Rocky Mountain |  |
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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Thursday, July 10, 1986 Incident location: V/C Beaver Meadows Summary: About noon on 7/9, man called Estes Park C of C & said he'd set off bomb in area. C of C disregarded call. Around 2pm, called Rev. W. of Estes park & said he would set off bomb in VC of park in protest of our attack on Libya. Bomb would go off on 7/9 or 7/10. Said 3 people would go into VC w/package, sit down & leave. Rocky Mt NP dispatch then got a call around 5pm from "Jim" with same threat. Region advised 6pm. Denver PD bomb dog called in along w/2 FBI agents. All on scene now. VC evacuated last nite & searched -- nothing found. VC opened again. Beaver Meadows entrance was closed to keep people out of VC area, but now open again. Investigation continues. ICS in effect.
Incident location: Copeland Falls Summary: Subject fell in & over Falls. Falls quite high, whitewater below. Rangers alerted & found body in 50 minutes caught on snag. Pulse detected & CPR given. Medevac to St. Lukes in Denver. Died 7/15/86. The Coloradoan, Wednesday, July 16, 1986 Girl dies in hospital after river accident DENVER - A teen-age girl from Minneapolis who was pinned underwater in a swift-moving mountain river in Rocky Mountain National Park has died, hospital officials here said. E.M., 13, died at 5:58 p.m. Tuesday, St. Luke's Hospital spokeswoman Irene Han said. E.M. had been clinging to life since Sunday when park rangers pulled her from the North St. Vrain River, found that she still had a pulse and kept resuscitation efforts going until a medical helicopter from St. Luke's arrived. She was vacationing with her family in the park when she fell in the river, officials said. She was pulled out 50 minutes later, park spokesman Glen Kaye said. Han said the hospital would honor the family's wish to donate her organs.
Location: Trail between Long's & Meeker Dr. L.N.F. was hiking with three others on the trail between Long's Peak and Meeker, and was wearing a heavy pack. He lost his balance on the trail and fell 500' to his death. Rangers were in the process of trying to recover the body late that afternoon.
Location: Falls near Endo Valley Road R.D. was climbing around the falls when he slipped and fell. His body was recovered from the pool below about 45 minutes later. Park paramedics detected a faint pulse, but no blood pressure. An effort to save him was begun, and he was helicoptered out to a hospital in Denver. Since he was in full hypothermia, doctors felt he could be saved. A CAT scan showed that he was not permanently damaged. He was warmed from a temperature of 85 degrees and his pulse and BP began rising, but he succumbed early on the morning of the 4th.
Location: Bear Lake On Thursday, October 29th, two visitor vehicles were broken into at Bear Lake, and credit cards, cash and other property was stolen from them. On the following two days, a total of $1,000 in cash was withdrawn from local money machines employing cards stolen from the vehicles. Information developed by park rangers led to a plain-clothes stakeout in the park on November 1st; this in turn resulted in the arrest of two people for car clouting (breaking into unattended vehicles) in the park. A large amount of property was recovered. A cooperative investigation with the US Attorney and FBI is presently being conducted, and felony charges are being sought against the two. The bank involved in the theft from the money machines is denying the victim relief from liability because the thieves were able to gain access to the victim's PIN (personal identification number). Follow-up One of the two people arrested was processed through the juvenile system; the other, D.W., was charged with two felony counts of auto burglary. Charges for violations of electronic money transfer laws are also being pursued by the FBI. Williams, however, managed to escape from the jail in Denver in which he was being held. The US Marshal's Service is currently searching for him as an escaped fugitive.
Location: Beaver Meadows, near Deer Mountain The body of Mr. J.R.S. was found at the foot of a rocky slope in Beaver Meadows on the evening of the 17th. He had been reported missing by his roommate when he didn't show up for work earlier that afternoon. An entrance receipt found in J.R.S.'s car indicated that he came into the park on the 16th just before noon. He drove a mile past the entrance station, parked his car and headed up onto the rocks to do some scrambling. He apparently fell and either died of his injuries at the time or during the subsequent night. Although J.R.S. was not a technical climber, he was known to like to go "bouldering" - climbing large rocks without climbing gear.
Location: Not given Bob Kasparek, the Acting Chief, Branch of Planning, RMRO, was killed instantly in a commercial airline crash which occurred during a flight from Denver to Durango, Colorado. He was en route to a public meeting.
