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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, July 31, 2012 INCIDENTS Acadia NP Hiker Dies Of Injuries Sustained In Fall A 22-year-old University of Maine student hiking the upper section of the Precipice Trail last Saturday morning fell approximately 60 feet to a trail below her location and suffered several serious injuries. Rangers responded to the report of the accident along with Lifeflight of Maine, Bar Harbor FD, Mount Desert Island Search and Rescue, and Acadia Mountain Guides. The Lifeflight helicopter landed on the summit of Champlain Mountain, dropping off critical supplies and paramedics and flight nurses. Medical personnel from several agencies provided advanced life support while technical rescue teams placed anchors and hauling systems above the woman to facilitate a vertical raise (none of the three hoist-capable helicopters from northern New England were available at the time). The woman was packaged in a litter, and, attended by two medics, was raised vertically approximately 250 feet to the summit of the mountain. She was then carried approximately a mile to the waiting Lifeflight helicopter and transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. The rescue took five-and-a-half hours to complete and involved 39 responders and rescuers. Despite their efforts, she was pronounced dead by Eastern Maine medical staff shortly after 5 p.m. The Precipice Trail is a non-technical climbing route, reportedly the steepest non-technical trail in the National Park Service. The trail follows rock ledges up the east face of Champlain Mountain and features iron-rung ladders and handrails to assist hikers. [Stuart West, Chief Ranger] Glacier NP Search In Progress For Missing Hiker A search is underway for J.J-C.K., 19, who was last seen leaving Lake McDonald Lodge for a day hike early on Saturday morning. His route was to take him from Logan Pass through the Floral Park and Avalanche Basin areas to Avalanche Lake. Jakson is believed to be wearing a plain yellow/gold Columbia cotton sweatshirt, long khaki pants, Rocky brand hiking boots (size 12) and camouflage winter gloves. He's likely carrying a grey/yellow daypack with a two liter water bladder, a large knife in a sheath, and possibly a hiking pole. Anyone who has seen him is asked to call the park at 406-888-7800, Option 6. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer] Blue Ridge Parkway Suicide Victim Found At Park Overlook The Transylvania County Sheriff's Department contacted the park on July 25th and reported receiving a 911 call from a woman who was threatening to commit suicide at the Devil's Courthouse Overlook. Responding rangers and county officers found the body of a 41-year-old Georgia with a gunshot wound to the head at that location. The woman had been reported missing on July 17TH by an acquaintance in Savannah. The investigation is continuing, with the Transylvania County Sheriff's Department as the lead agency. [Tim Francis, Pisgah District Ranger] 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/): International - Today, July 31st, is World Ranger Day, a day set aside for paying tribute to the work that rangers perform around the world to protect the last vestiges of the earth's natural and cultural heritage -- and to remember the many rangers who were injured or killed in the line of duty this past year. Fire and Aviation Management - Eric Anderson has been selected as the new structural fire training specialist for the Service's structural fire program, based at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Delaware Water Gap NRA - Bill Leonard has been named deputy superintendent for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. He is currently the park's chief of strategic planning and project management. * * * * The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced with the support of the Office of the Assistant Director for Information Resources and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). --- ### --- |