around 5 p.m. and declined ambulance transport.
[Submitted by Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
North Cascades National Park (WA)
Four Climbers Rescued In Two Incidents
The park’s search and rescue team recently responded to two separate mountaineering accidents, evacuating four people from remote mountain peaks. On Friday, July 13th, after they’d successfully navigated through the remote northern Picket Range and climbed several peaks, a party of three climbers requested assistance. One of the three hiked out to report that his two partners had been hit and injured by falling snow from a steep wall above their camp in a basin below Luna Peak. Rangers evacuated the injured 29-year-old male and 29-year-old female climbers via a National Park Service-contracted helicopter from HiLine Helicopters to Marblemount, where the man was transferred to a local hospital by ambulance and the woman was released. On Saturday, July 14th, a party of seven was climbing the south side route of Sahale Peak. One member of the party inadvertently pulled out a large boulder, which struck him and then a member of the party below. Another member of the party hiked to Cascade Pass and contacted a wilderness ranger who launched a rescue response. Climbing rangers approached the two injured climbers on foot from Boston Basin and by helicopter from Marblemount. The critically injured 24-year-old woman was moved from the glacier by a National Park Service-contracted helicopter from HiLine Helicopters in a short-haul maneuver, and then transferred to an Airlift Northwest medical helicopter at a road site. She was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and was reported to have multiple fractures but was in stable condition. The 25-year-old male climber, who had minor injuries, was also flown out of the backcountry, but was released. Digital images of the Sahale Peak rescue are available for download and use at the park’s Flickr site.
[Submitted by Charles Beall, Acting Superintendent]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Missing Climber’s Body Found In Mountains
Following a daylong air and ground search of the peaks of the central Tetons last Friday, rangers found the body of Eric Tietze, a 31-year-old climber from Salt Lake City. Tietze and three companions were attempting to complete a climb of the Cathedral Traverse on Thursday when he separated from his group and moved ahead of them on the route. Tietze apparently fell about 500 to 600 feet to his death shortly after leaving his friends. A long-time Bridger-Teton National Forest employee, he had worked ten seasons on the forest’s trail crew. Tietze separated from his partners as they were completing the final rappels off of a shoulder peak west of Teewinot Mountain. His group continued the climb and summited Mount Owen, where they waited for their friend. After Tietze failed to meet his group on the summit, the three partners backtracked and attempted a search for their friend until 7:30 p.m. Park dispatch was notified of the missing climber at 10 p.m. after his companions hiked out to the Lupine Meadows trailhead. A SAR operation was organized for first light Friday morning and two rangers on a routine backcountry patrol on the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton were contacted. Early on Friday morning, the two rangers climbed from the Lower Saddle to the second ledges on the North Face of the Grand Teton and began searching with binoculars for Tietze. Two separate hour-long reconnaissance flights were conducted by a Teton interagency contract helicopter on Friday morning but no conclusive evidence of his whereabouts was found. A second Teton Interagency contract helicopter responded to Lupine Meadows just before 11 a.m. With the help of a second helicopter, rescuers decided to focus on two specific areas. One helicopter was sent to a landing zone on Teton Glacier, located in the cirque of the Grand Teton, Mount Owen, and Teewinot Mountain; the second ship was assigned to operate out of a landing zone in lower Valhalla Canyon located northwest of the Grand Teton. The ship based out of Valhalla Canyon short-hauled one rescuer into crevasses and moats that cleave the permanent snowfields. The second helicopter based from Teton Glacier flew additional reconnaissance flights with three rangers inside the ship. Due to conditions and hazards in these areas, rangers determined it would not be safe to insert rescuers onto snowfields for a ground-based search. Rangers located Tietze’s body on the East Prong feature between Teewinot and Mount Owen about 500 feet below an area that requires a notably challenging climbing move. One ranger was inserted via short-haul to the location and prepared Tietze for a short-haul extraction. Tietze was flown from the mountain to Lupine Meadows, where his body was turned over to the Teton County coroner’s office.
[Submitted by Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, Public Affairs Officer]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 6, 2012 - 01:35pm PT
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Wow. He must have been at the very upper part of the Grandview Trail...which is an incredibly dumb place to go off trail!!!
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
French Visitor Rescued After Fall From South Rim
Park dispatch received a report that a 25-year-old visitor from France had fallen from the Grandview Trail on the South Rim on the evening of September 3rd. Arriving rangers were unable to spot the man due to darkness, but he was able to respond to their calls and questions. Rescue personnel rappelled down to the man, who had fallen about 200 feet, and treated his injuries. Due to technical difficulties associated with his location, it proved necessary to raise him almost 400 feet to the rim via a rope-and-pulley haul system. He was then transported via ambulance to the park helibase, where he was picked up by a Guardian Medical Transport air ambulance and flown to Flagstaff Medical Center. Approximately 22 people participated in the rescue, including park rangers, rescue personnel, members of the park’s trail crew, and Xanterra South Rim fire and security personnel. Investigators have determined that the man was off-trail at the time of his accident.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2012 - 02:58pm PT
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Monday, September 24, 2012
INCIDENTS
Pacific West Region
Prosecutions Continue In Operation Artifact
Prosecutions continue in Operation Artifact, the multi-year interagency investigation into the sale of cultural items looted from federal lands. On September 19th, Ronald Milam of the National Indian Center in Corona, California, was sentenced for a misdemeanor ARPA violation in federal court in Los Angeles. He was ordered to pay $758.41 in restitution and $10,000 in community service and fines. Looted Native American artifacts were consigned or sold to Milam and the National Indian Center in 2007, 2008 and 2009 by a cooperating individual. Milam and the auction company knew the artifacts were illegally taken from public lands. Despite this knowledge, Milam sold these antiquities at several public auctions. The illicit artifacts were purchased back by NPS rangers and agents posing as buyers. In August. 2010, search warrants were served at Milam’s residence and storage facility by agents and rangers with the NPS and BLM. Milam and other company employees were also interviewed at this time. Participating along with the NPS in this investigative effort were the Bureau of Land Management, US Fish & Wildlife Service and the US Forest Service. Additional cases against other entities are pending.