Location: Near Beaver Meadows Entrance Station B.K.B. was "tubing" (sliding on snow on an inner tube) with her husband and two children when she hit a tree head on. A first aid instructor and paramedic were on the scene and rendered first aid, including CPR, and rangers, a civilian ambulance and a local doctor all arrived shortly after the incident occurred. B.K.B. was transported to Estes Park hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. The probable cause of death was a broken neck. Tubing is neither encouraged nor discouraged in the park, but is prevalent throughout the area. The incident occurred outside the fee area of the park.
Location: Longs Peak On August 10th, R.K.H., 30, of Lakewood, Colorado, and D.F. were climbing Lambs Slide, on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain. R.K.H. was near the top of the slide when he lost his footing and fell 1,000 feet down the 45 degree slope. His climbing partner climbed down to him and found no signs of life. D.F. initiated CPR, which was continued for two hours when the nurse aboard the Flight for Life helicopter from Saint Anthony's Hospital pronounced R.K.H. dead.
On June 29th, rangers located a single-engine aircraft which disappeared on April 5th while en route from Steamboat Springs to Fort Collins. Earlier air and ground search operations in and around the park had been unsuccessful. The body of the pilot, T.B., 48, of Steamboat Springs, was recovered at the 13,000 foot level of Hagues Peak. FAA and NTSB investigators are conducting a joint investigation of the incident with park rangers. (Dave Essex, CR, RCMO, via CompuServe message to RAD/RMRO and RAD/WASO).
On the evening of July 20th, rangers noted the presence of a car with no backcountry permit sticker in the parking area at the Long's Peak ranger station; when it was found there again on the 21st, a search was initiated for the owner, 19-year-old E.C. of Lakewood, Colorado. His body was found on Saturday morning in the vicinity of the Trough, a heavily-used hiking route on the west side of Long's Peak. It appears that E.C. fell over 500 feet from a point near the summit. Further investigation revealed that the death was probably a suicide, however. Empty sleeping pill vials, which were determined to have held about 100 pills, were found in E.C.'s car, and his roommate at the University of Colorado said that E.C. had been under a lot of pressure and was scheduled to see a doctor. E.C. also had personal problems, and had withdrawn all his money from his bank. (CompuServe message from John Chapman, RAD/RMRO).
Early on the morning of the 25th, hikers ascending the steep Granite Pass Trail to Long's Peak found A.F., 52, of Streator, Illinois, lying unconscious at the trail's edge. They began CPR on him while another member of the party went for help. Rangers arrived with a local Flight-for-Life helicopter shortly thereafter, but were unable to revive A.F.. He apparently died of a heart attack. (Telephone report from John Chapman, RAD/RMRO).
Dave Essex, the chief ranger at Rocky Mountain, suffered two heart attacks last week. He had a very difficult time initially, but appears to have improved significantly following by-pass surgery at the Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins. He will not be able to receive visitors for a few days yet, and doctors are calling for six weeks of complete rest before he will be allowed to go back to work. Cards and letters may be sent to him at Poudre Valley Hospital, 1024 Lemay Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524. (Telefax from Jim Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 6/1).
The park received a report of three kids scrambling on rocks at Twin Sisters Peak just before 8 a.m. on June 29th. At or about that time, one of the youths, 15-year-old A.T. of Omaha, Nebraska, slipped and slid 20 feet down the rocks, then fell 50 feet to his death. Rangers were on scene about 90 minutes later and evacuated the body. A.T. was a member of a Lutheran church group visiting the park. (Telephone report from J.T. Reynolds, RAD/RMRO, 7/2).
Park rangers received a phone report of an injured person southwest of the summit of Long's Peak around noon on the 29th. A helicopter was called in, but weather conditions were too bad for flight. CPR was begun on the victim at 1:30 p.m. and continued by the ranger who arrived a half hour later. It was suspended on the recommendation of a doctor just before 3 p.m. The victim, who suffered a head injury from a fall, was T.F., 26, of Longmont, Colorado. (Mary Gillette, ROMO, via telefaxed report from Capt. Tom McDonnell, RAD/RMRO, 7/31).
