Canyonlands |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2023. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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April 27, 1987 Location: Island in the Sky P.W. and B.C. bad ridden mountain bikes to Grand View point in Island in the Sky, and were on their way back when a thunderstorm broke over the mesa. They pulled to the side of the road, left their bikes en the road shoulder, and took shelter under a juniper a few feet away. A lightning bolt hit shortly thereafter and killed them. both. They were found at the scene shortly thereafter; rangers attempted CFR, and defibrillation was attempted by the ambulance crew that arrived from Moab - both without success.
Location: Near Grand Junction J.R., the chief of interpretation at Canyonlands, was killed last night in a one-car accident outside of Grand Junction, Colorado. No further details are known at present. J.R.'s father, was a career employee of the NPS, and retired as Southwest Regional Director in the late 1970's.
Location: Confluence Overlook Park records indicate that J.W.H., 30, of Aurora, Colorado went for an overnight backcountry trip on May 31st. His unattended vehicle was found in this remote area during a patrol on the 12th, and a search was initiated. J.W.H.'s body was discovered a short time later, along with a suicide note and a tape recorded message. Evidence at the scene indicates that J.W.H. died of a self-inflected gunshot wound to the head.
At 1:30 p.m. on the 5th, 43-year-old F.H. of Flagstaff, Arizona, became separated from her husband while hiking the eight-mile-long Syncline Loop Trail in the park's Island in the Sky District. F.H. had been hiking approximately 20 minutes ahead of her husband. He reported her missing to rangers at the visitor center at 5 p.m. Hasty teams were immediately dispatched, and a contract helicopter stationed at Mesa Verde was requested. Smoke from a signal fire was spotted by the helicopter, and F.H. was contacted at 8 p.m. She was found in good condition. Her location was atop Buck Mesa, approximately one mile off the trail. She had no map, little food, no prior experience on the trail, and had not stopped at the visitor center for information. (Telefaxed report from Tony Schetzsle, CR, CANY, 6/6).
Maintenance worker John Jones came across a vehicle which had slid off snow-covered roads in the park's Island in the Sky District on the 11th and summoned assistance. Rangers Jim Huebner and Tom Cox arrived and found a semiconscious and disoriented driver sitting in the vehicle. Huebner was able to determine that the driver, a 33-year-old man from Phoenix, had taken an overdose of halcyon sleeping pills with the intent of committing suicide, and that he was also in possession of several other prescription drugs. An ambulance was dispatched and a poison control center was notified. The driver was taken to a local hospital and treated for drug ingestion; he was later transferred to a medical facility in Provo, Utah, for counseling and support. It was determined that the victim was unemployed and suffering from AIDS, that he'd taken a number of sleeping pills prior to the accident, and that he'd intended to drive to the Upheaval Dome overlook, take the remaining pills, and "go to sleep." [Telefax message from Tony Schetzsle, CR, CANY, 1/13]
On November 23, 1990, a Cessna 182 flying about 40 feet above the Colorado River at the mouth of Lathrop Canyon passed within 100 feet of ranger Jim Huebner, who was standing at the river's edge. Huebner's investigation subsequently revealed that the passenger-carrying flight was conducted for hire by a local air taxi service. The case was turned over to the FAA for disposition. On May 10th, the FAA ordered the pilot to surrender all airman pilot certificates, including his commercial pilot certificate, for a period of 60 days for two infractions operating in a careless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another, and operating an aircraft during the day below 500 feet above the surface or less than 500 feet horizontally from any obstacle. [SEAdog message from Tony Schetzsle, CANY, 6/3]
At approximately 10:10 p.m. on the 13th, ranger Dana Kline received a report of shots fired in the Squaw Flat campground in the Needles District. The shots, which forced the occupants of two campsites to seek cover, were apparently fired from a pickup truck with a cabover camper which was subsequently seen speeding from the area. San Juan County sheriff's deputies were advised and a roadblock was established on the main access road 34 miles from the park's boundary. The truck was intercepted, and the driver, H.M., 70, of Payson, Arizona, was arrested for driving under the influence. A .22 caliber revolver with three spent cartridges and three live rounds in the cylinder was recovered from the interior of the camper during the impoundment inventory. Rangers Kline and Tony Schetzsle conducted the followup investigation. They found that H.M. had been drinking and arguing with a female companion while in the campground. While intoxicated, he walked from the campsite and discharged his revolver in the direction of other campers, then left the park. There were no injuries in the incident. H.M. is being held in the county jail. Formal charges will be filed today. [Telefaxed report from Tony Schetzsle, CR, CANY, 7/14]
On the morning of August 17th, visitors reported finding an abandoned GMC Jimmy located in the Bobby's Hole area outside the south boundary of the Needles District. The truck had been driven into a four-feet-deep graben located along a twotrack road at the head of Cross Canyon. Seasonal ranger Jeff West and county deputies investigated the accident and determined that it had occurred on the 14th and that the driver, J.C., 60, of Marion Station, Pennsylvania, was wandering back towards an area of the park known as The Grabens. A search was begun, and a helicopter and crew from Mesa Verde were dispatched to the scene. On August 18th, four search teams were conveyed to this remote area, and West and a county deputy began tracking J.C.. Shortly before noon, J.C. was spotted by ground searchers. He was severely dehydrated, had an elevated body temperature and was disoriented and had been hallucinating. By the time of his discovery, J.C. had been without food and water and his heart medication for four days. He was immediately taken to the hospital in Moab and admitted. Daytime temperatures during the four days exceeded 95 degrees, and J.C. would not have survived if he hadn't been found by searchers. Preliminary details indicate the J.C. drove into the Graben when driving after dark. He stayed with his vehicle that night, but left it to scout around the following day and soon became lost. J.C. covered at least 11 miles before being found near Deep Canyon, which is about three and a half miles from his vehicle. (Telefax from Tony Schetzsle, CR, CANY, 8/18]
Just before 8:00 a.m. on October 16th, R.A., 33, of Savannah, Georgia, fell to her death after watching the sunrise from White Rim Overlook trail in the park's Island in the Sky district. R.A. and her husband had just left their observation point to return to their vehicle when R.A.'s husband heard her gasp. As he turned to look back, he heard her scream, then saw a flash of color as she disappeared over the rim. Ranger Tom Cox subsequently arrived at the scene and confirmed the fatality. Two recovery teams were mobilized and transported to the area by helicopter. Following the county medical examiner's investigation, her body was removed by helicopter. R.A. fell approximately 400 feet from the mesa top to a boulder field at the base of the cliff. [Telefaxed report from Tony Schetzsle, CR, CANY, 10/16]
P.B., 37, of Columbus, Ohio, was hiking by herself in Elephant Canyon on August 2nd when she became disoriented. Rather than press on, she sat down and waited to be found. Needles District rangers conducted a hasty search that night and found her at 3:30 a.m. the following morning. On the evening of August 12th, P.B. was again reported missing, this time in the Island in the Sky District. Rangers received a report that P.B. was four hours overdue from a hike on the Wilhite trail. Another hasty search was conducted, and P.B. was found unharmed at 2:30 a.m. the following morning. As before, P.B. sat down and waited to be found once she realized she was lost. Search mangers discovered that P.B. had poor night vision and lacked a sense of direction. They provided her with significant preventive SAR information as part of the after-action review of the incident. [Steve Swanke, DR, Island in the Sky, CANY, 8/13]
On Sunday, November 29th, P.H., 51, his wife, A.L., and a family friend went on a day hike on the Big Springs Canyon Trail in the park's Needles District. When the came upon a snow-covered slick rock dome, P.H. climbed it to scout out a route over it. His wife saw him lose his footing and slide out of sight. When she called to him, he did not respond. A.L. and another visitor then hiked out the four miles to the visitor center to report the accident. District ranger Fred Patton led a hasty team to the site and found that P.H. had died of massive head injuries after falling about 70 feet. Two squads of NPS employees and a county deputy were dispatched to the district to conduct a carry-out, which was completed at 9:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, Patton had contacted the H. party and cautioned them about the hazards of winter hiking over exposed slick rock. An inch of new snow had fallen on Saturday night and created hazardous conditions in shaded areas. P.H., a Swiss national, was teaching as a visiting math professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, at the time of the accident. [Tony Schetzsle, CR, CANY, 11/30]
On May 29th, three men - P.S., 77, D.B., 70, and W.C., 40 - put in on the Green River for a flatwater "friendship cruise" down the Green to its confluence with the Colorado, then up the Colorado to Moab. The trio missed the turn at the confluence, however, and descended the Colorado through Cataract Canyon. P.S. and D.B. drowned when the boat overturned on Little Niagara falls, but W.C. survived. A search is currently underway for the bodies. [Dick Powell, RMRO, 5/31]
On the afternoon of June 3rd, rangers recovered the body of S.R.H., 52, from the lower end of Cataract Canyon. When found, he was still wearing a full wet suit with a hood, a life jacket, boaters' gloves, and one swim fin. S.R.H., a resident of Moab and an experienced Colorado River rafter and commercial river runner, had hiked into the canyon with the intention of swimming the 13 miles of rapids that run through the park. He was last seen around lunch time by another group of rafters who visited with him about three miles upstream from the point where his body was recovered near Rapid 24. His body was flown out of the canyon and taken to Moab. This is the fourth fatality associated with Cataract Canyon this year. Two victims - P.S. and D.B. - who disappeared and presumably drowned over the weekend (see Tuesday's morning report) are still missing. A shoreline search along the river and upper reaches of Lake Powell is still underway in an effort to find the two men. The Colorado River was flowing at 65,600 cfs (cubic feet per second) yesterday. Recent levels have been the highest on the river since 1984, when the river peaked at 109,600 cfs. Experience has shown that critical water levels occur between 60,000 cfs and 80,000 cfs. From 80,000 cfs to 90,000 cfs, some of the rapids flatten out; above 90,000 cfs, the larger rapids get much larger. Temporary restrictions were implemented on May 18th to prohibit rowing trips without a motorized support vessel at least as big as a 22-foot Baby J-rig. No single boat trips are authorized regardless of the size of the boat. In addition to these restrictions, river rangers have established a spike camp below the Big Drop rapids of Cataract Canyon to assist both private and commercial boaters after they attempt their run through this notorious stretch of Class V whitewater. Between May 11th and Memorial Day weekend, a total of 54 private permit rafts and kayaks ran Cataract; of these, 23 flipped in the rapids. Rangers rescued or otherwise assisted 37 individuals by plucking them from the water, transporting them from shore to their recovered rafts, and retrieving free-floating property. During the same period, five rafts on commercial trips flipped and dumped 19 individuals into the river. Most flips occurred in Big Drop 2. Along with the four fatalities recorded so far during this boating season, there's also been one case of severed dehydration and several injuries, including a dislocated shoulder, a broken ankle and minor head injuries. [Tony Schetzsle, CR, and Larry Frederick, CANY, 6/3]
Just before dark on the evening of April 3rd, staff at the park's Needles District visitor center received a report of a vehicle that had gone over a cliff along the Lockhart Basin Road on land administered by the BLM adjacent to the park. All on-duty district EMS/rescue personnel responded to the scene, and located 42-year-old A.S. on a ledge 25 feet below the road. A.S. was apparently riding his ATV at a high rate of speed, failed to negotiate a turn in the dirt road, and drove straight over the cliff edge. A.S. landed on the narrow ledge while his ATV plummeted 100 feet on down to the bottom of Indian Creek Canyon. A.S. was in severe shock and had no discernible diastolic blood pressure; he had suffered internal injuries and a fractured pelvis. The EMS/rescue teams stabilized A.S., performed a high-angle evacuation in the dark, and loaded A.S. on to a Saint Mary's air life helicopter directly on the canyon edge. A.S. was taken to a hospital in Grand Junction, where he remains in intensive care. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 4/6]
On the morning of October 28th, Canyonlands rangers assisted BLM special agents and Utah State officers in the execution of a felony arrest warrant on E.S. for an ARPA violation that occurred the previous week south of the park on BLM lands. A search warrant of E.S.'s property was executed at the time of his arrest. A loaded weapon, marijuana and drug paraphernalia were found in his residence. E.S. was charged in 1992 with an ARPA violation within Canyonlands - a case that is still pending. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 10/28]
