Morning Report Excerpts - 2003 First Half
The Morning Report includes accidents and incidents in the National Park System. Here are some reports you might find interesting.
01-24-2003 Zion National Park (UT)
Falling Fatality
The body of Dorothy Kaiser, 66, of Joshua Tree, California, was found at the base of Scouts Lookout on the afternoon of Tuesday, January 21. Kaiser was apparently visiting the park alone and was a guest at Zion Lodge. When her belongings were found in her room after her scheduled departure time, the park was notified and efforts were begun to locate her or her vehicle. Night patrol rangers found the latter at the Grotto parking area; it was still there on Tuesday morning, so a search was begun for her. A search team on West Rim trail saw some type of personal gear at the base of Scouts Lookout. A second team was sent to that location and found her body. Scout Lookout, about 900 feet above the floor of Zion Canyon, is a popular viewpoint along the trail. The fatality is being investigated by the county sheriff's office in cooperation with the park.
[Submitted by Public Affairs]
01-29-2003 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Manhunt For Killer of Garfield County Deputy
A Garfield County deputy was killed in a shootout around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon on a dirt road five miles south of Escalante. Deputy David Jones stopped a 1994 white Ford pickup on Alvey Wash Road to investigate two men suspected of driving under the influence. After making the stop, Jones called in information on the truck and asked for backup and a tow truck. When the tow truck arrived five minutes later, the driver found that Jones had been shot. Park dispatch was notified of the incident about ten minutes later. Rangers were asked to help find the suspects, who were thought to be southbound toward the park. Ranger Shawn McNally headed to Warm Creek Road on the park's north boundary and established an incident command post. Many local agencies responded with officers and equipment. The park's airplane and Classic Helicopter, a local contract medical helicopter, were called in to provide air support. The pickup was found about ten miles north of the park in an extremely remote part of south central Utah. It was traveling on four-wheel-drive roads and headed toward the park. While ranger/pilot Jim Traub orbited over the pickup and provided directions, a three-person ranger/deputy team was placed about a half mile down the road from the pickup. As the vehicle passed them, they were able to positively identify it and its occupants and obtain the Utah license plate number. Blood was on the passenger side door, and a high-powered rifle was seen inside the truck. A second team of Arizona DPS officers was flown in and placed further down the road. They stopped the truck and arrested the pair without incident. One of the two men had gunshot wounds in his arm and chest, sustained during the shootout with the deputy; a bullet was lodged in his right lung. The wounded man was flown to Page hospital, then transferred to Flagstaff Medical Center. Special agent Brian O'Dea conducted the first interview of the wounded man at the hospital and confirmed that he was the one who had shot the deputy. Officers from many jurisdictions worked together to find and arrest the two men. The other involved rangers were Eric Scott, Steven Clary, Jim Nichols, Dave Bauer, Matt Micale and Brenda Russell. Memorial services for Jones are set for 1 p.m. on Friday in Escalante. He leaves a wife and family.
[Submitted by Mike Mayer, Assistant Chief Ranger]
02-10-2003 Zion National Park (UT)
Structural Fire in Park Residence; Building Saved
The wooden roof of an employee home caught fire from an ember from the building's chimney on the afternoon of Thursday, February 6. Chuck Passek, the only ranger then on duty, happened to be passing by at the same time. He notified dispatch, then put out the fire with a garden hose. The park fire brigade and a local VFD responded with two engines and eight firefighters. Damage to the building was limited to a two-by-two-foot area on the roof. The residents were not home at the time. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it's thought to have been started by a spark that came out of the wood stove chimney, through the spark arrester, and onto the cedar shake roof.