A 42-year-old climber from Boulder County was killed on the 4th when he fell 1,310 feet from the slopes of Taylor Glacier. The climber was apparently attempting a solo ascent when the accident occurred. The victim was alive when first reached by a witness, but died while help was being summoned. The body was evacuated by a private contract helicopter on Sunday. (CompuServe message from ROMO, 8/5).
The following information was excerpted from reports which were submitted by J.J. McLaughlin (RAD/MWRO) and Jim Reilly (RAD/RMRO). Our policy is and will be to provide you with general information on Middle East-related activities in the parks, but to exclude any confidential details from reports received from the field. * Rocky Mountain has increased security and completed response plans for any demonstrations which may occur in the park. Please advise us through your regional offices of all threats received, permits issued for demonstrations, and demonstrations or incidents that occur which are related to the war in the Gulf. Reports should be submitted as soon as possible; there is a high degree of interest in such activities in the Department and among other governmental agencies. Call Major Schamp at FTS 268-4209 (202-208-4209).
On April 22nd, rangers found a parked vehicle belonging to J.M. of Boulder, Colorado, and learned that J.M. had headed out for a two-day solo climb on Long's Peak early on Saturday, April 20th. Few people in town knew J.M., so little other information was available regarding his exact plans. A hasty search of his approach route was conducted on Monday, and a full search employing search teams, dog teams and two helicopters was started the following day. J.M.'s camp was found yesterday; searchers also found someone who had seen him on Saturday and identified several climbing routes that J.M. was considering for his ascent. About 60 percent of the search area has been covered so far. Attempts were being made yesterday to cover as much ground as possible, as weather conditions are expected to deteriorate today and remain bad through the weekend. Two local television stations are in the park covering the incident. [Dave Essex, CR, ROMO, via telefax reports from Jim Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 4/23 and 4/24]
Intensive efforts by avalanche dogs, technical teams and helicopters have turned up no new evidence in the search for 45yearold climber Joe Massari of Boulder, Colorado. A decision was made late yesterday afternoon to scale down the search effort due to the lack of specific evidence. Extreme avalanche conditions on Longs Peak also pose a threat to searchers. Organized ground searches have accordingly been suspended, but aerial efforts will continue as weather conditions permit. [CompuServe message from Dave Essex, CR, ROMO, 4/25]
A mountain lion researcher discovered a human skeleton and other remains on Deer Mountain near Trail Ridge Road on June 26th. A Smith and Wesson .38 special was found in the victim's hand. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined, but it appears to have been a suicide by gunshot. Identification of the victim is still pending. [Rick Nichols, ROMO, via SEAdog message from Jim Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 7/3]
On the afternoon of August 9th, V.F., 29, was returning to her vehicle at Lava Cliffs overlook on Trail Ridge Road when she was struck by lightning. CPR was begun by bystanders and continued by responding park EMT's and paramedics until an Air Life helicopter arrived and transported V.F. to a hospital in Fort Collins. V.F. was initially in intensive care, but is now reported to be in stable condition. [CompuServe message from ROMO, 8/12]
On August 11th, ranger Jeff Hodge received a report of a driver weaving on a park road. Hodge subsequently stopped W.S. of Arkansas. W.S. had a loaded .357 revolver, loaded .22 and 270 rifles and a hunting knife within his reach. An NCIC check of serial numbers on the weapons showed that the 270 was stolen. While confirming this discovery by phone, rangers learned that the other two weapons had also been stolen from family members in Arkansas. They also found that W.S. had also taken two other firearms and a camcorder. Pawn shop receipts for these items were found in W.S.'s vehicle. W.S. has a history of mental problems, and alcohol was a factor in the incident. He is being held in the county jail pending extradition to Arkansas. [CompuServe message from ROMO, 8/12]
T.H., 17, was hiking with two friends from Germany near Flattop Mountain on the 16th when Hoh decided to investigate a possible shortcut. As he was peering over the edge of a snowfield in Chaos Canyon, T.H. lost his balance and slid 180 feet, striking rock outcrops along the way. One member of the group hiked out and phone for assistance, while the other remained with T.H.. Responding rangers found that T.H. had suffered lacerations to his leg and that he could not hike out of the precipitous area. The group stayed in the area overnight. He was evacuated by helicopter the next day, treated at a local hospital, and released. [Telefax from Mark Forbes, Acting CR, ROMO, 8/19]
