RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           Ranger Activities Division Information Network

Day/Date:  Monday, May 10, 1993

Broadcast: By 0830 ET

INCIDENTS

93-204 - Great Smokies (Tennessee/North Carolina) - Follow-up on Search

Further information has been received on the successful two-and-a-half day
search for M.T., a German visitor who became lost in the
mountainous terrain south of Clingman's Dome on April 20th.  M.T., who
was traveling with his mother, left the Clingman's Dome parking area around
1 p.m. that afternoon for a six-hour circuit hike on the Appalachian, Welch
Ridge, Jonas Creek and Forney Creek trails.  The total distance for such a
trip is about 17 miles.  When he failed to return to the parking area that
night, his mother advised rangers that he was overdue.  A hasty search was
conducted in heavy rain until 3 a.m.; trail blockers, trail runners,
trackers, and dog teams were deployed later that morning.  Investigators
were able to determine that M.T. had last been seen by backpackers
around 7:30 Tuesday evening about seven miles southwest of Clingman's Dome.  
He was reported to have been wet, cold and shaking mildly, and his hands
were said to have been white with a "prune-like texture."  The backpackers
offered him food and shelter; although he declined, he did drink some water,
then headed off in the direction of Clingman's Dome.  Searchers found
possible tracks above the trail, but lost them in the evening due to new
snow and gusty winds.  Temperatures dropped to 22 degrees at Newfound Gap
that evening.  On Thursday, search teams, including both dog teams and
trackers, checked high probability areas.  The main area was covered with
four inches of snow, and gusty winds prevented the use of helicopters.  At
2:10 p.m., a search team found M.T. sitting in wet clothes on his
shoulder bag in four-foot high rhododendron about 30 yards from Steeltrap
Creek a quarter mile above the Forney Creek trail.  He was shaking, had a
low blood glucose level, and was in an altered mental state.  M.T. was
dressed in dry clothes and ALS procedures were begun.  A 101st Airborne
Division Blackhawk helicopter with winch capability and a jungle penetrator
was dispatched from Fort Campbell in Kentucky and arrived at the scene at
6:20 p.m.  M.T. was evacuated and flown to the University of Kentucky
Medical Center, where he stayed for five days.  Follow-up interviews with
him reveal that he lost the trail in the dark on Tuesday night, hiked cross-
country all day on Wednesday, and traveled only a short distance before
being found on Thursday.  He said that he began having hallucinations of
cabins and villages while hiking, and that he would periodically lose a
hiking boot and have to hunt for it in the snow.  When he got it on, he
couldn't tie the boot lace.  M.T. had no prior experience hiking in the
Smokies.  A total of 55 people and six dogs were involved in the search. 
[Dave Panebaker, ACR, GRSM, 5/3]

93-232 - Appalachian Trail (Eastern States) - Follow-up on Search

Reports have been received that E.I. - also known as "U.J.",
not "Uncle Ed" as previously reported - and Steven Labe were taken by car to
a bus station in Hagerstown, Maryland, last Wednesday afternoon, but
investigators have not yet been able to determine if they actually boarded
the bus.  There are also indications that the two are aware of the effort to
locate them and are actively trying to avoid detection.  Both have altered
their appearances.  Labe now has short brown hair and is using the name
"Phoenix".  E.I. has cut his hair and beard but retained a moustache; he is
posing as Labe's father and tells people to call him "Dad".  The pair may
still be heading to Harpers Ferry to pick up a package or cash while on
their way south to the Rainbow Festival, which will be held in the Daniel
Boone National Forest from May 8th to the 16th.   About 800 attendees are
expected in the forest's Morehead District, and another 200 in the Somerset
District.  The forest's law enforcement staff has been advised.  [Bill
Sanders, CR, APPA, 5/7; Charlie Chadwell, CUGA, 5/7]