On the morning of March 17th, park visitor C.M. reported that his girlfriend, 25-year-old S.G. of Flagstaff, had walked away from their illegal campsite in Devils Canyon the previous evening and had not returned. Thorough interviews were conducted with C.M. and his five companions, one of whom had a fractured ankle resulting from a short fall from a rock. One of the members of the group said that he'd seen S.G. take three hits of LSD and some Valium on the day she disappeared; rangers had already noted that C.M. appeared to be under the influence of some drug at the time he reported S.G.'s absence. Reports indicated that S.G. was dressed in a bikini and hiking boots. During the night, the area received hard rain for several hours, but temperatures remained mild. Hasty teams were immediately dispatched to the point last seen, and an aircraft was brought in to search roads and trails in the area. Three search dog teams, additional rangers and a helicopter joined the search effort the following day. Around 4 p.m. that afternoon, S.G. walked into the Needles visitor center, where she'd been dropped off by someone who'd picked her up. She did not understand that she'd been missing for 48 hours, and rambled about being confronted by armed men and Indians who were "shooting rocks" at her. Except for a few scratches and contusions on her legs and feet, she was in good condition. County officers searched S.G.'s vehicle and found marijuana in C.M.'s pack. He was charged with possession by the county; federal charges are pending. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 3/23]
On the afternoon of May 17th, D.T., 41, an employee of Navtec Expeditions, a commercial river trip operator, died as a result of a rafting accident on the Colorado River. A raft containing D.T., guide Charles Every and two passengers hit a rock in the Middle Big Drop rapid. D.T. was thrown against Every, lost his balance, and fell from the raft; as he did so, he grabbed Every's life jacket and pulled him into the river as well. Every immediately began swimming with the current, but later reported that D.T. just bobbed through the rapids, making no attempt to swim. D.T. was found two miles downriver by occupants of the second raft in the group. A doctor on board pronounced D.T. dead. River patrol rangers subsequently came upon the party, shuttled the passengers to Hite ranger station at Glen Canyon, and recovered D.T.'s body. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 5/18]
On June 7th, D.F., 47, and his daughter, M.F., 18, both of Fairway, Kansas, began a four-day canoe trip down the Green River to its confluence with the Colorado River. Their canoe capsized about two-and-a-half hours into the trip; each of the F.s made it to shore, but on opposite sides of the river. Around midnight, D.F. kindled a fire to warm himself, but it soon blew up. D.F. received second degree burns over almost half his body, and also suffered from burns or smoke-caused injury to his airway. The fire ran for about two miles and burned approximately 50 acres of tamarisk and cottonwoods. Smoke from the fire awoke Island in the Sky rangers at 2 a.m. on the 8th, and they immediately began a search for its source. Meanwhile, resource management specialist Craig Hauke, who was on the river on a fisheries project, came upon M.F., who told him about the boating mishap and reported her father as missing. Hauke located D.F., who was immersed in the river in an effort to counter the pain of his burns. At about that time, ranger Shawn McCormack, who had been searching for the fire, arrived on scene and assisted Hauke in stabilizing D.F., who was subsequently airlifted with his daughter and taken to a hospital in Grand Junction. D.F. was then taken to a burn center in Denver, where he was last reported to be in critical condition. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 6/8]
On the morning of June 14th, rangers were notified that 19-year-old B.Y. of Morganville, New Jersey, was in distress - ill, vomiting and unable to walk - on the Syncline Loop trail. Ranger/paramedic Lisa Lawrence responded and found B.Y. suffering from borderline heat stroke and in hypovolemic sock. She began and IV, cooled him down, and summoned a medivac helicopter from Grand Junction. The helicopter had difficulty in landing due to strong, erratic winds, but was eventually able to land and evacuate the patient to a hospital in Moab. He was responding well to medical treatment at the time he was transported from the park. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 6/15]
On June 26th, a 13-year-old girl from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was injured when one of her legs was crushed when it was caught in the frame of a commercial raft while transiting a major rapid in Cataract Canyon. One of the rafting concession employees hiked to the rim of the canyon and notified the park by radio of the incident. An air ambulance flew to the scene from Grand Junction and evacuated her to a hospital in that city. Although there was no fracture to the leg, the girl did sustain damage to her leg muscles. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 6/28]
On August 2nd, A.M., 40, of Key West, Florida, was day-hiking in the backcountry of the Island in the Sky District when he became lost. A.M. hiked approximately 46 miles in temperatures that at times exceeded 100 degrees over the next 24 hours. He had an inadequate supply of water and began suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration. A.M. was certain he was going to die and was composing a farewell letter when discovered by a park road maintenance crew. First responder Jenny Weidensee stabilized A.M. and began ground transport; ranger-paramedic Lisa Lawrence subsequently took over patient care. The overland transport took about six hours and involved six park employees. A.M. responded well to medical treatment and was referred to a local hospital. [Steve Swanke, IC, CANY]
Rangers from the two parks have recently been involved in three major SAR incidents, two of them mutual aid assists to the Grand County sheriff's office. On August 16th, four rangers played key roles in assisting deputies with the recovery of the body of a rock climber who was killed when struck by lightning while at the base of North Chimney on Castle Rock about 20 miles east of Moab. Six rangers again provided significant assistance to the county on August 22nd and 23rd in the land search and technical body recovery of two mountain bikers on Porcupine Rim. The bikers were discovered on a ledge about 200 feet below the rim, but their bikes were not found. The investigation continues. On August 23rd, eleven rangers participated in a land search for a physically challenged subject who'd rented a jeep in Moab two days previously. The search focused on the Island in the Sky district, but the man was eventually located in Upper Courthouse Wash near Arches by ranger/paramedic Marc Yeston. The victim had been traveling solo, got off the designated road, and became stuck in a wash bottom. A flash flood washed his crutches away. Although he spent almost 44 hours stranded in the wash, he was found in good physical condition. He attracted Yeston to the location by repeated horn honking. [Steve Swanke, DR, Island in the Sky District, CANY]
On September 29th, rangers from the two parks assisted the Grand County sheriff's office with the rescue of M.M., 32, a rock climber who had been struck by lightning on Castleton Tower. They quickly reached her, provided advanced life support, and evacuated her from the area. M.M. suffered burns on 20% of her body. [Steve Swanke, CANY]
Rangers from Arches and Canyonlands recently assisted Grand County sheriff's deputies in the evacuation of an 18-year-old woman who had fallen 50 feet and received extensive back and leg injuries. Rangers Galen and Wendy Howell, Steve Swanke and Marc Yeston provided the technical expertise required to lower the victim over a 150-foot overhanging cliff to a waiting litter evacuation team - all at night. The victim was then evacuated by helicopter to a regional trauma center, where she remains in intensive care. [Jim Webster, CR, ARCH]
An explosion and fire destroyed the pump house and all equipment within the Island in the Sky District's housing and maintenance complex late on the afternoon of October 23rd. Fire suppression efforts focused on protecting adjacent exposures with fire extinguishers, since the fire disabled the pump which provides pressure to district fire hydrants. An engine from Moab responded and extinguished the fire in the remains of the building. Additional support was provided by a slip-on pumper from Arches. No other structures were lost. At present, there is no water, propane or telephone service to the district, including the visitor center. Efforts are underway to get interim services on line as quickly as possible so that residents won't have to be displaced. The estimated replacement cost to the structure and equipment is $50,000. The county fire warden/investigator was on scene yesterday in an effort to determine the cause of the fire. The incident commander for the initial response was Steve Swanke; Jim Webster led the unit from Arches. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY]
A park concession employee and his spouse were injured in a boating accident on the Colorado River around 1 p.m. on April 19th. D.M. and K.M., operating a Tag-A-Long concession 24 foot jet boat, were heading downstream to pickup some canoes near the Colorado's confluence with the Green River. They were traveling at about 25 mph when the boat's steering failed and it crashed into a vertical rock wall. K.M. suffered a broken leg, a broken ankle and possible spinal injuries; D.D. lost an ear and suffered lacerations, avulsions and bruises. They were transported 55 miles to Moab by another park concessioner who arrived on scene an hour after the accident had occurred, then were flown to a hospital in Grand Junction. Damage to the boat is estimated at $10,000. It has been removed from the canyon. The investigation continues. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 4/21]
The park has implemented its high water incident action plan, which goes into effect whenever flows in Cataract Canyon exceed 50,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), making passage down the river hazardous. The Colorado is currently flowing at 45,000 cfs and rising at a rate of 2,000 to 3,000 cfs per day. The Colorado River Basin Forecast Center yesterday released an updated flow forecast which projects a 90% probability that the flow through Cataract Canyon will exceed 54,000 cfs and a 75% probability that it will exceed 63,500 cfs. When flow levels reach 55,000 cfs, a phenomena known as the "Red Wall" emerges in the Big Drop Two section of the canyon. The Red Wall is a riverwide, lateral standing wave which is up to 30 feet tall and haystacks in the middle. The second whitewater patrol of this episode of high water was launched yesterday; these four-day patrols will be initiated weekly. Search and rescue resources will be pre-positioned at a site just downstream from the Red Wall by this weekend. The camp will be staffed continually through high flow periods. The incident is being managed under ICS. [Paul Henderson, PIO, CANY, 5/13]
On May 9th, M.C., 46, and Jim Essler were hiking in the Upper Salt Creek section of the park when M.C. complained of feeling tired and nauseous. Shortly thereafter, he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Essler initiated CPR immediately, but discontinued efforts after 20 minutes in order to seek help. After hiking for two hours, Essler came upon another hiker, who ran out of the backcountry to report the incident. Rangers from Canyonlands and Arches were conducting a mock technical rescue at the time of the report and were flown in to the site. M.C. did not survive. He had no known history of heart problems. [David White, CANY, 5/12]
The Colorado River is currently flowing through Cataract Canyon at a rate of 60,100 cubic feet per second and is expected to peak at a flow in excess of 75,000 cfs within three weeks. The river is filled with debris, including trees, tires, dead animals and 55-gallon drums. There have been seven incidents of boats turning over since search and rescue teams and equipment were pre-positioned along the river on May 16th. All have involved park concessioners; no private parties have attempted to run the canyon during the current high flow. The occupants of overturned boats typically have to swim up to a mile in 50 degree water to reach safety, and have suffered from bruises, bumps, exhaustion and hypothermia. None of the injuries sustained to date have warranted medical evacuation. Ranger Mike Hill is the division supervisor for the SAR pre-positioning function; ranger Dave Walton is the division supervisor for the whitewater patrol function. Twenty park personnel are involved in management and operations related to the high river flow, which is attracting significant media attention. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 5/22]
On June 5th, E.S., a notorious area pot hunter, was sentenced in federal court for his 1995 conviction of violating the Archeological Resources Protection Act, damaging government property, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The ARPA violations stemmed from the looting of two remote archeological sites in Canyonlands NP and the Manti-Lasal NF in 1991 and two sites on BLM lands near Natural Bridges NM in 1994. E.S. had originally been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison by the chief federal judge for Utah. In those proceedings, the government argued that the remains of the child removed from the Canyonlands site during the looting should be considered those of a victim and thus warrant a "vulnerable victim" adjustment of 15 months during sentencing. The judge agreed. But the ruling was reversed on appeal to the 10th Circuit, which stated that considering the remains of the child as those of a victim was inappropriate. E.S. must serve 63 months in prison and three years' supervised probation, and must pay $5,500 in restitution to the government - half to Canyonlands. During the December, 1991, looting incidents, E.S. conspired with two other men - one an OAS-carded helicopter pilot - to fly into the park and forest and excavate the two sites. The flight was made during very inclement weather when law enforcement officers are less likely to be out and about, a technique used by wildlife poachers in Alaska. After making off with the spoils, E.S. disappeared, stiffing the pilot for flight time worth $5,100 and both the pilot and second accomplice of any money derived from the sale of the contraband. The pilot fabricated a story to cover the loss to the helicopter company he worked for, saying that E.S. was "Andy Blackstone, a movie scout." He presented the story to the local sheriff and BLM agents in hopes of catching up with E.S. to recover the helicopter costs and his share of the bounty. This provided BLM agents with the lead needed to make the case. E.S. admitted under oath that he has been digging artifacts from public lands ever since he was a child, and that he has looted sites "thousands of times." In a 1988 television interview, E.S. bragged that his chances of being caught were "about one in a million." The assistant U.S. attorney has characterized E.S. as a "career criminal specializing in natural resources crime." [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, Pat Buccello, SA, RMRO, 6/6]