While hiking with family members at the 11,440-foot level on the Crater Trail on August 15th, F.D., 71, suffered a heart attack. Park volunteer Bob Reed was on the scene within minutes and immediate radioed rangers, who in turn summoned and ambulance and medical helicopter. A rescue team comprised of rangers Jim Richardson, Darrell Grossman, Jim Caretti, Andrew Steel, John Lisco, Sheryl Lisco, Tom Kingsbury, Julie Gillum, Pam Griswold and John Loibl responded with EMT equipment, a wheeled litter and a heart monitor. Most of the rescue team members traveled 18 miles on a busy Trail Ridge Road to get to the trailhead, then hiked more than a half-mile of trail up 720 feet of elevation to reach F.D.. F.D. was stabilized and moved to higher ground near the helicopter landing zone. The helicopter, which flew up from Denver, arrived 90 minutes after the onset of F.D.'s heart attack. F.D. is doing well, and medical personnel credited the team's quick response for saving his life. [Telefax from Darrell Grossman, ROMO, 8/21]
A ham radio operator relayed a report of a man having fallen near the summit of Long's Peak to the park's dispatcher on October 12th. The victim, 21-year-old M.M. of Denver, had fallen about 70 feet and sustained a skull and elbow fractures and multiple, deep lacerations to his skull, legs and lower back. Rangers, led by Jim Richardson and Jim Detterline, were airlifted to the summit, but increasing high winds prevented an air evacuation and forced a litter carry-out that lasted nearly 20 hours. Rescue teams composed of park, county and local medical center employees labored through the frigid night and winds up to 80 mph to bring the victim to a lower elevation where a helicopter rescue might be more feasible. A Flight-for-Life helicopter landed there the following morning and medevaced M.M. to a hospital in Denver. Nearly 40 people assisted in this operation; many of them experienced exhaustion or altitude sickness during the prolonged effort. As the rescue team descended by foot after the helicopter departed, they came upon a ten-year-old boy who was suffering from altitude sickness. They placed him in a wheeled litter, gave him oxygen, and carried him to the trailhead. [CompuServe message from Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 10/16]
Around 8:30 a.m. on the morning of the 26th, rangers checking a vehicle parked on the side of the road near Horseshoe Park discovered the body of K.W., 22, of Greeley, Colorado. Although no suicide note was found, Witdeck died of a gunshot wound and was found with a revolver in his hand. County coroners and rangers are investigating the incident. [Fran Gruchy, ROMO, via telefax from Jim Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 2/27]
A 31-year-old male climber was killed by lightning in the vicinity of Hallett Peak around 9:00 p.m. on the evening of Sunday, June 28th. The climber, whose name is being withheld until relatives are notified, was climbing Hallett's Chimney with J.S., 51, when the incident occurred. Smart hiked out to a trailhead early yesterday morning and called the Estes Park police, who notified the park. Two climbing rangers and a helicopter were dispatched to the scene. The victim's body was retrieved and flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, then transported to the coroner. [Jim Mack, ROMO, 6/29]
L.L.E., 43, of Lakewood, Colorado, was driving his 1992 Ford Probe on Trail Ridge Road near Rock Cut on July 4th when the car went off the road, rolled numerous times, and came to rest at a point 1,500 feet below the road. L.L.E. was thrown from the vehicle as it rolled down the slope and was killed. Body recovery entailed a scree evacuation across 500 feet of snow and tundra on a slope sometimes exceeding 60 degrees. The park's technical team used a counterbalance raise, a Cascade litter and a total of 14 people to complete the recovery in two hours. The vehicle remains in Forest Canyon pending removal by helicopter or by other means. According to an eyewitness, L.L.E.'s driving appeared normal until his vehicle veered sharply from the road without warning or application of brakes. He was the sole occupant. The cause of the accident is under investigation. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/6]
On July 11th, eleven-year-old S.W. of Fort Collins, Colorado, disappeared while hiking on the Flattop Mountain trail. She had stopped at the Bear Lake overlook to rest a sore foot while her father and the rest of her church group continued to the top of the peak. Although her father told her to stay at the overlook, S.W. was gone when he and the group returned. The park received the report just before 4:00 p.m., and a search was begun immediately. Over 50 park employees, three Larimer County dog teams and two Larimer County deputies assisted in the search, which continued through the night. The search ended the following morning at 5:00 a.m. when a ranger-guided dog team found the girl's body near the base of an 80-foot cliff on the northwest side of Bear Lake. An investigation is being conducted into the accident. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/12]
