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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, July 25, 2011 INCIDENTS Rocky Mountain NP Climber With Severe High Altitude Sickness Rescued Last Friday morning, rangers were notified via cell phone of a 26-year-old Kansas man suffering from severe high altitude sickness at the Boulder Field on Longs Peak. He'd become ill while summiting Longs Peak the day before. Two members of a nearby park trail crew reached his location within a half hour and determined that his illness was severe enough to warrant evacuation by medical helicopter. A St. Anthony's Flight for Life helicopter reached the scene shortly thereafter and flew him to the Medical Center of the Rockies. Doctors later said that the care given by the Flight for Life crew and the park trail crew likely saved his life. High altitude sickness (also called acute mountain sickness) occurs when you cannot get enough oxygen at high altitude. How physically fit you are plays no role in whether you get altitude sickness. Symptoms include a dull to throbbing headache, loss of appetite, nausea or a feeling of being sick to your stomach, vomiting, and feeling weak or dizzy. The best treatment for high altitude sickness is to go to a lower elevation. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer] Apostle Islands NL Rangers Rescue Capsized Teen Kayakers On Tuesday, July 19th, rangers received a report that two kayakers had capsized after becoming separated from the rest of their party in a storm between Sand Island and the mainland. The nine paddlers consisted of two guides, two adults, and five teenagers. They were taking a day-paddle trip to the Sand Island Lighthouse and were on their way back to the mainland when the storm cell reached them. The wind and waves increased during the storm, causing the two teen paddlers to capsize. The surface water temperature was 47 degrees F. One of the capsized teens was able to get back in his boat after spending approximately five minutes in the lake. The other teen lost contact with his boat and spent 15 to 20 minutes in Lake Superior before he was lifted out and laid across two kayaks lashed together. Both teens were wearing wet suits. The other members of the party paddled back to Little Sand Bay on the mainland and made contact with rangers. Rangers responded by boat and found the two teens and their guide a half mile from York Island, where they had drifted during the storm. The rangers brought all three individuals and two kayaks on board and transported them to Little Sand Bay, where they were treated by the Red Cliff Reservation Ambulance Service and released. [Myra Foster, Acting Chief Ranger] Rocky Mountain NP Injured Man Evacuated From Longs Peak A 68-year-old Boulder man who took a 30-foot sliding fall near the top of Lamb's Slide on Longs Peak called rangers via cell phone on Friday afternoon and reported that he'd been injured in the accident. Two rangers reached him just after 4 p.m. and assessed his injuries. An hour later, they began a tandem rappel and lowering operation and got him down the slide to Mills Glacier. Other rangers joined them there and helped the man down to the Chasm Lake Shelter. A total of ten rangers were involved in the operation. [Kyle Patterson, 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/): New River Gorge NR - SummitCorps 2011 is in full swing at New River Gorge National River. Throughout the month of July, 1400 Boy Scouts between the ages of 14 and 21 will be volunteering their time and energy to construct and improve trails within the park. Photo. George Washington Carver NM - George Washington Carver National Monument celebrated its 68th annual Carver Day on July 9th. Despite temperatures topping 100 degrees, over 700 visitors enjoyed a full day of lectures, poetry readings, storytelling, music, and family activities. Photo. Yosemite NP - Deputy Director Mickey Fearn and Youth Programs Manager George McDonald recently visited the park for a look at “Youth in Yosemite” programs and initiatives. Photo. 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 is a Senate hearing this week on nine bills of interest to the Service. Natural Resource Program Center - Elaine F. Leslie has been selected as the new chief of the Biological Resource Management Division in the Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate in Fort Collins, Colorado. 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). --- ### --- |