[Submitted by Todd Swain]
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Rangers Arrest Guide For Operating In Park Without A Permit
On Friday, August 31st, after approximately four weeks of investigation, rangers arrested 42-year old Brian Thompson of Cottonwood, Arizona, for conducting commercial operations in a national park without a permit. He was arrested after he received payment to guide a multi-day backpacking trip into the canyon. Thompson’s arrest came about due to the routine monitoring of backcountry use and permitting in the park. On September 12th, Thompson appeared in federal court and pleaded guilty to violating Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 5.3, engaging in business without a permit. As a result, he was ordered to pay a $200 fine and was sentenced to a year’s probation, during which time he is banned from the park, cannot provide tours or guiding services (paid or unpaid) in any national park or national forest, and cannot advertise that he conducts tours or guiding services in national forests or national parks.
[Submitted by Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Specialist]
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
INCIDENTS
North Cascades National Park (WA)
Three Climbers Rescued From Crevasse
Late on the morning of September 9th, park dispatch was notified that there were three injured climbers on Ruth Mountain, which is just outside the park’s northwestern boundary. The climbers had fallen into a crevasse in mid-morning; one managed to climb out on his own, reached a location with cell phone reception, and dialed 911. Whatcom County SAR was notified and alerted park dispatch to the situation. Rangers accepted a request from the sheriff’s office for an agency assist on the incident. Meanwhile, a ground team of Bellingham Mountain Rescue volunteers started up the trail toward the mountain. Two climbing rangers were transported to the scene in a contracted helicopter from HiLine Helicopters and located the injured climbers. They found that a separate climbing party had already extricated the remaining two critically injured and hypothermic climbers from the crevasse. They were separately short-hauled from their location on the glacier to a lower staging area. Two Airlift Northwest medical helicopters landed at this staging site, received the patients, and flew them to hospitals in Seattle and Bellingham. The third party member was flown by HiLine Helicopters to a roadside staging area and was met there by an ambulance for transport to Bellingham. Bellingham Mountain Rescue volunteers assisted by retrieving gear left behind by the injured party and hiked back out to the trailhead.
[Submitted by Kinsey Shilling, Chief Ranger]
Monday, September 17, 2012
INCIDENTS
Death Valley National Park (CA)
Endurance Athlete Dies After Solo Run
On the afternoon of August 7th, rangers investigated a report of an unresponsive man on the Badwater Road at the southern end of the park. Ranger Tim Duncan, on detail from Mojave National Preserve, arrived at a location approximately six miles south of the Badwater parking lot to find several motor vehicle testers performing CPR on a man later identified as endurance athlete Mikhail Popov. Ranger Matt Martin and park volunteer Mike Wehmeyer arrived shortly thereafter and assumed patient care. A Mercy Air helicopter was dispatched to evacuate Popov, who was transported by ambulance to the Badwater parking lot to await the helicopter’s arrival. He was pronounced dead by the Mercy Air crew. Popov was attempting to run across Badwater Basin from Shorty’s Well on the west to the Badwater parking lot on the east, a distance of approximately 6.25 miles. No marked route exists between the two locations, and the ground surface of Badwater basin is typically knee-deep mud even in the middle of the summer. Popov began his run with four 16-ounce bottles of ice water. The high temperature recorded on the day was 123 degrees Fahrenheit.
[Submitted by Lynne Stokes, District Ranger] More Information...
North Cascades National Park (WA)
Climber Rescued From Mount Torment
On September 8th, two climbers contacted a park climbing ranger in the field to report that a member of their team had fallen 100 feet onto rock on the south face of Mount Torment. They reported that he was initially unresponsive and confused and had possible internal injuries and a broken arm. The climbing ranger contacted the man and secured the area for a helicopter hoist. In the dwindling daylight, a helicopter from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island arrived on scene, hoisted the injured man into the helicopter, and transported him to a local hospital.
[Submitted by Kinsey Shilling, Chief Ranger]
Friday, September 14, 2012
INCIDENTS
Glacier National Park
Remains Of Missing Concession Employee Found
The remains of a 19-year-old concession employee, missing since late July, were found by hikers near Hidden Lake yesterday. An autopsy is to be performed to determine the cause of death. The search for Jakson Kreiser began on July 29th after he failed to return as scheduled from a hike he took the previous day. Park employees, with assistance from North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Search and Rescue, Can Am Search and Rescue, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and the US Border Patrol, conducted an extensive ground and aerial search for eight days before scaling back efforts. The search area was focused between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake, and in the Floral Park area. This area includes some treacherous country filled with rock cliffs, waterfalls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation. Kreiser was from Michigan and a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge. This was his first year working in the area.