On the afternoon of July 20th, rangers were notified that a 14-year-old boy who was sliding down a snowfield at the base of Andrew's Glacier had run off the snowfield and into a small stream. He suffered a compound leg fracture in the incident, and was found partially submerged in the stream when nearby visitors arrived. A ten-person rescue party climbed to the 11,500-foot level of the glacier and carried the boy out to an ambulance. The eight-hour rescue was hampered by a violent thunderstorm which produced severe lightning and heavy downpours. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/21]
On the morning of July 21st, rangers discovered seven car clouts in the Bear Lake Road area. The thief or thieves had broken car windows with a hammer type instrument - an MO which was similar to one used in five other car clouts in the park and Estes Valley during the previous week. Purses and wallets appear to be the primary targets. Due to the unprofessional nature of the clouts, rangers are closely coordinating their investigation with the Larimer County sheriff. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/28]
On the morning of July 27th, rangers responded to cries for help from a 15-year-old boy who had fallen 60 feet onto scree at the base of Twin Owls, a popular technical climbing area. A 14-person rescue team reached the boy and found that he had open fractures to both ankles, possible fractures to both wrists, a flail rib and possible head and spinal injuries. The boy was stabilized and airlifted to McKee Medical Center in Loveland, where he underwent emergency orthopedic surgery. The prognosis is for full recovery. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/28]
The search for G.B., 34, of Edmond, Oklahoma, culminated on July 29th with the discovery and recovery of his body a quarter mile east of "The Loft" at the 12,000-foot level on the north side of Mount Meeker. G.B. had been reported overdue from a solo day climb of "The Loft" the previous day. The location of his body indicated that he was off route when he fell over 1,000 vertical feet to his death. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/31]
On the morning of July 21st, rangers discovered seven car clouts in the Bear Lake Road area. The thief or thieves had broken car windows with a hammer type instrument - an MO which was similar to one used in five other car clouts in the park and Estes Valley during the previous week. Purses and wallets appear to be the primary targets. A multi-agency task force was set up to conduct an investigation into the break-ins, and their efforts culminated on August 6th in the arrest of Michael Wilder, 22, of Estes Park, on charges of felony theft and first degree criminal theft. Warrants have also been issued for several other suspects. Evidence secured during the execution of the search warrant will help to clear over 50 burglaries and car clouts which have occurred in Estes Valley over the past four months. Wilder's group took their stolen property to southern Arizona, where they sold it at flea markets and pawn shops, then purchased drugs at lower prices and brought them back to Colorado for use and sale. Visitor protection specialist Fran Gruchy and patrol supervisor Patti Shafer represented the park on the task force. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 8/14]
Three college students from Grand Valley State University in Michigan were descending from the summit of 11,586-foot Little Matterhorn via the mountain's steep northern face on the morning of August 16th when one of them lost his footing and fell about a thousand feet to his death. The man, whose identification is being withheld pending notification of his family, was attempting to descend by a different route than his companions. All three were part of a geology field trip to the park and were taking advantage of a free day before returning to the university. They had attained the summit via a class three climbing route used by most non-technical climbers. The exact cause of the fall is not known. The accident is under investigation. [James Mack, PIO, ROMO, 8/18]
At 5 p.m. on November 1st, rangers were notified that climbers B.F. and T.M. were overdue from a climb in the Upper Odessa Gorge area. The two were last seen scrambling at the 11,500-foot level about four hours earlier. Due to forecasts calling for the onset of blizzard conditions in the area, two rangers hiked into the party's campsite and spent the night at that location. Another 14 rangers and SAR team members snowshoed into the area in near whiteout conditions the following morning. The teams worked all day between the 11,000-foot and 12,000-foot levels in near blizzard conditions and thigh deep "sugar" snow before retreating for the evening - an effort the park's chief ranger characterized as "a true test of physical stamina." No evidence of the two climbers was found, but searchers did come upon avalanche debris in the area. Forty searchers and two dogs from a total of eight different SAR organizations resumed efforts the following morning. Poor weather and high avalanche conditions hampered the search and prevented air operations. At about 1 p.m., a searcher who was belayed down to a rock ledge near the top of the chute in which B.F. and T.M. were believed to have been climbing found the climbers' ice axes and two packs neatly laid out on the ledge. Avalanche debris from a broken cornice on the ridge line above was found around the site. Due to severe weather conditions, avalanche danger and the probability that the pair were swept away in an avalanche, the search effort was scaled down the following day. Air and probe searches will be begun as soon as weather and snow conditions moderate. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 11/4]