This year's high water incident operations, which went into effect when the flow of the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon exceeded 55,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), as per park plan, concluded on June 27th. Search and rescue teams and equipment were pre-positioned in the canyon on May 16th and operations were underway for 42 days. The Colorado's peak flow during this time reached 71,100 cfs, creating a continuous four-mile stretch of white water with waves exceeding 25 feet in height. A total of 326 boats with 2,336 passengers attempted to run the canyon during the 42 day period. Thirty of them flipped, forcing 134 people to swim up to a mile in 50 degree water to reach safety. Park personnel rescued 43 of them and saved four lives during the incident. A total of 23 members of the park's staff were involved with incident management and operations. The IC was river district ranger Steve Swanke. [Paul Henderson, PIO, CANY, 7/2]
During March, Needles ranger Jim Huebner noted that one of the Peek-A-Boo petroglyph panels had been vandalized through the etching of two names across the panel. A backcountry permit that had been issued for that area led to the identification of two suspects. Criminal investigator Erny Kuncl interviewed the two men - A.F. and R.M. - in Colorado. Kuncl then testified before a grand jury, which issued felony ARPA indictments being returned against the two men. A.F.'s vehicle was seized and forfeiture proceedings were initiated. Southeast Utah Group archeologist Nancy Coulam, assisted by a BLM archeologist, completed a damage assessment of the panel. It was determined that the "archeological value" of the panel was $2,500 and that the "cost of restoration and repair" would come to $8,216. On June 23rd, A.F. pled guilty to misdemeanor ARPA charges. He paid $6,126 for partial cost of the restoration and repair and $1,000 to regain his forfeited Jeep Cherokee, and will serve six months' probation and 100 hours of community service removing graffiti from Denver structures. R.M. is accepting a similar resolution. [CRO, CANY, 7/8]
On July 24th, a female passenger on a commercial river trip attempted to commit suicide by slashing her wrists between Big Drop 2 and Big Drop 3 on the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon. Rangers on a routine whitewater patrol encountered the rafters as darkness was approaching. They provided medical aid and transported the woman by boat 30 miles to a waiting ambulance. She was then driven to the nearest medical facility, and eventually flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City. Ranger Dave Walton was incident commander. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 7/25]
M.F., 40, of South Jordan, Utah, died while rafting in Cataract Canyon on the afternoon of September 27th. M.F. was a member of a non- commercial rafting group consisting of 22 people in two paddle rafts, two row rafts and two inflatable kayaks. M.F. and six other people were in a 14- foot inflatable paddle raft which flipped over in a recirculating hydraulic (an undertow of sorts) after the raft went over "Little Niagara" rock at the beginning of Rapid 22, also known as Big Drop Two. M.F. floated through that rapid and the four which followed over the next two miles of river before he was finally reached by another boat from the group. M.F. was breathless and pulseless. CPR was begun by members of the party, but discontinued after 30 minutes. Some members of the group traveled six hours by boat to report the incident at Hite ranger station at Glen Canyon NRA. An injured boater accompanied them and was immediately transported by a medical helicopter to the hospital in Page. M.F.'s body was recovered the next day by rangers and personnel from the San Juan County sheriff's department via boats and a contract helicopter. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. Medical services were also provided to two other members of the party who had been on M.F.'s raft. The Colorado River was flowing at 17,220 cubic feet per second through the canyon at the time of the accident. The water temperature was 63 degrees. Big Drop Two is a class IV rapid at this flow level. This was the tenth water-related fatality in the history of the park and the first since 1995. Glen Canyon ranger Kerry Haute was the IC for the initial response; Canyonlands ranger Dave Walton was the IC for the extended response. [Steve Swanke, DR, CANY, 9/28]
On November 8th, five young adults became stranded on a vertical 400-foot cliff at Mat Martin Point near the Colorado River about 13 miles north of Moab. They had hiked to the top of the cliff to rappel down the rock face. During the descent, the cotton rope they were using, which had been acquired by the father of a member of the group during military service many years ago, got stuck in a crack, making further descent impossible. Since they didn't possess any ascending equipment, they were stranded on the cliff. Passing motorists heard calls for help and advised the sheriff's office, which in turn summoned help from the NPS. Rangers Galen Howell, Wendy Howell and Steve Swanke responded. Galen Howell completed a lead climb to the four members of the group who were lowest on the cliff (about 120 feet off the ground) and rescued them; the fifth was subsequently rescued by a county rescue team. The members of the group were dressed in T-shirts and shorts during their 18-hour ordeal. It rained and sleeted for most of the time during the rescue operation, and temperatures were in the low 30s. The rappel harnesses and hardware that one member of the group had were improperly and unsafely utilized. During the rappel, several of the group's members were hit by falling rocks; on one occasion, one of them fell while trying to free climb in an attempt to free a jammed rope and only avoided death by landing on a ledge. The rock face had tons of loose rock, which complicated rescue operations. All five were treated for the initial stages of hypothermia, then released. One was overhead saying that "they had conquered the wall." [Steve Swanke, DR, CANY, 11/10]
On April 9th, S.G., 19, of Provo, Utah, became lost while hiking on the Neck Spring Trail with 94 other members of a high school concert band visiting the park. A search was begun that night and continued into the following day, and included ground searchers, dog teams from several agencies, and helicopters. Personnel from both Canyonlands NP and Arches NP participated in the search. S.G. was found at 4 p.m. on the 10th at a backcountry campsite six miles from the point where she'd last been seen. She had crossed the main park road and headed out on a trail which was clearly signed as different from the trail on which she'd been hiking. When interviewed, S.G. said that she went out on the trail to find the occupants of a car parked at the trailhead to see if she could get a ride back to the parking lot where her group was gathering. Colin Smith was the incident commander. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 4/13]
D.D., 60, of Fruita, Colorado, died while hiking on the Mesa Arch trail in the Island of the Sky District on the evening of May 18th. D.D. was hiking with her husband when she collapsed. Visitors in close proximity found that she was not breathing and had no pulse, so began CPR. A cellular phone was used to notify authorities. Rangers and members of a county ambulance crew employed advanced life support techniques in an attempt to revive D.D. She was taken to a hospital in Moab, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy is being conducted. Ranger Colin Smith was IC. [Steve Swanke, DR, CANY, 5/19]
On January 6th, waters within the park were closed to the use of personal watercraft (PWC) under the superintendent's authority (36 CFR 1.5(a)(1)), pending the issuance of the final rule on use of PWCs in parks. Three justifications were cited: Historical use of the Green and Colorado Rivers has been and continues to be primarily by slow-moving rafts and canoes. The visitor experience of a multi-day river trip includes infrequent encounters with other parties and the expectation of solitude and a primitive setting, which is consistent with the park's general management plan. Total numbers for overnight use are capped to help assure such an experience. The introduction of high speed PWCs resulting in frequent interruptions of slow-moving river trips is inconsistent with the purposes of the park and the values being protected within the river corridors. Late last month, the park was notified that a number of people would be running their PWCs through the park in deliberate defiance of this closure. The event's organizer, James Wilcox of Grand Junction, Colorado, said that he believes the use of PWCs in the park to be historical and that they should be allowed on the river in the future. He added that he was confident that the NPS did not have the law enforcement authority and/or resources to intercede in the event. Rangers determined that an estimated 60 to 80 participants and nearly as many watercraft were scheduled to make the run through the park on May 17th; they would launch at the town of Green River, run the 120 river miles downstream to the confluence with the Colorado River, then run up the Colorado to the Potash ramp (47 miles) or the Moab ramp (64 miles). The run would therefore be for a total of either 167 or 184 river miles. They anticipated being on the river for three to four hours, which meant continuous vessel speeds of from 42 to 61 mph. National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and state park rangers cooperated in the management of the event, with the primary objective of stopping it. On May 17th, 37 PWCs launched from the town of Green River. They traveled 73 miles downstream to Mineral Bottom near the park boundary, where they were met by rangers. The PWCs then turned around and returned to Green River without entering the park. The event organizers stated they are not backing down in their intent to fight the prohibition. Organizers stated that they had a $100,000 legal defense fund and hinted that they would initiate civil procedures challenging the closure. Ranger Marc Yeston served as incident commander for the operation, which utilized 14 field rangers prepositioned at four different locations and supported by four NPS vessels. The closure of park waters to PWC use has drawn considerable media attention. [Steve Swanke, DR, River District, CANY, 5/18]
G.L. and C.L. of South Salem, New York, were involved in a boating accident near Beaver Bottom on the Green River on the afternoon of May 26th. The L.s were on a multiple-day flatwater trip in 15-foot kayaks. Strong winds produced waves about two feet high, flipping C.L.'s kayak. She then floated into a tree which was protruding from the Maze District side of the river. The force of the water held her against the tree. Her husband tried to free her, but his kayak flipped in the process and he was carried down the river. C.L. was finally able to free herself. The L.s floated downstream with his kayak for 15 minutes until they were able to reach the shore on the Maze side. Her kayak, which contained their drinking water, sleeping bags and cooking stove, was lost. The L.s were able to make voice contact the next day with mountain bikers who were biking in the Island in the Sky District side of the river. Rangers Alyssa Van Schmus and Marc Yeston coordinated the rescue and evacuation of the L.s from this remote backcountry area. Neither was injured. At the time of the accident, the Green River was flowing at about 22,000 cubic feet per second and had a water temperature of about 55 degrees. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 5/28]
A group on an extended whitewater trip on the Colorado River was involved in a boating accident in Cataract Canyon on June 3rd. The oarsman was thrown from the boat in Big Drop One; the 14-foot, self-bailing raft then flipped over. The oarsman was able to swim to shore, but D.P. and another passenger floated about a mile and a half down river in high-volume, Class IV whitewater before being rescued by ranger/paramedic Marc Yeston, who was on routine whitewater patrol at the time. Yeston rescued the first person, then went after D.P., who'd had a rougher trip. D.P. had floated into a gigantic hydraulic known as Little Niagara at the top of Big Drop Two. He was recirculated through the hydraulic several times, then passed through five rapids. By the time Yeston got to him, he was disoriented, hypothermic and exhausted. Without Yeston's aid, D.P. would not have been able to get out of the river and would not have survived. Cataract Canyon was flowing at about 45,000 cubic feet per second at the time, and the water temperature was about 55 degrees. Yeston recovered the party's equipment, righted their boat, and arranged for a commercial outfitter to convey the party out of the canyon. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 6/8]
J.E., 48, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, was on an extended flatwater canoe trip on the Green River on June 15th when she became ill. Rangers received a cellular phone call from a member of her party around 10:30 p.m. requesting assistance. The caller said that J.E. was exhausted, confused, having difficulty breathing and near death. Rangers Mike Hill and Steve Swanke flew to Anderson Bottom on a private helicopter at first light the following morning, as it was too hazardous to either fly to the remote site at night or attempt to negotiate the river in darkness. J.E. was flown out to Allen Memorial Hospital in Moab, where she was still being diagnosed at the time of the report. She is in stable condition. Although the park was prepared to cover the flight cost, J.E.'s husband, a commercial pilot, agreed to pick up the $1,275 tab for the hour and a half of helicopter flight time. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 6/16]
A 29-year-old woman from Wyoming who was on an extended flatwater canoe trip on the Green River suffered a miscarriage on August 15th. She began experiencing labor pains at 1 a.m. that morning and miscarried around 4:30 a.m. Members of her group floated across the river and hiked ten miles to Mineral Bottom and reported her condition to a BLM volunteer. The volunteer in turn contacted the park, and efforts were immediately begun to evacuate her. A private medevac helicopter and a motorized rescue vessel from the park were dispatched to her location at Hardscrabble Bottom. She was flown to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, where she is expected to fully recover. Ranger Colin Smith was IC. [Steve Swanke, DR, CANY, 8/17]