[Submitted by Aniceto Olais, Chief Ranger]
02-25-2003 Zion National Park (UT)
Park Staff Join Search for Space Shuttle Parts
On February 22 and 23, a dozen members of the park staff assisted the Washington County Sheriff's Office with a search for parts from the space shuttle Columbia. NASA believes that there is a high probability that a piece of the shuttle came down within the search area, which is located on the park's western boundary and includes a small area within the park itself. A total of about 50 people searched the area, which is comprised of rough terrain filled with thick brush. No parts have yet been discovered. For additional details on the search, click on http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58305-2003Feb24.html
[Submitted by Aniceto Olais, Chief Ranger]
03-31-2003 Capitol Reef National Park (UT)
Rescue of Boy Scout Troop
On March 15th, four Boy Scouts, aged 12 and 13, and three adult leaders were backpacking in Spring Canyon, a route that requires crossing the Fremont River at the end of the hike. The first substantial snow of the winter had occurred earlier in the month in the high country and had been followed by a week of record high temperatures. The resulting runoff had brought the Fremont River to flood level. The river continued to rise overnight and rangers determined that a safe crossing was not possible. Ranger Jessie Jordan quickly hiked down Spring Canyon in an attempt to turn the group around. Although the scouts reached the river before Jordan was able to contact them, they were intercepted by ranger Tom Cox, who was on the other side of the river. Cox advised them not to cross. The scout leaders determined that members of their group were too exhausted to hike back out; Jordan, who had caught up with the scouts by that time, concurred in this assessment. Skies were overcast and rain was predicted, so an alternative means was found to extricate them from the backcountry. A tyrolean system was rigged to bring the backpacks across the river and send rescue gear to Jordan and the hikers. Anchor points were not substantial enough to bring the scouts across on the tyrolean system, so downstream safety lines were established. The scouts and their leaders donned life jackets and whitewater helmets, then - one by one - slid down a six-foot bank on their backs into the 42-degree water, took the end of a belay line, and forded the Fremont. Cox utilized swiftwater rescue belay techniques to bring each person across and up the three-foot bank on the other side. Rescue team members, including the park superintendent, resource management staff, and a USFWS special agent, pulled the scouts out of the water and got them into a warming van. There they immediately changed clothes to prevent hypothermia. After de-rigging the systems on the other side, Jordan then entered the Fremont and was belayed across.
[Submitted by Chief Rangers Office]
04-01-2003 Zion National Park (UT)
Rescue of Injured Hiker from Angels Landing
A visitor reported that a woman had sustained an injury on the Angels Landing trail around 3 p.m. on March 25th. Resource management staff in the area found that Janet McCabe, 59, had sustained a hip injury and could not walk out on her own. Due to the rugged nature of the trail, rescuers concluded that they would have to use either a complicated technical lowering or a helicopter short haul extrication to evacuate her. The latter proved feasible, so the park asked Grand Canyon to send its helicopter down to lift her out. Meanwhile, park medics arrived on scene and determined that McCabe had sustained a fractured right hip. She was stabilized and prepared for evacuation. McCabe was flown off Angels Landing at 6 p.m. to a waiting ambulance. She was subsequently flown to a hospital in Denver. A total of 17 people from Zion and Grand Canyon worked on the incident. The IC was Cody Cole.
[Submitted by David Eaker, PIO]
04-24-2003 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Searchers Find and Rescue Overdue Hiker
On the afternoon of April 18th, park dispatch received a call over marine band radio concerning an overdue hiker in Bridge Canyon. The hiker, John Parks, was scheduled to be picked up early on the morning of April 17th at Rainbow Bridge. Overnight temperatures were near freezing with storms and high winds in the area. Several other hikers in the area reported that they had come across Parks' camp and his backpack two miles from the scheduled pick-up point. His camp was just outside of the Rainbow Bridge NM boundary on the Navajo Nation. Both the Navajo Nation and San Juan County Sheriff's Office asked for assistance in locating Parks. Wahweap rangers Jared St. Clair, Stephen Clary and Shannon Hope responded to Rainbow Bridge by boat and met with a hiker who had seen Parks' camp. Pilots Tug Kangus and Jim Traub searched the area from the air, but their efforts were hampered by strong thunderstorms and narrow canyon walls. The responding rangers, guided by the airplane, hiked the rugged canyon to Parks' camp. Although Parks was not there, the camp was found to be in disarray and it appeared that Parks was in distress. Classic Lifeguard Aeromedical Helicopter Service joined the search. Shortly after reaching the camp, both the ground team and an observer in the helicopter saw two hikers signaling for help about 300 yards up the canyon from the camp. The hikers had found Parks sitting in the cold waters of a nearby creek. He was suffering from hypothermia and was confused, disoriented and wearing only a pair of shorts. Parks had experienced hallucinations, believing he had been kidnapped and held hostage. He was warmed and flown to Page Hospital, where he remained for two days. The items in his camp were collected and packed out by the rangers.