On January 1st, park personnel responded to an ice climbing accident at an area called The Jaws - a two-pitch ice climb about a mile into the park's backcountry. A climber had been struck in the back by a large chunk of ice and sustained a pneumothorax. He was stabilized and littered out to a waiting ambulance. Warm weather and poor judgement contributed to the accident. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 1/7]
Over the eleven day period between December 23rd and January 2nd, rangers responded to a series of significant injuries which occurred to tubers sliding at the former Hidden Valley ski area. Injuries suffered in the nine separate incidents were as follows: - basal skull fracture and separated shoulder Rocky Mountain would like to hear from any park with ideas on and/or experience in managing tubing or sledding areas. Please contact Doug Ridley, the Fall River subdistrict ranger, at 303-586-2371. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 1/7]
C.S., 30, a climbing instructor and guide from Boulder, slipped on the snow while descending the north face of Longs Peak and fell about 400 feet to his death on February 3rd. C.S. and a companion, T.C., also of Boulder, had just finished a climb that stretched over four nights when the accident occurred, and T.C. told rangers that he believed fatigue was a factor. The two men had successfully negotiated the D-7 route up the east side of the Diamond, the name given to the 1,800-foot east face of Longs Peak. After nearly reaching the summit of the Diamond, they had traversed across to the north face to begin their descent. Light snow had fallen and made rock surfaces slippery, and C.S. lost his footing and fell. He was able to temporarily halt his slide by digging an ice axe into the snow, but was unable to maintain his grip. C.S. was carrying a backpack that weighed about 85 pounds. T.C. and another climber were able to reach C.S.'s body and reported the accident at the Longs Peak ranger station late that afternoon. The body was removed by helicopter from the Upper Boulderfield at the 12,800-foot level the next day. C.S., who had been doing some private guiding and mountaineering instruction, was an instructor for several years with the National Outdoor Leadership School. The park staff normally deals with about four fatalities in any given year. Last year, there were nine deaths, five of which were related to rock-climbing or hiking. [Douglas Caldwell, ROMO, and newspaper reports, 2/5 and 2/8]
Visitors reported a vehicle fire near Deer Ridge Junction at about 10 p.m. on the evening of February 12th. Responding rangers and Estes Park firefighters found a vehicle off the road with its interior gutted by fire. Tracks indicated that the vehicle slid off the road on a turn. The keys were still in the ignition, but there were no occupants present. Rangers found a gas can and nozzle near the vehicle and subsequently learned that it had been stolen the previous day from a parking lot in Chicago. An investigation is underway. [Jim Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 2/16]
Park employee Blythe Leidig, 28, died on an apparent heart attack while on a ski trip with friends at the Winter Park ski area west of Denver on February 28th. Blythe started her government career with the U.S. Forest Service in 1986. In July, 1991, she was hired as an administrative clerk in the park's auto shop and received a sustained superior performance award the following January. The park has submitted the following remembrance: "Blythe was an accomplished cyclist and had competed in numerous amateur and semi- professional events. Blythe will be remembered as a positive, upbeat person who enjoyed people." A memorial fund has been set up through the Rocky Mountain Nature Association in care of the park (Rocky Mountain NP, Estes Park, CO 80517). [Kris Holien, ROMO, 3/2]
Early on the morning of March 25th, ranger Doug Ridley responded to a VIP's report of an apparent suicide at the Alluvial Fan parking lot. Upon arrival, Ridley found a vehicle with a hose leading from its exhaust to its passenger compartment. The occupant, 19-year-old S.B. of Longmont, was still moving; Ridley called for an ambulance and, with the assistance of a passer-by, administered high-flow oxygen to a now combative S.B., who was in advanced stages of carbon monoxide poisoning. Drugs found in the vehicle may have been a contributing factor. S.B. was taken to a medical center in Estes Park, then flown to a hyperbaric unit in Denver. His condition is stable at this time. Psychiatric evaluation is underway. [Fran Gruchy, Acting CR, 3/25]