On the morning of November 14th, rangers received a report of an apparent climbing fatality in Indian Creek Canyon, a popular climbing destination on BLM land just outside the park's Needles District. They found the body of 41-year-old P.H. of Telluride, Colorado, at the base of "The Naked and the Dead" climbing route. Park Service personnel conducted a scree evacuation of the body for the county sheriff's department and assisted in the investigation. Evidence indicates that P.H. had been solo climbing late on the previous evening and that his one-piece anchor pulled out as he was rappelling off the route. He fell about 30 feet and suffered extensive injuries. [Fred Patton, DR, CANY, 11/5]
District ranger Glenn Sherrill and his family were returning to the Hans Flat ranger station around 7 p.m. on the evening of December 9th when they came upon a pickup off on the side of the 47-mile-long dirt road that runs from the paved state highway to Hans Flat. The truck was about 15 feet from the road and had a turn signal activated. Sherrill stopped to investigate; he found that the truck had gone off the road and rolled over, and that the occupant - a local, 73-year-old rancher - could not move. The rancher told Sherrill that he thought his neck was broken, that the accident had occurred about four hours previously, and that the Sherrills were the first people to drive by since the accident. The temperature at the time was in the low 20s. Sherrill and his wife A. provided blankets to keep the rancher warm and assured that he had a clear airway, then summoned assistance by radio. It took about 90 minutes for an ambulance to arrive from Hanksville, the nearest community. The rancher was taken to Greenriver, then flown to Grand Junction, where it was determined that he'd fractured two cervical vertebrae. His spinal cord was not severed but is badly damaged, and he is presently paralyzed from the neck down. Prognosis for recovery is not good. The seat belt available to the rancher was not utilized. It's very probable that no one drove down the road after the Sherrills, and that the rancher would certainly succumbed to the elements and/or his injuries if Glenn and A. Sherrill had not intervened. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 12/15]
The oarsman and a passenger on a group boating trip on the Colorado River were thrown from a 18-foot row boat in Big Drop Three in Cataract Canyon on May 27th. The oarsman was able to regain the boat, but passenger J.J. floated about a mile down river in high-volume, Class IV whitewater before being reached by others in the group. J.J. was floating face down in the river and was breathless and pulseless. Members of her party began CPR and revived her after about 20 minutes. An aircraft flying overhead was notified of the incident via mobile radio and relayed it to the park. A medical helicopter was dispatched to the scene. J.J. was picked up and flown to a trauma center in Grand Junction, where she is expected to fully recover. Cataract Canyon was flowing at about 39,000 cubic feet per second at the time, and the water temperature was about 55 degrees. Glen Canyon NRA ranger Kerry Haut served as incident commander. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 6/1]
On June 19th, T.W., 55, of Westerville, Ohio, and a companion attempted to hike the Syncline Loop, a rugged eight-mile trail in the Island of the Sky District of the park. Although the temperature was above 90 degrees in a highly arid environment, each man took only one quart of water with him. The two men hiked the three-mile downhill section of the trail, but T.W. could not continue after that because he was suffering from dehydration and exhaustion. His partner went for help, but was overcome by the same problems and spent the night on the trail. On the morning of June 20th, he hiked out and reported the incident. Rangers responded and began a hasty search when T.W. could not be located at the point last seen. Rangers tracked T.W.'s footsteps and other clues for three miles down a wash until they were lost in heavy brush along the banks of the Green River. The search was escalated, with a helicopter and a dog team brought in. At about 5 p.m., the crew of the search helicopter contacted a group of canoers who reported that they'd pulled T.W. from the river, then had passed him off to a vehicle group driving along the White Rim Road. Search team members picked up T.W. about thirty minutes later. He told investigators he had waited until evening, then hiked towards the Green River before spending the night in the wash. The next morning he hiked to the river; while trying to get through the tamarisk along the bank, he fell into the Green River, which was flowing at a flood stage of approximately 27,000 cubic feet per second. The 275-pound T.W. spent approximately an hour floating downstream in the 65 degree water, traveling about four miles with no gear or life jacket before the canoers spotted him and pulled him from the water. He had repeatedly attempted to extricate himself from the river by grabbing onto shoreline vegetation, but the force of the water thwarted his efforts and flushed him downstream. Ranger Colin Smith served as incident commander. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 6/22]
A 42-year-old male from Racine, Wisconsin, walked into the Island in the Sky visitor center on the morning of September 3rd and reported that he had been kidnapped at gun point while providing assistance to motorists with a stalled vehicle near Racine on Tuesday, August 31st. He said the stalled vehicle was a staged event and that the motive was robbery. He said that he had spent 52 consecutive hours in the trunk of the car, that he was dumped in the middle of the desert on Thursday night, and that he had hiked to the visitor center when he saw it at first light on Friday morning. His abandoned vehicle was located at a waterfront area near Racine. Racine police utilized boats and scuba divers to search the nearby water, as they had reason to believe their search would lead to the recovery of evidence. Investigators were assigned and the FBI in Wisconsin was involved. Canyonlands rangers and a Utah FBI agent interviewed the man most of Friday at the Island in the Sky. An aircraft was dispatched to search backcountry roads for the suspect vehicle, and attempts were made to retrace his route through the desert to locate evidence. The incident generated many media inquiries. At the end of the day, while arrangements were being made to release him and transport him back to Wisconsin, he stated that he had fabricated the story. In reality, he had ridden the bus from Milwaukee to Moab and hitch-hiked to the Island in the Sky, where he spent the night in a public restroom. He said that he had some personal problems and wanted to get the attention of family members. The FBI will not prosecute; either the NPS or Racine Police Department will press criminal charges. The National Park Service will also issue a bill of collection for unbudgeted expenses related to incident management. Ranger Alyssa Van Schmus was the primary NPS investigator and served as liaison with the cooperating agencies. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 9/4]
M.T., 29, of Salt Lake City, Utah, died while rafting in Westwater Canyon of the Colorado River on the afternoon of Saturday, October 2nd. M.T. was a member of a rafting group consisting of eight people in two inflatable paddle rafts. Both rafts flipped in a massive hydraulic in Skull Rapid. The bow line from a raft wrapped around M.T.'s leg; he floated on one side of a rock but remained connected by the rope to the boat, which was on the opposite side of the rock. Expert kayakers attempted to reach M.T. for about an hour, but were unable to do so because of the violent water. The force of the water eventually removed M.T.'s life jacket and he drowned. This tragedy was observed from a close distance by his mother and brother. Westwater Canyon is Class IV whitewater and was flowing at approximately 6,800 cubic feet per second with a water temperature of approximately 58 degrees. At the request of the local sheriff's office, Canyonlands rangers evacuated the eight stranded boaters from the canyon early on Saturday morning. County SAR personnel and rangers from BLM, Utah State Parks and the NPS then used vertical rock rescue techniques to reach the point where M.T. was last seen to probe for his body with a pike pole. They were unsuccessful. County rescue personnel and rangers will continue recovery efforts on a daily basis for a reasonable period of time. [Steve Swanke, DR, CANY, 10/5]
On November 20th, Grand County SAR asked rangers from the two parks to assist them in the rescue of a seriously injured climber near Castle Valley, just across the Colorado River from Arches NP. Z.H. was climbing a route on the south face of Rectory Butte when a rock was dislodged by another climber above him; the rock struck him on the head, knocking him off a narrow ledge. Although he was wearing a helmet, he was knocked unconscious and suffered a closed-skull fracture and other traumatic injuries. One climber remained with him while another rappelled to the ground and summoned help via a cell phone in her vehicle, located over an hour away. A team of nine rescuers, including four NPS rangers, was flown by helicopter to the top of the 375-foot rock tower. Two rescuers were lowered about 100 feet to Z.H. They treated him and got him loaded onto a litter. He was then lifted to the top of the rock, where a waiting medical helicopter picked him up and flew him to a trauma center in Grand Junction. Night fell during the final stages of the operation. Z.H. remains in serious condition. [Jim Webster, CR, ARCH, 11/22]
M.S., a 24-year-old base jumper from Corpus Christi, Texas, was involved in a mishap while base jumping from Mineral Point, directly adjacent to the Island in the Sky District, late on the afternoon of December 30th. M.S. was attempting her fourth jump of the day and tenth of her career off 500-foot Wingate Cliff, which features a significant overhang. After takeoff, M.S. turned into the wall and hung the chute on a protruding rock approximately 270 feet from the top of the cliff. She was tangled in cordage from the chute; her breathing was restricted, and one leg was elevated to shoulder height. Grand County Search and Rescue asked the park for assistance in the technical rescue. The operation was run under a joint ICS arrangement (Colin Smith was NPS IC). Ranger George Paiva was lowered to M.S.'s location, where he cut her out of the chute and cords. They were then raised to the cliff top. M.S. refused medical treatment and left the area. The incident has generated discussion at: www.baselogic.com/forum/board/469.shtml. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 1/3]
There were two fatal accidents near the park's Island in the Sky District in October. Ranger Colin Smith was first on the scene of a jeep accident on October 9th. The jeep and driver had fallen 160 feet off Gemini Bridge. Rangers assisted Grand County SAR with the technical recovery of the driver's body. On October 18th, ranger George Paiva was first on scene at an accident in which a motorcyclist had missed a hairpin turn on Mineral Switchbacks and fallen 80 vertical feet. Paiva assisted Grand County SAR with the recovery of the driver's body. The park and Grand County SAR maintain a strong working relationship. The county sheriff presented the NPS with an award in appreciation for services rendered at his annual Christmas dinner. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 1/3]
On the morning of March 13th, rangers were advised that a visitor had fallen and suffered serious head injuries while hiking in the Needles District. St. Mary's Airlife was called in from Grand Junction, Colorado; rescue personnel boarded the helicopter and guided it to a landing zone close to the accident scene. They found that W.M., a 28-year-old teacher from San Marcos, Texas, had suffered fatal injuries. W.M. had been hiking off trail and was attempting to traverse a rock outcrop when he became rimrocked on the edge of a 30-foot drop off. W.M. called for help. One of his hiking companions attempted to reach him, but was not able to reach W.M. before he slipped over the edge. The body was evacuated by helicopter. At the time of the accident, the majority of Southeast Utah Group rescue personnel were participating in a week-long rescue seminar at Arches National Park, leaving the field a bit short-staffed. Significant operational positions for this incident were filled by ranger David Schifsky from Glen Canyon, ranger Ray O'Neil from the Grand Canyon, and Neal Herbert from the Southeast Utah Group. All three are former Needles District employees and were just finishing a backbacking trip of their own when the report came in. District ranger Fred Patton adds the following note about the threesome: "They constituted my entire rescue team for this incident. Their being in the area at the time and their intimate knowledge of the area were the only reasons that the victim could be accessed and the body recovered in such a short period of time." [Fred Patton, DR, CANY, 3/16]
On Monday, March 20th, ranger Colin Smith noticed a vehicle that had been parked overnight at the Green River overlook in the Island in the Sky District. While Smith was obtaining vehicle registration information from the San Juan County Sheriff's Office later that evening, the sheriff's office received a report of a missing 40-year-old male from Colorado who was planning to commit suicide at that overlook. On Tuesday, rangers conducted a helicopter and ground search, but called it off near the end of the day due to significant snow cover. Ranger Alyssa Van Schmus investigated further and discovered that the man left a journal and a sequence of photographs ending with what he called his "final resting place." The journal was faxed and the photographs were digitally scanned and sent via email to Van Schmus. On the afternoon of March 22nd, ranger Marc Yeston used the journal and photos to find the man's body. It was transported to the medical examiner in Salt Lake City for positive identification and an autopsy. The investigation continues. [Steve Swanke, IC, CANY, 3/23]