[Submitted by Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer]
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bit'er ol' guy
climber
the past
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Sep 24, 2012 - 10:50pm PT
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I hate when someone starts a conversation with "ya know what I heard on NPR this morning"
but I guess that's better than "ya know what I saw on FOX news last night"
I guess?
question everything always.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 25, 2012 - 01:04am PT
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I hate when someone starts a conversation with "ya know what I heard on NPR this morning"
Well, I guess in this case it is "I hate when someone starts a conversation with "ya know what I heard on NPS this morning" :)
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Mar 19, 2013 - 10:43am PT
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3/19/13
Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Man Killed, Partner Injured In Avalanche
Rangers began a search yesterday morning for two overdue climbers who were caught in an avalanche on Sunday evening while descending from the north side of Blitzen Ridge on 13,514-foot Ypsilon Mountain. One of them, a 45-year-old woman, was found in mid-afternoon in the upper Fay Lakes basin about six miles from the Lawn Lake trailhead. She’d suffered numerous injuries and was treated and evacuated by rangers. Efforts are continuing to find the body of her 43-year-old male partner. Blitzen Ridge on Ypsilon Mountain is a challenging mountaineering route that includes sections of technical rock, often made more difficult by winter conditions. The avalanche danger in the area has been higher than normal since Saturday due to snow and high winds.
[Submitted by Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
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aguacaliente
climber
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May 12, 2013 - 03:32am PT
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Friday, May 10, 2013
New River Gorge National River (WV)
Man Electrocuted In Attempted Copper Theft
Rangers responded on Wednesday morning to a 911 call regarding a man who had possibly been electrocuted while attempting to steal copper power lines. The incident occurred on Beury Mountain, a remote area of the park in the southeast corner of Fayette County that is accessible by a single dirt road. By chance, a field training ranger and a trainee ranger were on patrol in that area when the incident occurred. Three other rangers responded from the nearby historic town of Thurmond. The FTR and the trainee ranger arrived on scene first within eight minutes of the initial call. They were flagged down by a man who told them that he and another man had been shooting copper power lines down with a .22 rifle. He told rangers that the injured man had grabbed a loose power line to pull it down and it had struck a live wire. The injured man was lying within the area of downed wires and was unresponsive during attempts to communicate with him. Appalachian Power Company was soon on scene and confirmed power was off to the wires around the unresponsive man. EMS personnel evaluated him and determined that he’d died. Rangers detained the other man and during the investigation determined that the incident had occurred on private property outside the park boundary. The man was turned over to Fayette County deputies. Rangers assisted Fayette County detectives, local EMS, the medical examiner’s office, and Appalachian Power throughout the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. The surviving man was charged by Fayette County with attempt to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit a felony, and disruption of a public utility, which is also a felony.
WTF. Is shooting down utility lines with a .22 considered typical by petty criminals and I'm just out of the loop?
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Jun 21, 2013 - 10:45am PT
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Friday, June 21, 2013
INCIDENTS
Acadia National Park (ME)
Three Climbers Rescued From Ocean Cliffs
The park received a 911 call reporting three injured rock climbers near Otter Cliffs on the morning of June 16th. The cliffs are located along the Atlantic Ocean on the rocky Maine coastline. Rangers and personnel from Mount Desert Island SAR and Bar Harbor Fire and Rescue responded by land while the Bar Harbor Police and Coast Guard responded by sea.
Once on scene, rangers and a Bar Harbor paramedic rappelled down to the climbers to stabilize their injuries and package them into litters. The park rescue team, Mount Desert Island SAR, and climbing guides employed high angle rescue systems to hoist the injured to the top of the climbing area, where they were carried out to an awaiting ambulance. Two of the three climbers sustained significant injuries and were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. They are reportedly in good condition.
Rangers are leading the investigation. From all reports, it appears that that two novice climbers were being instructed by a guided climbing service when the accident occurred, and that all three climbers were tied into the same rope system. The instructor and one of the students were on top of the climbing area, and the other student was standing on a ledge 25 feet below.
As the guide began his descent to assist the climber below him, the rope to which he and the others were tied was severed by a sharp rock edge. The guide ultimately fell approximately 15 feet onto the climber below. Still tied to the instructor, the second climber was pulled from the top and fell the full 25 feet, landing beside the other two.
Acadia Mountain Guides has a commercial use authorization to provide guided climbing services in Acadia National Park. Although the investigation continues, no charges are pending.
[Submitted by Stuart West, Chief Ranger]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 21, 2013 - 05:39pm PT
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Heh, I was just going to the post that!
I guess I'll post this one from the Grand Tetons, contrast the Acadia "guide" with this guy...
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Injured Climber Rescued After Fall On Grand Teton
Rangers responded to a report of a 57-year-old climber with an injury near Black Rock Chimney on the Grand Teton on the morning of June 17th. Jim Williams of Jackson, Wyoming, was leading a client on a guided trip of the mountain for an authorized park concessioner when the snow that he was standing on collapsed, causing him to take a short fall. During that fall, Williams caught a crampon on the ice and sustained an injury. Williams was able to get himself and his client through technical terrain from Black Rock Chimney to just above the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton. This effort involved descending across rock, ice and snow and required multiple rappels. Rangers commend Williams for self-rescuing with his client to the extent that he did. Rangers assessed several factors relevant to a ground-based evacuation via rescue litter, including terrain conditions, distance to the trailhead, and the potential for injury to rescuer, and decided to have Williams flown to the valley floor via helicopter. The aerial evacuation meant that fewer rescuers spent less time in precarious conditions. To conduct the aerial evacuation, rangers requested a ship from Yellowstone National Park because neither of the two Teton Interagency contract helicopters was available for the rescue operation. After the contract ship landed at Lupine Meadows, Williams transported himself to medical care in Jackson, Wyoming.
