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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, May 31, 2011 INCIDENTS Mojave NP Injured Hiker Rescued In Difficult, Extended Operation Rangers and firefighters responded to a report of an injured hiker in the area of Clark Mountain on May 25th. Units from the San Bernadino County Fire Department and a California Highway Patrol helicopter also responded. A search was begun based on the man's cell phone GPS location and he was soon spotted from the helicopter. It was unable to land, though, due to the steep and inaccessible area where he was located. The man was able to wave at the helicopter and cell phone contact was made. He was found to be suffering from several injuries and immobile. A county helicopter with a hoist was summoned, but was unable to hover over the man due to high and gusty winds. Members of the park engine crew started to hike to the man's location as it was getting dark. They had to cross steep terrain with loose rock on an off trail route and it took six hours to cover less than two miles. The injured hiker was treated and protected from the extreme weather, as he was wearing only shorts and a t-shirt and had no other gear. Rescuers determined that he'd slipped and fallen about 60 feet down a rock face. Two night-capable Blackhawk helicopters from the US Air Force 50th Rescue Squadron from Nellis AFB responded but had to abort due to encountering 80 to 90 mph winds. Preparations were therefore made for a difficult litter carryout, but the winds died down at daybreak and the sheriff's department helicopter was able to hoist the man out. He was flown to a hospital in Las Vegas. The entire operation took 20 hours. [Kirk Gebicke, Supervisory Park Ranger] Denali NP&P Two Injured Climbers Evacuated From Mt. McKinley The two climbers injured in the accident in which two other climbers were killed last week were rescued from the mountain last Thursday. All four were members of an Alpine Ascents International guided climb. The two who died in the unwitnessed accident last Wednesday night have been identified as lead guide S.A., 34, of Seattle, Washington, and client P.B., 45, of Shanghai, China. The two injured clients were placed in rescue litters and lowered to the 17,200-foot high camp for emergency medical treatment. G.B., 31, of Dallas, Texas, was responsive and in stable condition with a broken leg and head injury; J.M., 30, of Camp Pendleton, California, was non-responsive with labored breathing, and medics at the high camp had to work through the night to maintain his airway. At 4:15 a.m. on Thursday morning, the park's high altitude A-Star B3 helicopter flew to the 17,200-foot high camp and evacuated each man separately. They were flown to the 7,200-foot Kahiltna Basecamp to two awaiting LifeMed air ambulances. Details on the cause of the fall remain unknown. Similar to a fatal fall that occurred on May 16th, the four-person team was beginning the traverse from Denali Pass to the 17,200-foot camp along a 45-degree slope on a very hard and windblown snowpack. Climbers returning from the upper elevations of the mountain report more difficult conditions than average due to the lack of new snow and an icy, wind-scoured trail. [Maureen McLaughlin, Information Officer] Yellowstone NP Rockslide Closes Mammoth-Tower Road A rockslide has temporarily closed the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower Junction. Rocks and debris were discovered early Saturday morning covering a section of road at the entrance to Blacktail Plateau Drive about eight miles east of Mammoth Hot Springs. Enough debris had been cleared from the road by Sunday to make emergency travel possible, but concerns remained about several car-sized boulders perched atop unstable material at the base of the slope immediately adjacent to the roadway. The park is planning on additional investigation by geo-technical consultants and considering work that may be needed to safely reopen the road to travel. This section of road will remain closed for several days. The temporary closure has cut off the scenic Lamar Valley and the park's northeast entrance from most of the rest of the park. Visitors can still travel to and from the area by taking US-212 to US-296 to WY-120, the route linking the communities of Cooke City, Montana, and Cody, Wyoming. Meanwhile, the park is mobilizing plows and personnel to open another route between the Lamar Valley and the rest of the park. Crews and equipment are being pulled off spring clearing of the Beartooth Highway and are instead working overtime to clear the road from Tower Junction over Dunraven Pass to Canyon Village. Weather and avalanche conditions on the pass permitting, this road could open to travel by next weekend. Park crews are