On April 6th, W.M. and M.M. of Wenatchee, Washington, headed down the Green River in an aluminum canoe on an extended boating trip. They passed through the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers, but failed to recognize this significant geographical feature. Several miles further down the river, the M.s saw a large sign warning of the dangerous rapids in Cataract Canyon "2 ½ miles" ahead. They employed their river map to determine their location and concluded that they were at Bonita Bend, 31 miles above the confluence. They assumed that the sign had originally said that the rapids were "32 ½" miles ahead and that the "3" had been removed from the sign by vandals. They proceeded down the river and soon heard the sound of "Brown Betty," a Class III rapid. They were unable to get their canoe to shore, so quickly donned their lifejackets - a life-saving decision, as they soon ended up in the 54-degree water and floated through "Brown Betty" and two additional rapids before being able to swim to shore on opposite sides of the river. Their canoe, food, water and equipment floated away. The M.s hiked three-and-a-half miles upstream until the encountered a motorboat being operated by Tex's Riverways, a park concessionaire. The M.s were reunited and evacuated from the canyon. Neither was injured. [Steve Swanke, DR, CANY, 4/7]
On the afternoon on Friday, May 12th, S.J. 74, of Jackson, Mississippi, a client on a five-boat OARS commercial river trip, died as a result of a rafting accident in Cataract Canyon. An 18-foot row raft containing S.J., three other passengers and a guide flipped on a large wave at the entry to Big Drop Two. S.J. swam into Satan's Gut, a massive hydraulic in Big Drop Three; although immediately reached and recovered by an OARS motorized raft, he was found to be in cardiac arrest. Resuscitation efforts were begun as the motorized raft maneuvered through four additional rapids to the headwaters of Lake Powell Reservoir, where S.J. was pronounced dead by an OARS client who was a physician. A 54-year-old female passenger also nearly drowned and was evacuated by a Classic Aeromedical Helicopter to a hospital in Moab. At the time these incidents occurred, Cataract Canyon was flowing at approximately 27,000 cubic feet per second, with a water temperature of 58 degrees. Park ranger/paramedic Marc Yeston was assisted by Glen Canyon rangers Kerry Haut and Aaron Kania and six OARS guides in S.J.'s recovery, the investigation of the accident, and the air evacuation of the near drowning victim from the remote accident location. S.J. was transported to Salt Lake City for an autopsy; drowning was ruled to have been the cause of death. This is the 13th river fatality in the history of the park and the third fatality which has involved a park concessionaire. [Steve Swanke, DR, CANY, 5/15]
P.T., an inmate at the Grand County Jail in Moab, Utah, escaped from a cellblock through a ventilation shaft on the evening of May 31st. He'd earlier been overheard saying that he was going to escape and that he would kill anyone who got in his way. All available law enforcement personnel in the region were asked to help assist in securing the area. Eight rangers from the two parks were assigned to roadblocks and perimeter security duties. P.T. was stopped at a roadblock near Monticello. He turned his stolen vehicle around and fled at a high rate of speed, with state and city officers in pursuit. He left the highway and headed down a dirt road, but crashed the vehicle, suffering extensive injuries. He was taken into custody and is currently in a hospital in Salt Lake City. [Jim Webster, CR, ARCH, 6/1]
An aircraft accident occurred at the unimproved Mineral Bottom airstrip on BLM land adjacent to the Island in the Sky District on June 6th. The county sheriff's office coordinated an interagency response under ICS. Rangers George Paiva and Traci Kolc responded in one of the park's wildland fire engines. A fire caused by the crash burned the plane and about an acre of land before being suppressed. All occupants escaped uninjured. The Cessna 185 lost power on takeoff and smoke was seen coming from the engine compartment. The pilot landed the plane back on the runway, but ran off the end. Several boxes of firearms ammunition in the plane exploded during the early stages of the fire. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 6/7]
Noted BASE jumper E.R., 43, and fellow jumper C.F., 22, were killed in a plane crash on July 18th about three miles north of the park. The aircraft was not located until 9 a.m. on July 23rd. An intensive air search for their plane was conducted by local pilots, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP). Five park employees who are also CAP members participated in the search effort. On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 18th, E.R., who resided in Moab, Utah, and C.F., who resided in Brush, Colorado, departed the Canyonlands airport in C.F.'s Grumman AA-5 aircraft to look for potential BASE jumping sites. They did not file a flight plan. Temperature in the area at the time of departure were between about 105 and 108 degrees. When they failed to return from the flight, E.R.'s employer, a local air taxi operator and another local pilot flew the area, looking for them. Their efforts proved fruitless, however, so they notified CAP, which began search operations. The UHP helicopter joined in the search on Saturday, July 22nd. On the morning of the 23rd, the crash site was found in Mineral Canyon, about 15 miles southwest of the airport. It appears that the aircraft clipped a wing on the edge of the canyon wall and fell to the base of the Windgate formation, where it burned beyond recognition. The bodies of the E.R. and C.F. were recovered by Grand County Sheriff's Office personnel. E.R. was the leader of the group of BASE jumpers who were jumping in the same general area last December. One jumper's chute hung up on the cliff after deployment. Park personnel assisted the sheriff in extricating that jumper during a technical night operation. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 7/24]
On August 1st, a 13-year-old boy from Woodstock, Illinois, was mountain biking on a backcountry trail outside of Moab (and directly across the Colorado River from Arches NP) with his father and other members of a youth group. He biked ahead of his group, took a wrong turn, and became lost in very rugged desert canyon terrain. An initial search was conducted that night by county SAR team members; it proved fruitless, so a major search was begun the following day. The NPS was asked to assist and contributed 18 employees to the effort. The incident involved well over 100 people from numerous local, county, federal, private and volunteer organizations and received significant regional media attention. Arches and Canyonlands employees worked as trackers, ground searchers, dog team members, aerial searches, and support staff in plans, logistics and communications. Ranger Gary Haynes was the plans section chief. Environmental conditions were a major consideration, with daytime temperatures reaching 110 degrees, steep canyons, and rough and rocky terrain. The search continued until mid-day on August 5th, when trackers found the boy's body about two-and-a-half miles from his abandoned bicycle. There were no injuries or heat-related illnesses during the operation despite the prevailing conditions. [Jim Webster, CR, ARCH, 8/7]
A 29-year-old woman fell about 90 feet while free solo climbing in Indian Creek Canyon near the park's Needles District around 5 p.m. on the afternoon of February 4th. Friends of the climber saw her fall and were able to call 911 via cell phone within about 10 minutes. The local sheriff's department asked the park for assistance. Needles District rangers Fred Patton, Michelle Busbee and Daniel Habig responded. Busbee and Habig were first on scene at 5:45 p.m. By that time, the woman had been pulseless for about 20 minutes and CPR was in progress. She was lowered to the road via a 400-foot belayed scree evacuation. She had sustained major head trauma in the fall and was pronounced dead at the scene by the flight nurse from St. Mary's CareFlight. [Daniel Habig, CANY, 2/7]
W.A., 44, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, was killed while mountain biking on the remote White Rim Road in the park's Island in the Sky District on the evening of April 24th. W.A. was on a four-day mountain-biking trip with a group of eleven people, including his wife and two children. He was going downhill on Hardscrabble Hill when he evidently ran into a large boulder adjacent to a curve. There were no witnesses. When he was discovered by visitors, he was not breathing and had no pulse. Rangers and a county deputy recovered his body. An autopsy is being conducted, and an investigation is underway. Ranger Paul Downey was IC. [Steve Swanke, DR, CANY, 4/25]
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 22nd, Grand County SAR requested NPS assistance in a search for two swimmers who were last seen in distress near Cow Canyon, located in the Dewey Bridge area outside the park. Rangers Steve Young and Steve Swanke, assisted by an interagency crew, responded in one of the park's specialized rescue boats and recovered the bodies of the mother and son at separate locations within two miles of the point last seen. The search effort was managed under ICS. [Steve Swanke, CANY, 7/23]
At 6 a.m. on April 18th, Glen Sherrill, district ranger for the park's Maze District, received a request from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office for assistance in a search for three overdue hikers. Sherrill called the wife of one of the hikers and found that the trio had gotten canyoneering route information from a web site (http://www.climb-utah.com) and that they'd mentioned a location called Leprechaun Canyon. Sherrill relayed this information to the sheriff's office, then called Shane Burrows, the web site owner, and obtained the password to gain access to the route descriptions and maps from the site's "Select Circle of Few" section. Sheriff's deputies found the missing party's vehicle parked at the Leprechaun Canyon trailhead along Utah Highway 95 south of Hanksville and asked Sherrill's assistance in conducting the search. At 1 p.m., Sherrill and two Wayne County SAR volunteers headed into the search area. Within an hour, they'd made voice contact with the three hikers. A Utah DPS helicopter arrived shortly thereafter and began ferrying other rescuers to the scene. The hikers had reached a point in the slot canyon where they could go no further downstream. They couldn't return up the canyon, either, because they'd pulled their rope down after them. While trying to climb out of the slot, one of the hikers slipped and fell about 40 feet, suffering a fractured skull and other injuries. Since there were no natural anchors on the slickrock. Sherrill set bolts for rappelling and a possible litter raising. County EMT's then descended and provided treatment to the injured hiker. At 5 p.m., a Life Flight EMS helicopter from Salt Lake City arrived on scene. The helicopter's scoop litter was lowered to the rescuers in the canyon, and they began the difficult task of moving the patient 40 feet up the slot to the best point for retrieval. The two uninjured hikers ascended the rappel ropes. The Life Flight crew dropped their short-haul rescuer into the slot at 6 p.m. and he rigged up the stretcher. It turned out that the slot was too narrow to accommodate both the rescuer and the litter, so the litter had to be raised without a rescuer alongside. Rescuers on the ground stabilized the stretcher with a belay line. Given the nature of the terrain, this was a high-risk operation for both the helicopter crew and the ground crew, as the pilot had to hover for a long time with his rotors just a few feet from the wall of the canyon. The patient was lowered to the bench after being extracted from the canyon, then transferred to the helicopter and flown to Salt Lake City. He was admitted in critical condition, but his condition was upgraded to 'serious' on April 21st. The operation involved about 20 people from the Wayne and Garfield county SAR teams, the counties sheriffs' offices, and Arizona DPS and Life Flight helicopters. The "Select Circle of Few" canyoneering routes are mostly in or near Zion NP, the Hite area of Glen Canyon NRA, and the Moab area. [Peter C. Fitzmaurice, CR, CANY, 4/23]
On the afternoon of Saturday, September 7th, the park's Island-in-the-Sky District was buffeted by high winds and torrential rains - three-quarters of an inch in under an hour. There were numerous backcountry road washouts and flash floods. The flash floods were the most significant documented in the district's history. At about 6 p.m. a family of four from Provo, Utah, was diving up Taylor Canyon. The four-wheel-drive road winds in and out of a dry wash. Family members saw a four-inch-high curb of water approaching them down the ash; within a minute, the water had swelled to the middle of the windshield of their 1998 Humvee, and reached a depth of ten feet only moments thereafter. At peak flow, the water in the wash was flowing at an estimated 2,000 cubic feet per second - nearly double the current flow of the Colorado River. The wash was about 300 feet wide with 55-degree water at peak flow. The Humvee floated downstream for about four miles over the next 15 minutes. Family members were eventually able to get out of the vehicle, reach shore and take shelter in an alcove. The father later told rangers that he'd had to swim with his five-month-old and three-year-old sons tucked under his arms while his wife was exiting the Humvee through a window. Later that night, their cries for help were overhead by nearby campers, who took them in for the night and gave them a ride out to the district visitor center the following morning. The $60,000 Humvee was recovered, but is a total loss. The hundred-mile-long White Rim backcountry road was closed to through traffic at the time of the report (Monday evening). A damage assessment of the backcountry road system is being conducted. Cost estimates for the extensive damage inflicted on the roads will be prepared after the assessment is completed. The Shafer Trail may take several months to repair and will remain closed until the work is completed. With luck, repairs at Upheaval Bottom, Taylor Canyon and Lathrop Canyon will be completed within the next week. Ranger Paul Downey was the IC. [Submitted by Steve Swanke, District Ranger, Island-in-the-Sky District, Canyonlands NP]
E.G., 20, a student from the University of Colorado, fell to his death from the west rim of the Middle Fork of Shafer Canyon in the park's Island in the Sky District early on the morning of Sunday, October 13. E.G. had been camping with a group of students, and was last seen sitting near his tent on the canyon rim at approximately 1:30 a.m. When members of the group awoke in the morning, E.G. was nowhere to be found. His friends searched for him, but without luck. A member of their party then called 911 on a cell phone and rangers were sent to the scene. Ranger Steve Young spotted E.G.'s body at the base of the vertical cliff after a brief search. E.G. had fallen almost 500 feet. A multi-agency team of rescuers from Grand County and the National Park Service completed the technical body recovery in darkness. An investigation is being conducted and the body is in Salt Lake City for an autopsy. Ranger Steve Young was incident commander. [Submitted by Steve Swanke, District Ranger]