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bpope
Trad climber
Sunnyvale, CA
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Jun 21, 2013 - 05:47pm PT
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keep 'em comin' sagebrusher!
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 24, 2013 - 04:51pm PT
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More from GT...
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Rangers Handle Two Rescues, EMS Response On Same Day
Rangers handled back-to-back rescue missions in the Tetons last Thursday, one of which involved a fatality. At the same time, other rangers dealt with a cardiac arrest in Buffalo Valley.
Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received a call for help from a location on Mount Owen (12,928 feet) just before 2:30 p.m. Jeff Judkins, 38, of Lander, Wyoming, and his climbing partner were on an ascent of the Crescent Arête (11,200 feet) when a door-sized rock broke free as Judkins was pushing himself onto it. Judkins fell about 15 feet before hitting a sloping ledge below, then another five feet before his climbing protection caught him. Luckily, neither of the climbers was hit by the rock.
Two rangers were inserted via short-haul to a nearby ledge just before 5 p.m. and they prepared the two climbers for short-haul extrication from the accident site to Lupine Meadows. This rescue was completed at 5:15 p.m. The Crescent Arête is adjacent to the Northeast Snowfields route on Mount Owen, and is an uncommon climb due to its technical nature. It is rated a 5.7 on the Yosemite Decimal System. Fred Beckey and Yvon Chouinard made the first ascent of this climb in September of 1959.
Moments after the first mountain rescue was completed, Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received another call for help after a climber fell into a moat in the North Fork of Garnet Canyon. Gary Miller, 55, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was descending from the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton after a successful summit of the peak earlier in the day when he slipped on snow and slid into an icy water moat near a rock band. Miller was on a climb being guided by one of the park’s authorized concessioners. Climbing guides successfully extricated Miller from the moat before rangers arrived at the site.
Six rangers were flown to a temporary landing zone near the moat location in Garnet Canyon. Rescuers raised Miller to a site where he could be flown in a rescue litter via short-haul to Lupine Meadows by a Teton Interagency contract helicopter. A ranger attended Miller below the helicopter on the flight to the park’s rescue cache. Once at the rescue cache, they were met by a team of park medical providers led by Dr. Will Smith of St. John’s Medical Center and an Air Idaho Life Flight ship waiting to provide transport to critical care in Idaho Falls. Miller was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m. at the rescue cache and his body turned over to the Teton Country coroner.
Earlier in the day, Teton County requested assistance from rangers for a cardiac arrest underway in Buffalo Valley. A park ambulance and six rangers responded jointly with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS personnel to the incident location. The 56-year-old man was pronounced dead after nearly an hour of resuscitation efforts.
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Jul 11, 2013 - 10:53am PT
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Thursday, July 11, 2013
INCIDENTS
North Cascades National Park (WA)
Injured Climber And Partner Rescued From Mount Goode
A mountaineering party of two experienced an accident on Mount Goode on July 6th. After summiting the 9,200-foot peak via the Northeast Buttress route, the climbers were descending the Southwest Couloir, a standard descent. At 8,400 feet one climber fell when the rappel anchor in use failed. He suffered an open elbow and arm fracture, among other injuries, and was initially unconscious.
The man’s partner activated a satellite beacon at 9:30 p.m. and then bivouacked in the couloir with his injured partner for the night. Early on July 7th, a rescue of both climbers was carried out by NPS rangers utilizing a contract helicopter from HiLine Helicopters and assisted by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office’s SnoHawk 10. The injured climber is being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
[Submitted by Kinsey Shilling, Chief Ranger]
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Jul 24, 2013 - 11:20am PT
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7/24/13
Olympic National Park (WA)
Climber Killed In Fall On Mount Olympus
Early on the morning of Saturday, July 20th, park dispatch received a report that a climber had been seriously injured in a fall on Mount Olympus. A short time later, the park received word that other climbers, including a paramedic, had reached the man and determined that he’d died of his injuries.
The 28-year-old man was on the east face of the summit peak on Mount Olympus when the accident occurred. The fall was witnessed by members of another climbing group that was on the mountain at the time.
Rangers were flown via helicopter to Snow Dome on Mount Olympus and climbed through melting and challenging snow conditions to reach and recover the climber’s body. It was airlifted out to Port Angeles that evening.
[Submitted by Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Specialist]
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10b4me
Ice climber
Wishes-He-Was-In-Arizona
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Jul 25, 2013 - 12:12pm PT
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Zion National Park (UT)
Concession Employee Dies Of Injuries Sustained In Fall
The park received a report of an accident with severe injuries at a watercourse known as “Employee Falls” behind the Zion Lodge employee housing area on the evening of Saturday, July 20th.
Scott Schena, 22, a Xanterra employee from Florida, had been socializing with several other employees at the base of the falls all afternoon. He joined a group of four who arrived to practice rappelling skills and climbed above the falls. While on the bench of the falls, he walked near the edge to wave to the group below, lost his footing on the sloped edge, and fell approximately 50 feet onto the rocks below.
Schena suffered significant traumatic injuries in the fall. Ranger/medics provided ALS medical care while evacuating Schena from the canyon. During the evacuation, he became unresponsive and stopped breathing. Schena was resuscitated by the rangers and Lifeflight personnel and transported by air to Dixie Regional Medical Center, where he passed away. The incident remains under investigation.