[Submitted by Mike Mayer, Assistant Chief Ranger]
05-05-2003 Canyonlands National Park (UT)
Self-Rescue from Blue John Canyon
On the afternoon of Saturday, April 26th, Aron Ralston, 27, of Aspen, Colorado, was solo canyoneering in remote Blue John Canyon, adjacent to the park's Maze District. His intended one-day route was down the main fork of Blue John Canyon to its intersection with Horseshoe Canyon, then down Horseshoe Canyon into the Maze District, then out via Horseshoe Canyon. In a three-foot wide and hundred-foot high section of Blue John Canyon, a boulder weighing approximately 800 pounds and measuring about 42 by 54 by 30 inches shifted, pinning Ralston's right arm. He was unable to move and was trapped in a standing position. Ralston unsuccessfully attempted to rescue himself from his stranded location utilizing technical climbing equipment that he carried with him. On the morning of Tuesday, April 29th, Ralston ran out of water. On Thursday, the park and Emery County Sheriff's Office were notified that Ralston was missing and four days overdue from reporting for work. ICS was put into effect with a unified command; each agency assumed a command function and provided resources. Additional support and resources were provided by Utah Public Safety, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, the Moab Valley Fire Department, the Bureau of Land Management and Grand County Search and Rescue. That same morning, Ralston realized that his survival required drastic action, so he amputated his arm below the elbow utilizing his pocketknife. He then applied a tourniquet and administered first aid, rigged anchors and fixed a rope to rappel to the floor of Blue John Canyon, and hiked downstream into Horseshoe Canyon. Ralston was found there by a Utah Public Safety helicopter at 3 p.m. and was transported to Allen Memorial Hospital in Moab. He was stabilized there, then transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado, by a Care Flight helicopter for further treatment. Ralston's arm was recovered on May 4th. Several strategies were considered for recovering the arm by the park's safety officer, engineer and other employees. An assortment of equipment was backpacked into the site, including jacks, hoists, ropes, pulleys, wrecking bars and cribbing. Once on site, the riggers determined that a grip hoist could be used to lift the boulder, so a raising station was set up. The boulder was wrapped in heavy duty webbing and the grip hoist was used along with a heavy duty jack to lift and shift the boulder far enough to remove the trapped limb. Ralston is an avid outdoors person and in exceptional physical condition. He is known to have climbed 49 of the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado, and was preparing for an upcoming Denali expedition. His outdoor pursuits are outlined on his web page at www.geocities.com/aronralston. Media interest has been extremely intense. The park has had as many as five information officers working simultaneously to handle calls, including numerous requests for live appearances.
[Submitted by Steve Swanke, Unified Incident Commander]
05-05-2003 Canyonlands National Park (UT)
Rescue of Seriously-Injured Hiker
Barbara Schaffnit, 69, was hiking in a remote section of the Island in the Sky District on Monday, April 28th, when she fell about 30 feet in steep and rugged terrain. Schaffnit sustained an angulated fracture of one arm and a significant head injury that caused her to lose consciousness. Her husband, Bill Schaffnit, attempted to drag her into the shade, but was unable to move her due to the terrain. He then hiked about a mile to the road, flagged down a vehicle, and reported the accident. ICS was put into effect, with ranger Alyssa Van Schmus as IC. Ranger/EMT Mark Pita was first on scene and provided life-saving care. Barbara Schaffnit was evacuated through the steep and rugged terrain by a litter team and flown via Care Flight helicopter to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, where she remains unconscious and in critical condition.