On the morning of October 14, rangers arrested R.G., 47, of Sedona, Arizona, for breaking into a vehicle near the Elephant Hill parking area in the Needles District of the park. Rangers Kevin Moore, Michelle Busbee and Rich Perch had responded to an alarm that was activated on a decoy vehicle that had been placed in the Elephant Hill parking lot in the Needles District, which had been plagued by a series of car clouts that began in July, 2001. San Juan County Sheriff's Office deputies Jaren Adams and Grayson Redd also responded from the town of Monticello, about one hour away. At about 2 a.m., Moore and Busbee surprised R.G. as he was walking out the Elephant Hill access road in the dark. R.G. attempted to flee, but lost a footrace with the rangers and was taken into custody after a brief scuffle. He was carrying burglary tools and had stolen credit cards and almost $1000 in cash in his pockets. R.G. was turned over to the county deputies and has been charged with auto burglary, possession of stolen credit cards, possession of burglary tools, theft and resisting arrest. Other federal charges my also be filed. R.G. has two outstanding warrants from La Plata County, Colorado, both for burglary offenses. La Plata County intends to seek extradition from Utah. R.G. has an extensive history of arrest and incarceration for theft offenses. He was last released from prison in May, 2001. This arrest marked the culmination of a 15-month-long investigation conducted jointly by the NPS, BLM and San Juan County Sheriff's Office. An investigation is ongoing to connect this suspect with similar car clouts in the Needles District and other areas in the Four Corners region. In previous incidents, vehicles had been entered using a pry tool on doors, with little or no evidence of tampering. Usually, only cash or credit cards were taken and other items were left undisturbed. Other park units that have had similar incidents are asked to contact either Michelle Busbee or Rich Perch at 435-259-8859. [Submitted by Peter Fitzmaurice, Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of September 23, rangers were notified that a 56-year-old male mountain biker on a multiple-day backcountry bike trip was suffering serious medical problems - illness, vomiting, diminished consciousness and inability to urinate - on the remote White Rim Road. A medical helicopter was dispatched and flew him to Grand Junction, Colorado. Doctors determined that the man had drunk about two gallons of water during his morning ride and was suffering from water intoxication, which probably would have been fatal without rapid transport, clinical evaluation, and follow-up treatment. The rescue was facilitated by a biking party with a mobile telephone and GPS unit that was also in the backcountry. (Note: Water intoxication occurs when a person swallows enough water to significantly lower the concentration of salt in his/her blood. The causes the brain to swell, which in turn produces a decreased level of consciousness progressing from lethargy to stupor to coma). [Submitted by Steve Swanke, Incident Commander]
On November 4, ranger Kevin Moore contacted K.B., 34, of Tooele, Utah, in the park's Needles District. Moore issued K.B. a warning for speeding after stopping him in the Squaw Flats Campground. The following day, rangers found K.B.'s truck parked at the Elephant Hill trailhead. A search of backcountry permits revealed that his vehicle was not associated with a permit, although K.B. had visited the park previously. An investigation revealed that K.B. had been depressed and that he had discussed suicide in general terms in the past but had offered no specific information as to his plans. A search was begun on November 9, with hasty teams sent out on trails and to other high probability areas. Deteriorating weather hampered search efforts the first day and precluded use of a helicopter. The weather conditions improved on the following day and a helicopter, a Grand County SAR dog team, and additional searchers were placed in the field. Acting on a request from park rangers, officers from the Tooele PD entered K.B.'s unsecured residence. They found numerous firearms and a ten-page note that discussed his struggle with deteriorating mental illness, specified his intent to commit suicide in the wilderness, and expressed his fear that he might harm others. The search dog alerted to a scent in the Chesler Park area just after noon on November 10. Spotters from the helicopter located K.B.'s remains a short time later. He apparently died from a self-inflicted .44 magnum gunshot wound to his head. His body was removed by helicopter later that day and turned over to the San Juan County coroner. A second note near the body indicated that K.B. probably committed suicide the day after he was contacted in the campground. K.B.'s pack contained a loaded Glock .40 semi-auto pistol and several knives. Ranger Kevin Moore handled the initial response; district ranger Richard Perch was IC for the search. [Submitted by Peter Fitzmaurice, Chief Ranger]
At 11:30 a.m. on November 16, a visitor with a cellular telephone notified ranger Paul Downey that there was a distraught visitor at Green River Overlook in the park's Island in the Sky District. The telephone connection was very poor and Downey was unable to re-contact the reporting party for additional information. He searched the Green River Overlook area and located a woman on a narrow and precarious ledge at the top of a 500-foot cliff at 3 p.m. She said that she intended to commit suicide and told Downey, who possessed a radio and satellite telephone, that she'd jump if anyone else came to the scene to assist him. ICS was put into effect; rangers, a Grand County technical SAR team, psychologists, and San Juan County deputies were mobilized and staged. Downey, who is a critical incident stress debriefer, gained the woman's trust and was able to negotiate a walk-away solution at 9:05 p.m. The woman was then entered into the behavioral health care system. DR Steve Swanke was incident commander. [Submitted by Peter Fitzmaurice, Chief Ranger]
On Saturday, December 7, park staff provided transportation and logistical support for an official visit by S. Claus at the city of Moab's annual "Parade of Lights." The park vessel Bates Wilson was lighted and equipped for sleigh duty and staffed with a team of elves and a support crew. Thirty-eight brightly-lighted floats participated in the parade, during which the city turned off all street lights and closed Main Street. An appreciate crowd lined the streets along the entire parade route. Personnel clerk Geni Ainge was incident commander and coordinated sleigh decoration and elf recruitment. [Submitted by Peter Fitzmaurice, Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of Saturday, April 26th, A.R., 27, of Aspen,
Colorado, was solo canyoneering in remote Blue John Canyon, adjacent to
the park's Maze District. His intended one-day route was down the main
fork of Blue John Canyon to its intersection with Horseshoe Canyon, then
down Horseshoe Canyon into the Maze District, then out via Horseshoe
Canyon. In a three-foot wide and hundred-foot high section of Blue John
Canyon, a boulder weighing approximately 800 pounds and measuring about
42 by 54 by 30 inches shifted, pinning A.R.'s right arm. He was
unable to move and was trapped in a standing position. A.R.
unsuccessfully attempted to rescue himself from his stranded location
utilizing technical climbing equipment that he carried with him. On the
morning of Tuesday, April 29th, A.R. ran out of water. On Thursday,
the park and Emery County Sheriff's Office were notified that A.R.
was missing and four days overdue from reporting for work. ICS was put
into effect with a unified command; each agency assumed a command
function and provided resources. Additional support and resources were
provided by Utah Public Safety, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, the
Moab Valley Fire Department, the Bureau of Land Management and Grand
County Search and Rescue. That same morning, A.R. realized that his
survival required drastic action, so he amputated his arm below the
elbow utilizing his pocketknife. He then applied a tourniquet and
administered first aid, rigged anchors and fixed a rope to rappel to the
floor of Blue John Canyon, and hiked downstream into Horseshoe Canyon.
A.R. was found there by a Utah Public Safety helicopter at 3 p.m. and
was transported to Allen Memorial Hospital in Moab. He was stabilized
there, then transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction,
Colorado, by a Care Flight helicopter for further treatment. A.R.'s
arm was recovered on May 4th. Several strategies were considered for
recovering the arm by the park's safety officer, engineer and other
employees. An assortment of equipment was backpacked into the site,
including jacks, hoists, ropes, pulleys, wrecking bars and cribbing.
Once on site, the riggers determined that a grip hoist could be used to
lift the boulder, so a raising station was set up. The boulder was
wrapped in heavy duty webbing and the grip hoist was used along with a
heavy duty jack to lift and shift the boulder far enough to remove the
trapped limb. A.R. is an avid outdoors person and in exceptional
physical condition. He is known to have climbed 49 of the 14,000-foot
peaks in Colorado, and was preparing for an upcoming Denali expedition.
His outdoor pursuits are outlined on his web page at www.geocities.com/
aronralston. Media interest has been extremely intense. The park has
had as many as five information officers working simultaneously to
handle calls, including numerous requests for live
appearances.
Ba.S., 69, was hiking in a remote section of the Island
in the Sky District on Monday, April 28th, when she fell about 30 feet
in steep and rugged terrain. Ba.S. sustained an angulated fracture
of one arm and a significant head injury that caused her to lose
consciousness. Her husband, Bi.S., attempted to drag her into
the shade, but was unable to move her due to the terrain. He then hiked
about a mile to the road, flagged down a vehicle, and reported the
accident. ICS was put into effect, with ranger Alyssa Van Schmus as IC.
Ranger/EMT Mark Pita was first on scene and provided life-saving care.
Ba.S. was evacuated through the steep and rugged terrain by
a litter team and flown via Care Flight helicopter to St. Mary's
Hospital in Grand Junction, where she remains unconscious and in
critical condition.
In early June, the park put its high water incident action plan into
effect due to the high water volume flowing through Cataract Canyon. The
plan goes into effect whenever the flow exceeds 50,000 cubic feet per
second (cfs), making passage down the river hazardous. When flow levels
reach 50,000 cfs, a feature known as the "Red Wall" emerges in the Big
Drop Two section of the canyon. The Red Wall is an awe-inspiring,
river-wide lateral wave that is up to 30 feet tall and haystacks in the
middle. Search and rescue personnel were pre-positioned at a site just
downstream from the Red Wall for four days, ending on June 6th when the
river subsided. There were four reportable boating incidents with 14
people rescued from the floodwaters during that period. The incident was
managed under ICS with ranger Steve Young serving as operations section
chief. For additional photos of rafts in the high waters of the canyon,
go to http://www.nps.
gov/cany/river/highwater/index.htm
Just before midnight on July 10th, rangers in the Needles District
received a call from maintenance worker Jack Kleinke, who reported that
he was experiencing chest pain and other symptoms of a possible heart
attack. Rangers Michelle Busbee, Tom Wilson, Kevin Moore and Leigh
Guenther provided advanced life support, summoned an ambulance and
medevac helicopter, and established a landing zone. A Life Flight
helicopter from St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction landed in the
lighted visitor center parking lot, picked Kleinke up, and flew him to
Grand Junction, where he was treated for a heart attack. Kleinke was
released by his physicians two days later with no apparent lasting
damage to his heart muscle, the latter due both to his recognition of
the signs of a heart attack and to the rapid response of the emergency
medical system.
An intense lightning storm moved through the Needles District around
8 p.m. on July 19th. Lightning started two small wildland fires near the
Needles residential area, and several district personnel responded and
extinguished them A bolt of lightning struck very close to the housing
area at 10:45 p.m., forcing the firefighters to return to the safety of
their engine. Shortly thereafter, employee Nova Clarke reported that the
fire alarm in her residence had been activated. Maintenance worker Dave
Burt was asked to check out the electrical system and structure to
ensure that there was no fire danger. He did so and cleared from the
residence, but then discovered that the phone in his own nearby
residence was not working. The next morning, Burt found a hole in
another residence that had apparently been caused by a lightning strike.
The building is a duplex; one side is unoccupied, but Clarke lived on
the other side. The outside of the building is constructed of foam
covered with stucco. A hole was found in the stucco about 10 inches in
diameter and 10 inches deep, exposing the underlying wood and foam. The
foam had been melted and the wood underneath had been lightly charred.
Burt took several photos and then placed a temporary cover over the
damaged area. The other structures in the area suffered no apparent
damage.
On the afternoon of Friday, July 11th, NAVTEC Expeditions was
involved in a whitewater motor boating accident at Big Drop Three on the
Colorado River. The boat, which was running support for a special
populations trip, became pinned on a rock in Big Drop Three. The
operator and a passenger were unable to free the boat, so they entered
the river and were picked up, uninjured, by another support boat. The
pinned boat was a hazard to downstream navigation. A multi-agency
recovery team, consisting of eight people supported by three motorized
vessels, worked for six days to successfully recover the vessel, which
is christened The Mary S and is an 18-foot rigid hull inflatable
boat valued at $25,000. The Colorado River was flowing at approximately
5,480 cubic feet per second when the accident occurred. Big Drop Three
is a Class IV+ rapid. Ranger Steve Young was operations section chief
for the recovery operation. For additional photos of Big Drop Three in
low water go to:
http://www.nps.gov/cany/river/lowwater/index.htm.