[Submitted by Cindy Purcell, Chief Ranger]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 23, 2013 - 06:03pm PT
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Finally, someone keeps a cool head! BTW, that area looks amazing on Google Earth! http://goo.gl/maps/2w4Ku
North Cascades National Park (WA)
Overdue Backpacker Found By Searchers
On the morning of September 13th, the park received a report that a 60-year-old man was two days overdue from a nine day backpacking trip in the Berdeen Lake area. An aerial search was launched and he was found by day’s end near Lower Berdeen Lake.
Rangers determined he’d sustained no life threatening injuries, but that it would take too long for him to hike up to the nearest landing zone given his exhausted condition, the rough terrain and impending darkness. They therefore instead supplied him with food and a radio and advised that they would return the next morning. Rangers long-lined the hiker’s gear to a nearby landing zone the next morning and then helped him to the helicopter.
The Berdeen cross-country zone is a seldom visited, trail-less portion of the park with extremely steep and challenging terrain.
The hiker said that he knew he was unable to complete his trip and return to his vehicle by day five, but that he continued on his hike to get out of the wooded area and into the open so that searchers could more easily locate him.
[Submitted by Kinsey Shilling, Chief of Visitor and Resource Protection]
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 23, 2013 - 06:34pm PT
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The hiker said that he knew he was unable to complete his trip and return to his vehicle by day five,
And the problem with completing the trip on day six is...?
If you can be cited for not having a bear canister why can't you be cited
for being a lame-azz?
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 24, 2013 - 04:30pm PT
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I think what they meant was that by Day 5, he realized he wasn't going to make it out by Day 9.
Meanwhile, just a couple of good old boys, never meaning no harm...just a little bit more than the law will allow! :)
New River Gorge National River (WV)
Ranger Employs Taser On Belligerent Man
On the night of Friday, September 13th, a ranger patrolling the Thurmond area, where recent thefts and vandalism have occurred, came upon a man sitting by himself on a concrete wall near Thurmond Depot. Since there was no car around, the ranger contacted the man to find out what was going on; the man replied that he’d been in an argument with his girlfriend and said that he was cooling off.
A vehicle with three of the man’s friends inside pulled up as he was talking with the ranger. When they saw the ranger, the driver and one of the passengers switched places. When the ranger began investigating to determine why they’d switched places, the first man became belligerent and began to interfere.
The ranger called for backup and three rangers responded from different areas of the park. The ranger on scene, now out with all four men, ordered the belligerent man to sit back down so he could continue his investigation. The man began to approach the ranger, so the ranger drew his taser and ordered him to sit down once again.
Although the man sat down, he told the ranger that he had his taser out to avoid “being whipped.” Shortly, thereafter, he stood up, raised his hands, and began approaching the ranger again. He told the ranger he would have to tase him. The ranger repeatedly ordered him to stop, but the man ignored him and was accordingly tased. He remained on the ground until backup arrived and was then taken into custody for interfering with agency functions and refusing to obey a lawful order.
None of the three men in the vehicle had a valid driver’s license, so the vehicle was towed. The driver received a citation for driving without a license and all three were transported by rangers back to their residence. Alcohol use was documented. The first man was taken to a federal magistrate on Monday morning for his initial appearance.
[Submitted by Jeff West, Chief Ranger]
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Sep 24, 2013 - 05:11pm PT
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"Tase me, bro!"
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 26, 2014 - 03:59pm PT
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Sometimes the rules are there for a reason...
Zion National Park (UT)
Bicyclist Seriously Injured In Illegal Ride Through Tunnel
A group of eight bicyclists from Salt Lake City attempted to illegally bicycle through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel in Zion National Park late on the afternoon of Friday, February 22nd. While doing so, two of the bicyclists apparently hit the tunnel wall and crashed.
One, a 51-year-old man, suffered significant head trauma and was transported to the hospital by the park ambulance. The second cyclist ran into the tunnel wall, sideswiping it and tearing his shirt. He refused medical care.
It is illegal to bicycle through the tunnel. To ensure the safety of bicyclists and that of passing traffic, bicyclists and pedestrians must be transported through the unlit, narrow, mile-long tunnel in a motor vehicle.
The bicyclists were part of a larger group of 12 who had arranged for a shuttle to take them to the other side, which is proper protocol. Apparently eight people in the group (including two minors) decided to ride through instead.
“As soon as we rounded the corner, it was like pitch black, and that’s where it happened,” said one of the bicyclists near the back of the group. “He was just lying there. They were in a bad spot, and only two of the bikers had little flashers. I thought, ‘someone else is going to get killed.’” He turned around and went back to the tunnel entrance to stop traffic from entering too fast.
“That was my first thought cause I didn’t want anybody else to get hurt,” he added. “It was really stupid what we’d done… I think we all learned our lesson and we now have to pay the price.”
“I just can’t believe that we put ourselves in that kind of situation,” said another member of the group.
Park rangers issued violation notices to group members.
[Submitted by Cindy Purcell, Chief Ranger]
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 28, 2014 - 12:56pm PT
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Denali National Park & Preserve (AK)
Flooding Causes Park Road Closure, Evacuations
Torrential rains Wednesday night caused what are usually small streams to become raging torrents along and across the Denali Park Road.