Seven car clouts occurred in the Moraine Park campground between the hours of 10 p.m. on June 20th and 6:30 a.m. on June 21st. The thief or thieves took mostly cash and left large, expensive items such as cameras behind. All vehicles were reported to be locked, and were apparently entered with a slim-jim type lock opener. There are no suspects at this time. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 6/22]
On June 21st, the "Ride The Rockies" bicycle tour came through the park and over Trail Ridge Road. This was the second stage of the five-day event, which runs from Estes Park to Granby, Colorado. About 2,800 bicyclists are participating this year. Through a special use permit, the tour organizers prepaid entrance passes, funded the printing of informational brochures and paid for the overtime costs associated with the administration of the event. The event was managed under the incident command system, which employed 60 people, 25 of them volunteers. There were few problems, primarily because of an extensive media effort to encourage bicyclists to leave Estes Park at first light on Monday morning. At the same time, motorists and campers in and around the park were encouraged to leave late in the morning to avoid delays and conflicts with cyclists. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 6/22]
A telecommunications specialist for the state of New York has advised the park that several international telephone calls have been routed through the New York state system to the park and billed to them. The park phone system consists of an AT&T System 75 and an AT&T 6386/SX Work Group System, also known as an "automated attendant." The caller obtained an outside line through the automated attendant, then made the unauthorized international calls. AT&T has initiated corrective action to block the park telephone lines to third party and collect calls. The cost associated with the unauthorized calls could reach $40,000. The case will be investigated with the assistance of the Secret Service. [Kris Holien, ROMO, and Brian Reilly, RLES, RMRO, 6/28]
G.H., 17, of Loveland, Colorado, was attempting to jump across the stream at the top of Ouzel Falls in the Wild Basin area around noon on July 3rd when he fell against a rock face, then slipped into the falls. His body was recovered around 5 p.m. in a pool at the base of the falls approximately 50 feet below the point where he made his jump. Rangers were assisted in the search and recovery effort by dive teams and rescue personnel from Estes Park, Allenspark, Larimer County and Boulder County. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/5]
The park has received six reports of car clouts which occurred in Moraine Park campground between 9 p.m. on July 13th and 6 a.m. on the 14th. Items taken include cash (the full amount is not yet known) and a handheld Gameboy computer. Expensive items were left in the vehicles. Most of the vehicles hit were pickup trucks, and it appears that all the victims were tent camping. There are no visible signs of entry on the vehicles except for some scrape marks on the rain gutter and weather stripping of one window. All but one of the windows were found up and all doors were locked. There are no suspects or witnesses at this time. [Kris Holien, ROMO, 7/14]
The total value of items taken from the five vehicles burglarized at Colter Bay campground on July 14th has been placed at approximately $2,400. Locked vehicles were entered, but no signs of forced entry were found. Windows closest to sleeping visitors were partially rolled down on two of the vehicles. Items taken included CDs, cash and cameras; purses and billfolds were gone through, then replaced in their original locations. [Colin Campbell, LES, GRTE, 7/19]
During a break from the World Youth Day celebration in Denver, Pope John Paul II spent last Friday resting at a retreat center bordering the park. During the day, the Pope hiked up Cabin Creek and spent about an hour in the park. A SET team and park staff provided security along with the Secret Service, Forest Service and Boulder County sheriff's office. The incident was managed under a unified command system. There were no significant security problems during the Pope's visit. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 8/15]
On the evening of Sunday, September 12th, 27-year-old K.T. of Thornton, Colorado, and fellow climber Bo Judd were reported overdue from a climb on the Kieners route on Longs Peak. A search was begun, but a storm front brought zero visibility and up to 15 inches of snow in the search area between Sunday night and Tuesday morning. K.T.'s body was found at 11 a.m. Tuesday near 12,200-foot Chasm Lake, where he apparently died of exposure. Judd was found alive, but suffering from severe frostbite to his extremities. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 9/14]