A park visitor came to the Needles Visitor Center on the morning of
April 9th and reported that a woman had fallen off a cliff. The visitor
had come upon Paul Thompson of Littleton, Colorado, on his bicycle, and
Thompson had asked him to get in touch with rangers immediately because
his wife had just fallen from a point near Big Springs overlook. Ranger
Tom Wilson headed to the scene; ranger Kevin Moore assumed
responsibility as IC and began assembling a response team. Wilson
contacted P.T. and located the body of his wife, M., 54,
about 120 feet below the overlook. Wilson requested that the county
coroner be notified and documented the scene. The San Juan County SO
conducted the investigation and concluded that the death was accidental.
The park team carried the body out over rocky terrain.
The following report, which appeared on March 15th, has been corrected as follows: The Flint Trail, which provides access to the Maze but is actually in Glen Canyon NRA, remains closed due to rock and mud slides. A crew and equipment from Glen Canyon are scheduled to work on the road within the next couple of weeks. Road access to the Maze area of Canyonlands NP is still possible via a longer route from Hite, or visitors can hike in from the Hans Flat area. Several rock slides this past winter closed the Shafer, Flint and White Rim trail roads in the park's backcountry (click on "More Information" below for the original report). The biggest of these was a major slide on the west side of the latter, in which a large section of a sandstone cliff several hundred feet above the road fell and created a debris field about 200 feet wide and up to 40 feet deep. A contract blasting crew was brought in to break up larger rocks in that slide along with boulders blocking the Shafer trail road and another spot on the White Rim road. All of these areas were cleared out by late February, and a bulldozer was employed to build a new road up and over the White Rim slide. All of the roads and trails are now open. [Submitted by Peter Fitzmaurice, Chief Ranger] http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewincidentsarticle&type=Incidents&id=1787 More Information...
Shortly after midnight on November 2nd, a dispatcher at the San Juan County Sheriff's Office was contacted via an On Star system vehicle distress call. The caller reported that a man about 37 years old from Nederland, Colorado, had accidentally fallen over a 40-foot cliff within the park (inside San Juan County) and sustained fatal injuries. The sheriff's office contacted the park's chief ranger and a coordinated response was begun. The victim had been on a bike ride with 13 friends and acquaintances on the White Rim Road within the park. They were camped at Murphy's campsite when the accident occurred. The site is reachable by ground via a difficult six-hour drive in a four-wheel-drive vehicle or by a strenuous two-hour hike. Responding rangers completed the hike around 4 a.m., contacted members of the group, secured the scene and began an investigation. Two San Juan County officers responded after first light in a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter, which was used to recover the victim's body via a long-line operation. It was delivered to the county coroner at a helispot at the Island in the Sky Visitor Center. Alcohol consumption may have contributed to the accident; the investigation is continuing. [Submitted by Peter Fitzmaurice, Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of March 27th, rangers responded to a report of a serious mountain bike injury on the White Rim Trail. The patient, a 60-year-old retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, was on his fourth day of cycling and was just north of Musselman Arch when the accident occurred on a slightly downhill section of the road. His companions reported that he went into a ditch, which folded the front wheel of the bicycle and sent him headfirst into the ground. He was wearing a helmet, which was heavily damaged in the crash, but sustained serious injuries to his neck and spine and reported no sensation or movement in his lower extremities. A member of his party drove to the top of the Shafer Trail and contacted the Island in the Sky entrance station. Rangers, Grand County emergency medical service personnel, and a St. Mary's Life Flight helicopter responded. The man was assessed, treated, packaged and flown to St. Mary's hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. His condition is not presently known. [Peter C. Fitzmaurice, Chief Ranger]
Park maintenance worker Jack Foy was working in Taylor Canyon late on the morning of April 30th when he heard cries for help coming from the top of Buck Mesa, which lies south of the canyon. Foy determined that someone was rim-rocked approximately 100 feet below the top of the mesa and about 600 feet above the canyon floor. He could also see another person on top of the mesa. Foy radioed this information to Island in the Sky ranger Joe Carlson. River rangers Steve Young and Kyler Carpenter and 30 guides employed by park concessioners happened to be on the Green River near Taylor Canyon, having just begun the annual interpretive river trip. Young and Carpenter put ashore near the Labyrinth campsite on the White Rim Road and were met by ranger Cherie Barth, who transported them to Taylor Canyon. Coincidentally, a helicopter being used by a film crew to produce a PBS documentary about the history of the NPS happened to be at the Moab airport. The helicopter flew Young, Carpenter, Arches National Park rangers Jacob Tung and Will See and two river guides who had technical rock climbing experience to the top of the mesa. Carpenter then rappelled down the cliff to the victim. A technical raising was performed and all personnel were flown off the mesa top by 6 p.m. Rangers learned that the two visitors had begun a day hike of the Syncline Loop trail at Upheaval Dome on Saturday, April 29th. Hiking in a clockwise direction, they lost the trail in the area called the "Steps" and wandered in a northerly direction, eventually ending up on the top of Buck Mesa. They told rangers that they realized they were lost, but were unable to retrace their steps back to the Syncline Loop trail. They spent Saturday and Sunday nights on top of Buck Mesa. On Monday, they ran out of water and said that they thought they were going to die. They threw their backpacks and digital cameras off Buck Mesa and decided to try and climb down into Taylor Canyon. With air temperatures in the 90's and their lack of water, it was unlikely they would have survived another day. The two river guides who participated in this rescue were Jason Quinn of Holiday River Expeditions and Dustin Fallentine of Moki Mac River Expeditions. John Shaffer with the Moab BLM Fire Operations Center was the helicopter manager. Paul Cowan was the IC. [Paul Cowan, Chief Ranger, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks]
On Tuesday, May 13th, the park was notified of the disappearance of a 65-year-old Minnesota man who'd left home with a detailed plan to take his life in the Salt Creek drainage in the Needles District. After verifying that he'd been dropped off on a backcountry road by a shuttle service, park staff began a search for him in hopes of averting the suicide attempt. Protection rangers from Canyonlands, Arches, Natural Bridges and Glen Canyon were involved in the operation, with assistance provided by the Mesa Verde helitack crew and by numerous SAR dog teams from Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs. Following several days of fruitless searching, efforts were scaled back to a limited continuous mode on Saturday, May 17th. Indications are that the man followed through on his plans in a remote, isolated section of the park's backcountry. The rugged, varied geology of the area made the search extremely difficult. [Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger]
A former Bureau of Reclamation commissioner and an Arizona man died after their plan crashed in the park on Friday. According to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office, J.W.K. III, 66, of Moab, Utah, and G.K., 49, of Scottsdale, Arizona, died when the plane went down around 10:30 a.m. that morning in the park's Needles District. J.W.K. was flying the Cessna 172 on a scenic flight over Canyonlands when it went down. He worked for the Bureau of Reclamation for nearly 40 years and once served as the Pacific Northwest regional director. When he retired from the bureau in 2006, Interior Secretary Gale Norton praised him for his work in developing the "Water 2025 Initiative," intended to avoid future water crises in the West. The plane's wreckage was found Friday and the bodies were recovered. The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration the National Transportation Safety Board. [Associated Press]
On the morning of June 17th, ranger Brian Hays checked out a vehicle near the Orange Cliffs overlook that had been parked there and left unattended for an extended period of time. He investigated and found the owner of the vehicle - Z.P., 73, of Bristow, Virginia - dead at the bottom of a 70- to 80-foot cliff below the overlook. Rangers from the Island in the Sky District employed a technical litter raising system to recover the body. Initial investigation indicates that he died through an accidental fall, probably several days previously. [Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger]
A park concessioner notified staff in the River District on Monday, June 16th, that a man had failed to appear for his scheduled pickup from a nine-day river trip. A check of river permits confirmed that he was overdue. An air and water search was conducted along a 100-mile-long stretch of the Green River that day in an effort to find him, but without success. On Tuesday, the search operation included searchers checking roads adjacent to the river, flying over the area via helicopter, and checking the river from four boats - two NPS, one Utah state park, and one Emery County. Late that afternoon, they found the body of 62-year-old D.F. of Brookline, Massachusetts. It appears that D.F. was camped along the river and that he fell about 40 feet to his death from a spot near his campsite on or about June 8th. The site of the accident was outside the park on a stretch of the river known as Bull Hollow. River rangers assisted staff from the Emery County Sheriff's Department with the body recovery. [Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger]
Over a three-week period beginning in late May, more than two dozen rangers from three parks monitored river rafters passing through Cataract Canyon during a period of very high flow, rescuing dozens of them. The Green and Colorado Rivers meet within the park, amplifying the flow of the latter, particularly as it passes through the constriction of Cataract Canyon, a lengthy stretch of river with 28 rapids. During high water, this canyon is considered one of the most difficult whitewater trips in the Untied States. This year, a near-record snowpack created very high water levels. When the flow rate increases beyond 50,000 cubic feet per second, as happened this spring, the park puts into effect an incident action plan which stages staff in Cataract Canyon to conduct rescue operations as needed. This was the fifth year since 1990 that the flow levels necessitated implementation of this plan. This year, the period of high water began on May 21st and continued for 21 non-consecutive days. During that time, personnel aboard specially-designed jet boats pulled 46 swimmers from the river, recovered three disabled and abandoned boats, and dealt with four emergency medical incidents, three of which required helicopter evacuations. Response time from the base camp is almost instantaneous compared to eight hours or more from park headquarters in Moab. Twenty-eight rangers from Canyonlands, Arches and Glen Canyon participated in the operation. [Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger]
Between August 21st and August 24th, law enforcement staff from Canyonlands and Arches, assisted by personnel from Glen Canyon, Black Canyon, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges and Glen Canyon, joined other regional law enforcement officers - a total of 200 - in working a large motorcycle rally in Grand County and the city of Moab, Utah. During that period, the Banditos motorcycle club held its annual meeting in Grand County. About 700 members attended. An interagency incident command team was formed and spent several months preparing for the event. Park law enforcement staff assisted in the planning efforts. Under agreements with local sheriffs' departments, rangers participated in activities outside of the parks but were in return supported by the other officers. The high-profile enforcement strategy employed proved successful, as incidents and arrests were over minor infractions and infrequent. Both Canyonlands and Arches were visited by club members, but with no impact to the two parks. [Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger, Canyonlands/Arches]
The remains of a biology professor who came to the park last spring to commit suicide were found by a hiker in a park canyon on March 18th. J.W., 65, who taught at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, entered the park last May with a permit to be there from May 10th to May 15th. He was last seen when a private shuttle service dropped him at his backpacking starting point in the Needles area. A search was begun when he failed to report back to anyone in Minnesota, which was his practice. No sign of him was found. Meanwhile, searchers learned that he'd sent a letter to his relatives just before arriving at the park saying that he'd headed for "a remote wilderness where I can return my body and soul to nature," adding that there was no reason for anyone to look for him - "just leave me where I am." Evidence at the scene indicated that he'd committed suicide by shooting himself. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
Rangers from Canyonlands NP and Arches NP are involved in the massive search for the man who shot Utah state park ranger Brody Young on Friday evening. Young, 34, stopped a Pontiac Grand Am at the Poison Spider Mesa trailhead in HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Horse_Point_State_Park" Dead Horse Point State Park, located near Canyonlands, and contacted the driver, believed to be 40-year-old L.L.A., a man with a criminal history that includes assault, drug possession and theft. Young was shot at least three times - in the arm, leg and stomach - but was able to radio for help. He is currently hospitalized and in critical condition. The shooter is believed to still be in the area and is the subject of a search that at last report involved 234 people from 28 agencies. NPS rangers are assisting in confining the area and in searching stretches along the Colorado River. For additional details, click on the link below to a current KSL News story that also has images of the ranger and the suspect. [KSL News report; Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger] HYPERLINK "http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13361285"