At 4:30 a.m. on Thursday the park road was closed beyond Wonder Lake due to flooding in the Kantishna area at Eureka and Friday Creeks (which normally flow at very low levels across the park road) and at the north end of Wonder Lake. Around 8:45 a.m. park managers closed the road beyond the Eielson Visitor Center due to significant rockfall at the Eielson Bluffs, approximately one to two miles west of the visitor center.
Over 100 guests and employees at private lodges in Kantishna and more than a dozen park employees were marooned at the western end of the park road, but all were safe and accounted for. The Denali Backcountry Lodge, which is located at the end of the road near the airstrip, evacuated its guests and staff to higher ground near another lodge Thursday morning as water began encroaching into buildings.
Lodge guests and employees were subsequently evacuated without incident. They were ferried by the park’s two contract helicopters to buses staged at the Wonder Lake Ranger Station or by fixed-wing aircraft to airstrips near or at the east end of the park. Park employees in that area were also evacuated. Guests at other lodges did not have to evacuate and will be able to leave via the road today as temporary repairs have been made to the causeway section of road at the north end of Wonder Lake.
Four mountaineers who had traversed Mt. McKinley were airlifted from the south side of the McKinley River to the Eielson Visitor Center. They had been trying for days to cross the river, but had been unsuccessful due to the high water and were out of food. The river is notoriously difficult to cross, especially after heavy rain. A Denali Backcountry Lodge employee who had been stranded on what became an island in the housing area was able to get across the swollen Moose Creek with assistance from other employees and a rope.
Road crews will coordinate plans for repairing the damaged sections of the park road at Eureka and Friday Creeks with the Alaska Department of Transportation, which has the jurisdictional responsibility for that portion of the road. Road repairs may take several days.
Park concessioner-operated buses will operate on their regular schedule as far as Wonder Lake beginning today.
Click on the link below for a related Anchorage Daily News story with images of the flooding.
http://www.adn.com/2014/06/26/3535950/flooding-in-denali-national-park.html?sp=/99/188/
Yosemite National Park (CA)
Injured Climber Rescued From Sentinel Rock
On Tuesday, June 17th, dispatch received a 911 call from an injured rock climber at the base of the Chounard-Herbert climbing route on Sentinel Rock in Yosemite Valley. The climber, a 30-year-old man from Bend, Oregon, said that he’d taken a 35-foot fall on the first pitch of the route, that he’d suffered injuries to his lower extremities, and that he was unable to self-rescue.
A ground response team consisting of Yosemite Search and Rescue team members Everett Phillips, Matt Othmer, Ken Kreis, and Buck Yedor was dispatched to the scene. The park's contract helicopter was also ordered for a reconnaissance flight and potential short haul mission.
Following a reconnaissance flight, the helicopter lowered rangers Jack Hoeflich and David Pope and their extrication equipment via short haul to a ledge approximately 250 feet below the injured climber. Hoeflich climbed to the man and fixed ropes for Pope and additional ground responders.
The team, including Hoeflich, Pope and SAR personnel, packaged the injured man in a litter and lowered him with Pope back to the insertion ledge. The helicopter returned and short-hauled Pope and the man to the Ahwahnee Meadow in Yosemite Valley, where he was taken to Yosemite Valley Medical Clinic. The remaining team members descended to the valley via the climber’s approach.
The mission was complicated by the steepness of the north face of Sentinel Rock, gusty winds, high rockfall potential, and the relative position of the sun and cliff face, which caused the helicopter to be in direct sunlight while the short haulers were in the shadow of the cliff.
Ranger David Hahn was the incident commander for this rescue.
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Jul 17, 2014 - 08:12am PT
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Condolences.
june 17
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
One Climber Killed, Another Injured In Separate Incidents
A climbing accident on the 13,770-foot Grand Teton resulted in the death of one member of a guided climbing party on Monday, July 14th.
Mary Bilyeu, 43, of Edmond, Oklahoma, was ascending to the Upper Saddle of the Grand Teton (elevation 13,160 feet) with her climbing partner and a guide from Jackson Hole Mountain Guides when she fell while negotiating a short section above the Exum Gully around 8:30 a.m.
Rangers were notified of the accident at 8:40 a.m. and a rescue response was quickly begun. Two rangers on routine patrol on the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton (11,600 feet) climbed to the accident site to begin emergency medical care and prepare the injured climber for a helicopter evacuation.
Bilyeu was unresponsive when park rangers arrived on scene and could not be revived. She was pronounced dead in consultation with the park’s medical director and rangers on scene. Other Jackson Hole Mountain Guides staff responded to the area and escorted Bilyeu’s climbing partner to the Corbet High Camp near the Lower Saddle, and later escorted her to Lupine Meadows trailhead on the valley floor.
The circumstances leading to this climbing accident are under investigation by Grand Teton National Park rangers and no further details are available at this time.
Rangers began to coordinate a body recovery on the Grand Teton when Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received a second emergency call at approximately 11 a.m. from a hiking party near Paintbrush Divide.
Silas Peterson of Santa Fe, New Mexico fell while descending Paintbrush Divide into Paintbrush Canyon and sustained multiple injuries. Although Peterson was using an ice axe, he slid down a steep snow-covered slope, could not self-arrest, and fell an additional 150 feet through steep loose rock.
Peterson’s hiking partner called 911 to report the accident. Another party ascending from Paintbrush Canyon witnessed the event and also called 911. That party then hiked to Peterson to provide first aid until rescuers arrived.
A Teton Interagency contract helicopter readied to assist with the rescue operations on the Grand Teton was diverted to transport rescuers to Paintbrush Divide. Two rangers were short-hauled to the Divide from the Lupine Meadows Rescue Cache, and they descended snow and rock to reach Peterson at 11:45 a.m. A rescue litter was also flown to the scene.