[Submitted by Steve Swanke, Acting Chief Ranger]
05-29-2003 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Memorial Day Weekend Incidents
The park had a busy but relatively safe and manageable holiday weekend. Over 380 case incidents were reported over the four-day weekend, beginning with a memorable Thursday evening in which a 33-foot Sea Ray with one person on board ran aground on the lake's rocky coast, ending up well out of the water and turned completely around. The extremely intoxicated operator did not remember how he got on the rock. Prop marks showed where the boat left the water and how the boat's speed and moving propellers had spun the Sea Ray 180 degrees. The operator was flown to a hospital in Grand Junction. Over the weekend, there were also eight accidents (six boat, one vehicle and one PWC), 19 EMS calls, eight drug and 17 alcohol cases, 97 service calls, 186 traffic incidents, 48 boating calls, a vessel fire, a search and rescue operation, and a total of eleven arrests. The park's 24-hour dispatch center served the nine or more agencies working around Lake Powell, while simultaneously providing services to Bryce Canyon NP, marine band users, and 911 backup for the city of Page. Due to the lake's low level (95 feet below normal), park staff were also prepared for very long launch lines, but these did not occur, much to the relief of both visitors and staff. Assisting the park were personnel from Kane County SO, San Juan County SO, Utah Highway Patrol, Utah State Parks, Utah Fish and Game, Coconino County SO, Arizona DPS, Arizona Game and Fish, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
[Submitted by Cindy Ott-Jones, Chief Ranger, Glen Canyon NRA]
05-01-2003 Zion National Park (UT)
Instructor Joe Martin Receives Honorary Ranger Award
On March 7, 2003, which marked the end of the first- week of NPS special operations training, an "Honorary Ranger" commendation was presented to Joe Robinson for his longtime commitment as a mentor and trainer for the National Park Service. Robinson has participated as a master instructor in this course since 1996, instructing such topics as tactical pistol, non-lethal ammunition training, leadership and team building concepts, defensive tactics, physical fitness, officer survival applications, and program evaluations. Over 200 NPS rangers have been instructed under his tutelage, and continue to utilize his talents for law enforcement refreshers, chief ranger conferences, and leadership presentations. Along with a certificate of commendation, Joe received a NPS shield encased in Lucite and a Stetson ranger hat. The 32 rangers (30 NPS rangers and 2 Oklahoma state park rangers) who attended this year’s course commend his dedication to this course. Many rangers across the country continue to be inspired by him. Joe Robinson is presently detailed to the office of the mayor in Orlando, Florida. He is a member of the Orlando Police Department and is an adjunct instructor for the national law enforcement-training curriculum "Caliber Press."
[Submitted by Cheto Olais, Chief Ranger, Zion NP]
06-02-2003 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Cliff Jumping Fatality
Park dispatch received a marine band radio call on the evening of May 29th reporting that a 29-year-old man from the rental vessel K-9 in Cha Canyon was not breathing and that CPR was in progress. Through a three-way vessel-to-dispatch relay, dispatcher Matt Micale was able to determine that the man had been injured in a cliff jumping accident. Rangers and a deputy sheriff responded; Richard Moore, Dangling Rope subdistrict ranger, was IC. Investigation revealed that Toby Jack Thompson evidently had problems in mid-flight while jumping about 45 feet into the lake. He was immediately brought to shore and CPR was begun. Medical personnel on a Classic Lifeguard helicopter subsequently declared Thompson deceased. San Juan County SO is investigating.
[Submitted by Cindy Ott-Jones, Chief Ranger]
06-11-2003 Canyonlands National Park (UT)
High Waters in Colorado Lead to Fourteen Rescues
In early June, the park put its high water incident action plan into effect due to the high water volume flowing through Cataract Canyon. The plan goes into effect whenever the flow exceeds 50,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), making passage down the river hazardous. When flow levels reach 50,000 cfs, a feature known as the "Red Wall" emerges in the Big Drop Two section of the canyon. The Red Wall is an awe-inspiring, river-wide lateral wave that is up to 30 feet tall and haystacks in the middle. Search and rescue personnel were pre-positioned at a site just downstream from the Red Wall for four days, ending on June 6th when the river subsided. There were four reportable boating incidents with 14 people rescued from the floodwaters during that period. The incident was managed under ICS with ranger Steve Young serving as operations section chief. For additional photos of rafts in the high waters of the canyon, go to http://www.nps.gov/cany/river/highwater/index.htm
[Submitted by Steve Swanke, IC]
06-19-2003 Capitol Reef National Park (UT)
Two Killed When Truck Plunges Into Wash
On the morning of June 15th, a visitor reported seeing a body and a wrecked vehicle in a deep wash along the highway near Chimney Rock. Rangers responded along with the county sheriff and state troopers. They found a pickup at the bottom of a 50-foot-deep wash and the bodies of the driver and passenger nearby. Investigators were able to determine what had happened. The 52-year-old driver of the Ford Ranger, a resident of Henderson, Nevada, had been westbound when he drifted onto the right shoulder, overcorrected, crossed the oncoming lane, left the road, and went airborne, traveling about 70 feet through the air before hitting a rock outcrop on the opposite side of the wash. Hodgson was ejected from the truck when it hit. The pickup then flipped and hit a second rock outcrop before coming to rest at the bottom of the wash. The 29-year-old female passenger, also from Henderson, was partially ejected at that point. Neither driver nor passenger was wearing a seatbelt. State police are leading the investigation.