also working to clear and repair the Blacktail Plateau Drive, a one-lane gravel seasonal scenic route which parallels the section of road closed by Saturday's rock slide. While not suitable for heavy visitor traffic, it's opening would allow for safer emergency travel and limited administrative travel to resupply the Yellowstone General Store at Tower Fall and support efforts to open Roosevelt Lodge on schedule on Friday, June 10th. The north, west and south entrances to Yellowstone are open, subject to temporary closures due to weather. Unstable snow conditions and the threat of snow slides continue to limit travel on the East Entrance road through Sylvan Pass to the hours of 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. The section of US-212 across Beartooth Pass, which links the park's northeast entrance with the community of Red Lodge, Montana, has yet to open for the season. Information on park road conditions is available 24 hours a day by calling the park's road information hotline at 307-344-2117. [Public Affairs Office] River Raisin NBP Rising River Floods VC Basement Nearly two inches of rain fell last Thursday on ground saturated by rains that fell the previous week. Flood warnings were accordingly issued for the region. Just before midnight, the company that monitors the park's alarm system reported that the high water alarm had activated at Battlefield Visitor Center. Water was found in low areas around the building and the exit road was impassible. The visitor center basement was found to have from 18 to 24 inches of water in it, and the level was rising. The lower portions of two of the building's heating units and a hot water heater were submerged. A local plumbing company arrived soon thereafter with two high capacity pumps that kept the water from rising any further and slowly began lowering the level in the basement. All water was drained from the building by Friday afternoon and efforts began to dry out the building's HVAC system and other equipment. [Scott J. Bentley, Superintendent] Great Smoky Mountains NP Section Of Tornado-Damaged Trail Reopened A popular portion of the Abrams Falls Trail from Cades Cove to the waterfalls has been repaired and reopened on Saturday. An EF4 tornado extensively damaged it and eight other trails in the northwestern portion of the park in late April. Visitors are now able to access the trail from the Cades Cove trailhead and hike two-and-a-half miles to the waterfalls. The trails from the falls to Abrams Creek campground via Rabbit Creek, Hannah Mountain and Little Bottoms Trails remain closed. Over 33 miles of trails were severely impacted by the tornado. Thousands of trees were blown down and their roots upended, tearing huge gaps in the trails. The park hired a number of local people and is receiving assistance from 23 trail workers from six western parks to clear and rehabilitate the affected trails. The trails that are officially closed are: Ace Gap Trail Beard Cane Trail, including campsites 3 and 11 Cooper Road Trail from the junction at Beard Cane to Cades Cove Loop Road Hatcher Mountain Trail Little Bottoms Trail from campsite 17 to the Abrams Falls/Hannah Mountain Trails junction (campsite 17 is open) Hannah Mountain Trail from the Rabbit Creek Trail junction to the Abrams Falls/Little Bottoms Trails junction (campsite 16 is open) Rabbit Creek Trail, including campsite 15 Wet Bottom Trail Abrams Falls Trail beyond the waterfall There is no estimate as to when the repairs to these trails will be completed. [Nancy Gray, Public Affairs Officer] OTHER NEWS The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/): Rock Creek Park - History buffs, representatives from the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington and a local D.C. city council member joined staff from Rock Creek Park this past Saturday to rededicate Battleground National Cemetery, where Union troops killed in the Battle of Fort Stevens now rest. Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the NPS. Included in this week's summary are ten new bills of interest to the NPS and reports on three hearings held last week. Northeast Region - Tina Orcutt has been selected as the new superintendent of Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine and Hampton National Historic Site. She replaces Gay Vietzke, who recently became deputy regional director for park operations. Photo. Santa Monica Mountains NRA - Superintendent Woody Smeck was recognized this month as the Citizen of the Year by the Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation, the largest homeowners association in western Los Angeles County. Photo. * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of Communications and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). --- ### --- |