Peterson was provided emergency medical care and evacuated from Paintbrush Divide via short-haul with a ranger attending. Upon arriving at Lupine Meadows Rescue Cache, Peterson was treated by the park’s medical director before being transported at approximately 1:15 p.m. via an Air Idaho life-flight helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for further medical care. Peterson and his partner were on the final day of a six day Teton Crest Trail backpacking trip.
Both rescue operations were affected by the forecast and subsequent arrival of severe thunderstorms that pummeled the Teton Range and Jackson Hole valley with lightning strikes and several waves of rain, hail and high winds.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 19, 2014 - 02:37pm PT
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9-19-2014
Capitol Reef National Park (UT)
Three Pay For Resource Damage Caused In Catalog Shoot
In September, 2011, a photograph in a Patagonia clothing catalog appeared of two climbers making a “first ascent” of a climbing route in the park. Rangers identified the route and determined that new bolts had been installed and that trundling of rocks on the route had occurred. Both of these actions are prohibited under a 36 CFR 1.5 closure.
During the investigation, two additional climbing routes were identified as first ascents completed by the individuals identified in the Patagonia catalog and by a newly identified third party not associated with the Patagonia photograph.
All three individuals were held liable for damages in accordance with the Park System Resource Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 19jj), which provides that any person or instrumentality who injures, destroys or causes the loss of any park resource is liable for response costs and damages.
In May a sum of $4,000 was paid to Capitol Reef National Park after negotiations between the NPS Intermountain Office of the Solicitor and the defendants’ attorney.
[Submitted by Scott Brown, Chief Ranger]
Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Body Found Near Alberta Falls
A man’s body was discovered Wednesday morning along the shoreline next to Glacier Creek at the base of a rock outcropping, roughly 200 feet down from Alberta Falls. Rangers reached the body about 30 minutes later and confirmed that he was dead.
There were no witnesses and the incident is under investigation, but foul play is not suspected. The man’s body was flown to a landing zone near the Glacier Basin Campground and was transferred to the Larimer County Coroner's Office.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 3, 2014 - 09:38pm PT
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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Search In Progress For Missing Hikers
A search is underway in and around the Cedar Grove area for Rommel and Marisol Pompa, who failed to return from their backpacking trip as scheduled on Monday, October 29th. They planned to hike the Rae Lakes Loop, departing from Cedar Grove on the Woods Creek trail and returning via the Bubbs Creek trail.
In addition to teams on foot, searchers are using the park helicopter and horse patrols. There were 15 searchers hiking trails within the search area and interviewing other hikers yesterday.
The 32-year-old Rommel Pompa is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 160 pounds, with short, light brown hair and brown eyes. Marisol Pompa is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds, and has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes.
Any hikers who may have seen or come in contact with either or both of them should call the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Incident Command Post at 559-565-3341 or 888-677-2746.
Click on the link below to see a flyer with a photo of the Pompas.
[Submitted by Jana McCabe]
More Information...
Zion National Park (UT)
Storm Causes Significant Flooding; Hiker Dies In Narrows
On September 27th, 1.9 inches of rain fell on Zion National Park, including 1.27 inches which fell over a three hour period beginning at 10:30 a.m. The North Fork of the Virgin River rose from a flow of 52 cubic feet per second (cfs) at 10 a.m. to a peak of over 4000 cfs at 1 p.m. The associated flooding forced the closure of the Zion Mount Carmel Highway (Route 9) as well as the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive from late morning through late afternoon.
On the morning of the 27th, the National Weather Service forecast indicated a 90% chance of rain in Zion Canyon, with heavy rain possible. The flash flood potential rating was at the highest level of concern, and many slot canyons were expected to experience flash flooding.
Two men from California drove up Zion Canyon instead of using the required shuttle bus and began hiking upstream from the Temple of Sinawava Trailhead at 8 a.m. Rain started to fall on the pair while they were in the Zion Narrows, but they continued a short distance up the canyon. They eventually turned around due to concern with the weather, but were trapped by the rising river on separate river benches 200 feet apart about a quarter mile north of the end of the paved Riverside Walk.
Both men were on high ground and safe from the swollen river and waited for most of the day for the flood waters to drop. They were able to see each other but were unable to communicate due to the noise of the river. Late in the afternoon, the downstream hiker believed that he could not survive the night because of hypothermia and decided to risk swimming the river, which was still flowing at a rate of about 1000 cfs. He made it to safety and reported to rangers that his companion was safe and on high ground.
Due to the continued high flows, it was impossible for rangers to check on the condition of the stranded hiker. Early on the morning of September 28th, rangers learned that the reporting party had hiked back into the Narrows to the point where he had last seen his companion but was not able to locate him.
A large search team was mobilized and the team located the body of the missing hiker at 2 p.m. on the bank of the river near the Riverside Walk about a mile downstream from the point where he was last seen.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 3, 2014 - 09:39pm PT
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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Missing Hikers Found In Remote Area Of Kings Canyon
Searchers found missing hikers Rommel and Marisol Pompa in a remote area of Kings Canyon National Park late on Wednesday afternoon. Both were in good condition. Five rescuers assisted the couple on Wednesday evening and hiked out with them yesterday.
The Pompas’ wilderness permit indicated that they planned to hike the Rae Lakes Loop, departing from Cedar Grove on September 25th via the Woods Creek trail and returning September 29th on the Bubbs Creek trail.