[Submitted by Ken Kehrer, Chief Ranger]
06-24-2003 Yosemite National Park (CA)
Injured Hiker Rescued From Tenaya Canyon
Graham Bechera-Bailey, 18, of Saint Louis Missouri fell while hiking cross-country down Tenaya Canyon around 4 p.m. on Friday, June 20th. When Bechera-Bailey reached "the Narrows", a steep narrow section of the canyon, he was unable to continue without technical gear due to the vertical terrain. He traversed out onto the canyon wall and located a fixed rope which had been abandoned on an overhanging cliff. When he attempted to descend the rope hand-over-hand, he fell off, landing in a pool of water and breaking his right femur. Bechera-Bailey was able to crawl out of the water and used his cell phone, which miraculously survived both the fall and the water, to dial 911. Rescuers flew to the area aboard the park's contract helicopter and spotted Bailey lying on a ledge. A landing area was found about a quarter mile away in the bottom of the canyon below the narrows. SAR personnel scrambled up to Bechera-Bailey's position. He was packaged in a vacuum body splint and litter and hoisted from the ledge by a California Highway Patrol helicopter and taken to Yosemite Valley. An AirMed helicopter then took him to the hospital in Modesto.
[Submitted by Jack Hoeflich, Incident Commander]
06-25-2003 Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Heat Exposure Claims Lives Of Two Hikers
On the afternoon of June 18th, hikers in Gold Strike Canyon came upon a naked, hysterical, incoherent man swinging on a tree and noted that his clothing and shoes were lying just below him on the trail. They continued down the trail, where they came across a second unresponsive naked man lying face down on the ground. The hikers turned around and attempted to make contact with the first man, but he would not respond to them. They left him a bottle of water and started to hike out to get help. They came across two hikers and asked them to go get help so that they could return to assist the man who was still alive. When they returned in about 30 to 45 minutes, the man had passed away. The park received a call for help at 3 p.m. Rescuers arrived on scene 45 minutes later. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene, with each displaying obvious signs of heat exposure. Initial investigation revealed that they were not prepared for the desert conditions. Gold Strike Canyon is a steep, rugged desert canyon with temperatures in excess of 110 degrees. Metro Search and Rescue and the Hoover Dam Police assisted the NPS with this incident. Their deaths are the 17th and 18th fatalities to occur in the park of the year.
[Submitted by Mary Hinson, District Ranger, Boulder District]
06-25-2003 Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Cliff-Jumping Fatality
On June 14th, a 25-year-old man jumped from the top of Cat Eye Cliff on Lake Mohave, which is about 50 feet above the lake. Witnesses said that he was leaning slightly forward when he hit the water and that he never surfaced. Family members and bystanders tried to find him before calling for help via marine band radio. Divers found his body on the lake bottom at a depth of 49 feet. The victim was an Eagle Scout who was working full-time as a CPA and had just finished his masters degree. This was the family's eighteenth consecutive Fathers Day outing on Lake Mohave. All the members of his family witnessed the incident. Alcohol may have been a contributing factor. Rangers regularly advise visitors that jumping from cliffs is hazardous. Mathematical calculations show that anyone jumping from this height hits the water at over 35 mph.
[Submitted by John Tesar, Supervisory Park Ranger]