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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, June 25, 2014 INCIDENTS Mount Rainier NP Search For Noted Outdoor Writer Ends Tragically A three-day search for 70-year-old missing day hiker K.S. came to a tragic conclusion on June 21st when her body was found near the east branch of Boundary Creek in rough, steep terrain. K.S. was hiking the Owyhigh Trail with a partner when they parted with the intention of meeting back at that location in an hour. She went ahead when the party of two encountered snow at approximately 4500 to 5000 feet. Her partner stayed at the location last seen, as arranged, to wait for her return. When she failed to return to the point last seen and eventually to the trailhead, her partner called in an overdue hiker report. At this time, K.S.'s route of travel after leaving the point last seen is undetermined. K.S. was a locally well-known outdoor journalist and marathon runner and was considered a knowledgeable, experienced hiker. She was prepared for a day hike of the area and had previous hiking experience on the Owyhigh Trail. Examination revealed that she died of hypothermia. A total of 110 people were assigned to the search over the course of the incident, including personnel from North Cascades, Olympic, and Mount Rainier national parks, German Shepherd Search and Rescue of Washington State, Kittatas County dog teams, King County Explorers, and Everett, Olympic, Central, and Seattle Mountain Rescues. An MD-530 helicopter from Northwest Helicopters in Olympia, Washington, provided air support. Click on the link below for a related Seattle Times news story. [Patti Wold, PIO] HYPERLINK "http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/06/mount-rainier-hiker-karen-sykes-died-from-hypothermia/" http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/06/mount-rainier-hiker-karen-sykes-died-from-hypothermia/ Lake Mead NRA Disturbed Man Arrested By Rangers Rangers received a report from a visitor regarding a vehicle that appeared to be disabled on Lake Shore Drive late on the morning of June 14th. The vehicle's lone occupant had attempted to give the visitor a package, telling him not to open it but that someone would find him. When the visitor refused to take it, the man began shouting at him and went into his trailer. Responding rangers found a pickup truck pulling a Toy Hauler type trailer. Shortly after they arrived on scene, the man began to act strangely, went back into the trailer, refused to come back out, and began shouting obscenities at rangers. A computerized check on the man revealed that he'd been arrested a few days earlier by the Nye County Sheriff's Office for DUI and resisting an officer with a deadly weapon. Due to the unknown contents of the package and the man's history, the road was closed until the incident could be resolved. The man then began to enter and exit the trailer, changing his clothes several times and throwing things into the desert. Rangers, including the park K9 patrol unit, approached, subdued and arrested him. The package was found to contain a book of religious writings. The man was arrested and charged with multiple violations. He is currently detained pending a status hearing in July. [Mark Hnat, Mead District Ranger] Natchez Trace Parkway Two Killed In Motorcycle Accident On the morning of Tuesday, June 24th, the park learned of a single motorcycle accident on the parkway near Collinwood, Tennessee. Rangers and Collinwood PD officers responded. The Honda motorcycle was being driven by a 73-year-old Tennessee man with his 74-year-old wife as the rear seat passenger. It appears that the motorcycle was northbound when it left the road and hit a tree, fatally injuring both of them. The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation. [Public Affairs Office] OTHER NEWS The following stories are among those in today's webpage editions of InsideNPS (available to NPS employees only) and the Morning Report (available to all readers): Effigy Mounds NM - Effigy Mounts recently partnered with the University of Iowa and the Office of the State Archaeologist to bring the university's brand-new Mobile Museum to the monument and area schools. Office of Public Health - The National Park Service's Office of Public Health has issued an advisory regarding a chikungunya fever outbreak that could affect visitors to parks in the Caribbean. Mississippi NR&RA - A total of 135 people from more than a dozen countries became American citizens in a naturalization ceremony at Harriet Island on Friday, June 13th. Denver Service Center - Bruce Warneke, chief of Denver Service Center's Technical Branch, will retire on June 28th after 31 years of government service. To see the full text of these stories, readers should go to one or the other of the following sites: NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index Non-NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/ The Morning Report is produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov). --- ### --- |