Information from other hikers helped to focus the search area. The Charlotte Creek drainage, where searchers found them, is within the area of their intended route.
In addition to teams on foot, searchers used the park helicopter and horse patrols.
[Submitted by Jana Friesen McCabe]
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Rangers Deal With Multiple Same Day Incidents
Rangers and flight crews were kept busy on Wednesday, September 24th, as seven people were evacuated from the canyon via helicopter in seven separate incidents:
A 53-year-old woman on a private river trip with cardiac problems was evacuated from the National Canyon area.
A 69-year-old woman on a commercial river trip who’d suffered a femur fracture was short-hauled via helicopter from Havasu Creek to a landing zone near the Colorado River for evacuation to the South Rim.
A 33-year-old man from a private river trip was evacuated from the mouth of Havasu Creek after suffering a serious laceration in the groin area.
A 43-year-old female backpacker with an acute abdomen (appendicitis) was evacuated from Phantom Ranch.
A 29-year-old man with cardiac issues was extracted from the North Rim developed area.
A 52-year-old male backpacker with a leg injury was evacuated from the Nankoweap area.
A 51-year-old woman on a commercial river trip with a knee injury was evacuated from the Nankoweap area.
In addition to the medevacs, there were several other incidents, including:
a flipped and stuck raft below Crystal Rapids that necessitated four rangers and two sling loads of equipment flown in to begin a two-day recovery operation;
a warrant/intoxication arrest in the South Rim developed area;
an intoxicated and possibly suicidal person approximately a mile and a half down the Bright Angel Trail; and
a hyponatremic 65-year-old woman treated and transported via NPS ambulance from the South Rim after attempting to hike rim to rim in a day.
Rangers Abby Confer and Peter Maggio served as the incident commanders for the majority of these incidents.
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 3, 2014 - 09:40pm PT
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So wait, what?
Bolting is now injuring or destroying a park resource
Depends on the park.
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Feb 19, 2015 - 07:33am PT
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Feb 19, 2015
Arches National Park (UT)
BASE Jumper Sentenced For Illegal Jump In Park
On May 2, 2014, several witnesses and an NPS employee saw a person BASE jump from the top of the Three Gossips formation in Arches National Park.
Park rangers responded and tracked footprints in the area until they found the BASE jumper, Andy Lewis, hiding among rocks. Lewis was arrested and charged with five violations.
On December 18, 2014, Lewis pled guilty to providing false information, illegal air delivery, and interfering with agency functions. He was fined $965 and was placed on non-supervisory probation for 18 months. Conditions of Lewis’ probation include no criminal activity, no entrance into any national park or monument, and no contact with National Park Service employees.
Lewis’s enhanced probation is the result of repeated illegal air delivery charges in more than one NPS unit. Lewis is not allowed entry into any NPS unit until November 2, 2015.
The case ranger was Liza Kent.
is this Sketchy Andy?
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Feb 19, 2015 - 07:38am PT
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Yes it is. :(
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Sagebrusher
Sport climber
Iowa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2015 - 01:19pm PT
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For those keeping score, the Bison are up 4-0 this year.
As Yellowstone National Park enters the busiest month of the year, visitors are reminded that they are responsible for their safety, which includes viewing wildlife from safe distances of at least 25 yards. In recent separate incidents, two people were injured after getting too close to bison. The first encounter occurred on June 23 when an off-duty concession employee came upon a bison while walking off trail after dark in the Lower Geyser Basin area. The second incident occurred July 1, when a visitor encountered a bison while hiking the Storm Point trail in the Yellowstone Lake area.
The first incident happened when a 19-year-old female from Georgia and three friends were returning to their car after swimming in the Firehole River late at night. The girl and a companion were walking in the dark when they came upon a bison lying down about 10 feet from them. The companion turned and ran from the bison, but before the girl could react, the bison charged her and tossed her in the air. Her friends helped her to their car and drove back to Canyon Village, where all four live and work. At Canyon, the girl went to bed, but awoke a short time later feeling ill. Around one in the morning, the party called the Yellowstone Interagency Communication Center asking for medical help. Rangers transported the victim by ground ambulance to a hospital outside the park and she was released with minor injuries later that day.
The second incident occurred when a 68-year-old female from Georgia was hiking on the Storm Point trail, approximately 300 yards from the trailhead, and encountered a bison near the trail. The woman continued on the trail and as she passed the bison, it charged and gored her. A witness ran up the trail to report the incident to an Interpretive ranger leading a hike in the area. Shortly before 4:30 p.m., the ranger reported the incident to the Yellowstone Interagency Communication Center. Due to serious injuries, the woman was transported to Lake Clinic by ground ambulance and then by helicopter ambulance to a hospital outside the park.
These are the third and fourth bison encounters in Yellowstone National Park this summer. The other two occurred when visitors to the Old Faithful area approached too close to bison. Both visitors in those incidents were flown by helicopter ambulance to a hospital due to their injuries.
Visitors should remember that while many of the bison and elk in the park may appear tame, they are wild animals and should never be approached. Bison can sprint three times faster than humans can run and are unpredictable and dangerous. Park regulations require visitors stay at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals - bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves. If a visitor comes upon a bison or elk along a trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in developed areas, visitors must give the animal at least 25 yards by either safely going around the animal or turning around, altering their plans, and not approaching the animal.
For further information on park safety, please visit http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/safety.htm.
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