The manhunt for the suspect in the shooting of a Utah state ranger continued yesterday, but no sign of him was found. Scores of searchers are looking for 40-year-old L.A. for the wounding of 34-year-old Dead Horse State Park ranger Brody Young, who is currently in critical but stable condition in a hospital in Grand Junction. L.A. is also believed to be injured. Authorities plan to continue the search Tuesday in the same area they've been in. They believe L.A. is likely still alive and is still in the area. So far, ten NPS employees have been involved in direct support of the search, while another five have been employed to assist with backfill or other logistical needs. Here's a summary of how the NPS has been assisting to date: On Friday, seven rangers joined in the search, providing perimeter security and planning and logistical support. On Saturday, rangers utilizing park boats began inserting tactical teams into areas of high probability along the Colorado River; meanwhile, other Arches and Canyonlands rangers continued to provide perimeter security and planning and logistical support. On Sunday and Monday, rangers provided river operations support, perimeter security, and, again, planning and logistical support. An NPS SET team has been requested for coming days. For additional details, click on the link below to a current KSL News story. [KSL News report; Mike Hill, Staff Ranger] HYPERLINK "http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13369368"
The search for the man who shot Utah state park ranger Brody Young continues. A rifle, backpack and bloody article of clothing believed to belong to L.A., who was shot by Young, have been found, but L.A. remains at large. Police consider L.A. to be armed and dangerous, if he's still alive. Although he may still be in the backcountry, it's also possible that he slipped through the perimeter or died after numerous days without food or the proper clothing for the conditions. On Tuesday, L.A. was charged in court with attempted aggravated murder. Young remains in the hospital in critical but stable condition; cards to him may be sent to his brother at the following address: Ranger Brody Young. The NPS is continuing to provide support to the search operation due to rangers' local area knowledge and river and communication capabilities. For additional details, including a photo of L.A., click on the link below to a current KSL News story. [KSL News report; Karen McKinlay-Jones, Supervisory Park Ranger, Arches] HYPERLINK "http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13403972"
On Friday, September 9th, rangers in the Island in the Sky District began looking into circumstances surrounding a campsite at the Willow Flat campground, which appeared to be abandoned and unoccupied. The investigation led to a search for A.R., a 64-year-old visitor from North Carolina. Details led staff to believe that he may have been in or around the park's Maze District. A search was begun for A.R. two days later. He was spotted from a helicopter around 2 p.m. in the area of Little Blue John Canyon, just outside the park's boundary, and was flown to Moab Regional Hospital, where he was treated for leg fractures, internal injuries, trauma, and dehydration. Further investigation revealed that A.R. attempted to hike in and out of Lower Blue John Canyon via the entry/exit route between West and Little Blue John Canyons. He fell approximately 10 feet trying to gain the wash bottom, suffering extensive leg trauma in the process. A.R. couldn't bear weight on his right leg, so spent the next four days and three nights crawling across the desert in an attempt to get back to his car. He had no overnight gear, warm clothes or a map, but did have five liters of water and two power bars with him. No one knew where he was or what his plans were. It rained on him several times as he crawled across the desert. A.R. is expected to fully recover. Matt Jenkins was IC for the search. [Denny Ziemann, Chief Ranger]
On January 7th, a team of San Juan county rescuers led by a ranger and a medical flight crew led by a ranger saved the lives of two hikers in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Four people were hiking over a snow-covered slickrock pass when one of them slid down a slab and over a cliff, stopping short of going over another cliff. He sustained life threatening injuries in the fall. His wife nearly suffered the same fate when attempting to contact her husband; she became stranded at the precarious area where her husband started to slide. The teams employed technical rescue techniques and evacuated both patients. The husband was flown directly to a hospital. His wife was treated for hypothermia and was able to hike out. [Kevin Moore, Supervisory Park Ranger]
The National Park Service is investigating reports of vandalism - acrylic painting on rocks - in at least ten national parks in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah. Details are not yet available because the case is under investigation, but the vandalism is believed to have occurred in the following parks (asterisks indicate that confirmation is pending at a particular area) - Grand Canyon*, Yosemite, Death Valley, Sequoia-Kings Canyon*, Joshua Tree*, Rocky Mountain*, Crater Lake, Bryce Canyon*, Zion and Canyonlands. Said a Washington Office spokesperson: "There are forums for artistic expression in national parks because national parks inspire artistic creativity. These images are outside that forum and outside the law." The link below is to a representative media report on the investigation. HYPERLINK "http://gazette.com/vandalism-investigated-at-10-national-parks-including-rocky-mountain-national-park/article/1540003"
A 21-year-old New York State woman, C.N., has been identified as the primary suspect in recent vandalism cases that affect eight national parks in the western United States. National Park Service investigators have confirmed that images were painted on rocks and boulders in Yosemite National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park, all in California; Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado National Monument, both in Colorado; Crater Lake National Park, in Oregon; Zion National Park and Canyonlands National Park, both in Utah. Investigators continue to collect evidence of the crimes and conduct interviews and are consulting with the U.S. Attorney's Office about potential charges. The image in Rocky Mountain National Park was reported to the park and removed in late September before similar images were found in the other national parks. Ice and snow now cover the image at Crater Lake National Park, and it may not be accessible for assessment and clean up until next summer. An image in Yosemite National Park was removed by an unknown person or persons. If people visiting these parks come upon these images, they should contact the nearest park ranger with information about the image location. Visitors should not attempt to remove the images. The National Park Service was contacted on October 20th about this vandalism case. The investigation began immediately. [Jeffrey Olson]
A Utah man was listed in critical but stable condition in a Grand Junction hospital following a mountain biking accident in late April. N.M. and several other friends were cycling in the park when N.M. apparently misjudged a turn in the trail that was in the shadows and plunged more than 35 feet to the ground below. He suffered a serious head injury, bruised lung, and broken pelvis, arm and ribs. A nurse who was cycling with him provided first aid before N.M. was flown to an ICU facility in Grand Junction, Colorado, about a hundred miles away. Source/full story: KSL News.
The park has closed the well-known "False Kiva" archeological site in the Island in the Sky District due to impacts of vandalism. The trail leading to it remains open, but the alcove where it is located has been closed. A solution to allowing access in the future may be guided ranger hikes. The popularly photographed destination—a real kiva, which by definition is a room used by Puebloans for religious rituals and political meetings—was vandalized most recently in July. The site has been the victim of graffiti, illegal camping and campfires. Some vandals have moved rocks that form the circular, low structure. On July 20th, Kate Cannon, the park's superintendent, made the decision to close the "False Kiva" alcove. The last vandalism incident involved unknown persons building a fire and putting handprints at the site. Subsequent efforts to clean it up appeared to have made matters worse. This incident was similar to other damaging incidents and lead to her decision. Rangers have no idea who vandalized the kiva several weeks ago and it's unclear if or when it will ever reopen to the public. A sign now blocks the alcove. Tourists can still hike to the area and see the kiva from a distance, but a second sign on the trail tells visitors the alcove is closed. Iconic photographs of the kiva may have led to its demise. Untold numbers of people have wanted to take the classic photograph. In order to take that particular shot, a photographer must enter the site, which has contributed to the damage caused over the years. A final decision on the site could be made in the next few months. Source: Moab Times-Independent.
Strong storms that have struck the Washington area since this past spring have cumulatively wreaked millions of dollars in damage on NCR parks. The DC region received more than 20 inches of rain over the summer alone. According to the Washington Post, storms have caused "floods, downed trees, washed-out trails and waterways so bloated that repairs have been nearly impossible. In many cases, the damage has outpaced the agency's ability to fund fixes and hampered basic maintenance tasks such as cutting grass and emptying toilets." The Post article goes on to itemize damage inflicted on Prince William FP, Harpers Ferry NHP, and C&O Canal NHP. It concludes with this quote from Kevin Brandt, superintendent of C&O Canal: "This is the first time in a long time we've seen the storms going on and on all summer like they have this year. We're thinking we're going to have to look at entirely new strategies for how to deal with that when it happens again." Source: Washington Post.
So Does Utah — The State of Utah paid more than $66,000 to federal workers to provide custodial operations and work in visitor centers, park stores and some campgrounds in four national parks in the state between December 21st and January 11th (the story was posted on January 14th, so does not cover the period since then). Rangers were also paid with state money; they are safeguarding park roads and resources in Arches, Zion, and Bryce Canyon NPs. A handful of employees were also on the job in Canyonlands NP. Counties, cities, and nongovernmental organizations are also kicking in some funds. Zion facilities remain open thanks to donations from Washington County, St. George, and the Zion National Park Forever Project. Canyonlands Natural History Association is providing funding for Arches and Canyonlands. Bryce Canyon Natural History Association is helping fund operations in that park. Source: Bloomberg Environment.
Searchers found the body of a missing 33-year-old man last Friday following an intensive three-day effort. J.H., a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Iowa, was an avid hiker who was known for taking long hikes, frequently off trail, during his visits to state and national parks. He was reported missing on March 12th and efforts began to find him. His car was found parked near the Green River Overlook in the Island in the Sky District. His body was found at the base of the overlook, about 500 feet below where his car was parked. Investigators believe he fell to his death. J.H. was a doctoral student who liked to draw and paint and whose dream was to become a park ranger. Source: Paighten Harkins, Salt Lake Tribune.
On July 29, a 66-year-old hiker set out alone on a 10.8 mile round-trip on-trail hike to Druid Arch. He arrived at the arch, but got fatigued on his return and missed a turn out of a dry creek bed. He stayed out overnight during a thunderstorm and drank from puddles. The following morning, he was able to get back on trail and encountered two other hikers, who gave him water, and parted ways with him. He again got lost and spent the rest of the day trying to find the trail. He spent another two nights out, drinking from puddles and calling for help. Another hiker heard his calls, but upon calling back, could not make contact with him. The hiker who heard the calls reported it to rangers, who were able to identify him by his car left at the trailhead and made contact with his wife, who was able to give them his itinerary. Search and rescue staff and a helicopter were dispatched, and two rangers in a Jeep were able to locate him on the afternoon of the fourth day. Source: The Daily Ardmoreite
On July 17, an individual went on a short hike from the Elephant Hill trailhead in the Needles District. The hiker was reported overdue and a search was initiated, utilizing search and rescue teams from Canyonlands and Mesa Verde National Parks, as well as San Juan County. Crews found the individual deceased near the trailhead on July 19. San Juan County Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident and authorities have not announced the official cause of death, but the park has reminded the public to prepare for extreme heat if hiking this time of year. Source: KSL August 24, 2022 After multiple storms around August 11, Utah State Route 211 was heavily damaged. The road is closed at its junction with US-191. It is the main access road to the Needles District of the park, but visitors are being advised that they can enter via Harts Draw Road in Monticello, which adds ~30 miles to a visitor's trip. Source: ABC4, Canyonlands National Park
On April 24, a visitor reported an unoccupied vehicle in the Maze district. NPS staff began a search near the vehicle and located a deceased 48-year-old. Wayne County (UT) Sheriff's Office and a Department of Public Safety helicopter crew assisted with the recovery of the individual's body, which was transferred to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner. The cause of death is currently unknown and an investigation is ongoing. Source: Canyonlands National Park
On June 28, a 61-year-old was found unresponsive at Willow Flat Campground. NPS staff responded and pronounced the individual deceased at the scene. An investigation into the cause of death is being conducted by the NPS and San Juan County Sheriff's Office. Source: WTHR
On October 9, a 63-year-old became unresponsive at Grand View Point. Staff from the NPS, Grand County EMS, and Classic Air Medical responded to the scene. Responders administered CPR, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The incident is under investigation by the NPS and San Juan County Sheriff's Office. Source: Canyonlands National Park
Over the weekend of November 25 and 26, precipitation and freeze-thaw cycles triggered a "sizable" rockfall along the White Rim Road, north of the Labyrinth campsites. Several boulders block the roadway. The road is temporarily closed to all traffic, including bicyclists and hikers, between the park boundary at Mineral Bottom and the Labyrinth Canyon. The closure will remain in effect until park staff can assess the stability of the cliffs, remove boulders, and stabilize the roadway. Source: Canyonlands National Park | |