93-235 - Denali (Alaska) - Rescue

On Sunday, April 25th, three members of a British Army expedition developed
frostbite while descending from the summit of Mt. Foraker.  The entire
eight-member team descended to 5,700 feet on the north side, where one
member became completely immobile due to rewarming of his frostbitten feet. 
The five healthy members separated and skied down to Wonder Lake for help,
expecting to arrive there on May 4th.  On May 3rd, commercial aircraft
picked up a mayday call from the three injured climbers on an FAA emergency
channel.  Since the south side of the range was clouded in, ranger Ron
Purdum flew from headquarters along the north side of the range and located
the camp on the Foraker Glacier.  After dropping them a park radio, he
determined that they needed to be evacuated.  The park's rescue Llama, which
followed a K2 Aviation aircraft that flew ahead to pick out the clearest
route, reached the party about two hours later.  Ranger Kevin Moore helped
evacuate the climbers, who were taken to Talkeetna, then to Humana Hospital
in Anchorage.  The other five members of the expedition arrived at Wonder
lake on the 4th.  [Ken Kehrer, CR, DENA, 5/6]

93-236 - Golden Gate (California) - Rescue

On the afternoon of May 4th, rangers and a Park Police officer responded to
a report of a person stranded about 100 feet below the spur ridge north of
the Point Diablo lighthouse.  They established a technical rescue system and
a ranger descended the steep, brushy, poison oak-laden 2,000-foot slope to
reach the victim, 21-year-old M.C.  A two-pulley system was employed
to raise M.C. to the top of the cliff.  Investigators determined that
M.C. and a companion had encountered the cliff while hiking.  M.C. had
climbed up a steep portion of the cliff until he reached a point where he
was unable to either ascend or descend.  [Norm Simons, GOGA, 5/7]

93-237 - Western Regional Office (California) - Bomb Threat

Western Regional Office employees had to evacuate their building on the
morning of May 7th due to a bomb threat phoned in to the publishing company
which occupies two floors of the six-story structure.  The incident was
handled by San Francisco police and fire units, who found no bomb and
cleared the building for reentry after about an hour.  Threats and
demonstrations were a fairly common occurrence when the regional office was
in the Federal Building, but this is the first such incident since the move
to the GSA-leased building in 1991.  [Carl Christensen, WRO, 5/7]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area            Fire               5/9     5/10    Status

 NM    NPS     Guadalupe       * Pine - T1         4,600    4,776    CN 5/11

 AZ    State   Phoenix         * Circle              640      800    CND    

 CA    USFS    Cleveland       * Eagle                 -    2,400    NEC
                               * Boden                 -      600    CN 5/10
NOTES:

- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this report). T1 and T2
  indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
- Status - The following abbreviations are employed:

  NR - No report received      MS - Modified suppression strategy
  CL - Controlled              MN - Being monitored
  CS - Confinement strategy    NEC - No estimate of containment
  CN (date) - Expected date    CND - Contained
     of containment

3) PARK FIRE REPORTS - 

Guadalupe Mountains - As of late yesterday, the man-caused Pine Fire, which
began that afternoon, had burned 4,776 acres and was threatening a park
visitor center, the historic Frijole ranch and museum, park employee
housing, the park maintenance complex, and private ranches.  Very dry fuels,
heavy fine fuel accumulations, hot and dry weather, and strong, erratic
winds were all contributing to serious control problems.  Denton's Type I
team is managing the fire; 153 personnel from about ten agencies have been
committed.  As of midnight Saturday, the fire was about 25% contained, and
the overhead team estimated that crews had another 1200 chains of fire line
left to build.  

4) ANALYSIS - Increased activity is occurring in the Southwest and southern
California.  Crew mobilization to southern California is underway;
airtankers are being sent to both areas.
   
5) PROGNOSIS - The potential exists for competition for airtankers until
more come on contract.  No other resource shortages are anticipated.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530, 5/10]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Florissant Fossil Beds (Colorado) - Fossil Resources Conference

Preliminary planning has begun for the Fourth Conference on Fossil
Resources, which will be held in Colorado Springs in the fall of 1994. 
Assistance is needed in developing a program that will address the major
issues affecting paleontological resources on public lands.  Program
development questionnaires are currently being sent out.  If you did not
receive one or would like more information on the conference, please contact
superintendent Dale Ditmanson at 719-748-3253.  [Brian Lakes, FLFO]

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Broyles at overhead development review (5/10-
5/14; Gale at ICS working team meeting (5/10-5/12); Clark at S-290 meeting
(5/11-5/12).

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-4874
           Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5572
Telefax:   Branch of R&VP - 202-208-6756
           Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5977
cc:Mail:   Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
           Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation
SkyPager:  Emergencies ONLY (numeric message) - 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843 
SkyTalk:   Emergencies ONLY (voice message) - 1-800-759-8255, PIN 2404843