Just after 1 a.m. on February 6th, a short call was received on the park's after-hours emergency line in which the caller stated that a bomb had been placed in the Kawuneeche visitor center. The perimeter of the building was secured, and the building was searched by experts and a bomb dog from Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Nothing was found. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 2/7]
While on patrol on February 5th, park rangers discovered that a park cabin and barn and a Forest Service cabin had been broken into and heavily vandalized. Furniture was destroyed, windows broken, fire extinguishers discharged, and foodstuffs thrown around. Obscene graffiti opposing wilderness was written on the walls of one cabin. The area is heavily used by snowmobilers and is on the park's boundary with an adjacent national forest. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 2/7]
On May 10th, K.L., 20, of Greeley, Colorado, committed suicide in the park in a trailhead parking lot. On the morning of May 20th, rangers found a car belonging to Allison Bierma, 18, K.P.'s girlfriend, on the upper Fern Lake Road. Bierma was reportedly despondent over K.P.'s suicide, and had not been seen since the previous evening. A search effort was begun shortly thereafter. On June 5th, a search team comprised of a ranger and a search dog and its handler found Bierma's body at the base of a steep, 150-foot slope in the Cub Lake area. A five-page suicide note was found beside her. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 6/10]
On the morning of June 11th, about 1,700 bicyclists associated with the "Courage Classic" bicycle tour passed through part of the park. Conditions of their special use permit required that entrance passes be pre-paid, that tour participants be out of the park by 11 a.m., and that tour organizers pay for the printing of flyers to notify other visitors of the event. There were no significant problems or incidents. [Dispatch, ROMO, 6/13]
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan visited the park on Sunday, June 19th. The royal family spent approximately two hours in the park enjoying the vistas, learning about the wildlife, and viewing wildflowers. The visit was managed without incident by park staff in cooperation with the Secret Service. [David Holmes, ROMO, 6/21]
An Orion Helicopter Bell 206L3 from Fort Collins crashed high on the slope of Halletts Peak on the evening of Saturday, June 25th, during a technical rescue for an injured climber. None of the three people on board were injured. The Office of Aircraft Safety is investigating. [Kris Holien, ROMO, 6/27]
The Office of Aircraft Safety has concluded its investigation into the crash of an Orion Helicopters Bell 206 B-III in the park on the evening of June 25th. The helicopter was taking two passengers to a location at the 12,450- foot level of Halletts Peak to participate in the rescue of an injured climber. Weather at the site was clear and winds were calm. During the attempted landing, the pilot lost directional control of the aircraft; it began spinning clockwise to the right and eventually struck the ground and came to rest on its right side. The pilot and passengers got out safely, but fire was observed coming from the engine's exhaust stacks and fuel was seen streaming out of a vent in the bottom of the fuselage. The pilot put the fire out by employing the aircraft's fire extinguisher and by stuffing fiberglass insulation into the stacks to smother the flames. A passenger plugged the fuel leak by pushing foam ear plugs into the fuel vent opening. A medical helicopter arrived on scene within a few minutes. All personnel were examined on site and released. [Kris Holien, ROMO, 7/6]
Rangers heard a scanner report of an injured party at a backcountry site 11 miles in from a trailhead on the evening of July 22nd. Upon further investigation, they learned that a 19-year-old YMCA camp counselor had been free climbing and had fallen about 20 feet, suffering facial, head and neck injuries. Two rangers on horseback with a pack animal carrying rescue and medical equipment set out on the grueling 11-mile trail, which has a vertical elevation gain of 2,225 feet to the 10,760-foot level. Four technical team members were flown in the next morning to assist in the critical transport of the victim. The girl had suffered internal injuries and fractures of the nose, sinus and C-1 and C-2 neck vertebrae. The flight nurse stated that the victim could have been a quadriplegic if it hadn't been for the careful treatment by park staff. [Dispatch, ROMO, 7/28]
On the afternoon of August 15th, the park received a report that L.G. of Seattle, Washington, had fallen 20 feet and been injured while climbing The Book on Lumpy Ridge. The park's technical rescue team, led by ranger Andy Brown, made a 570-foot technical lowering, followed by an 1800- foot scree evacuation that didn't conclude until after 11 p.m. Members of Larimer County SAR and instructors from the Colorado Mountain School assisted in the effort. L.G. was transported to the Estes Park Medical Center by ambulance, were she was treated for a T12 compression fracture. [David Holmes, ROMO, 8/16]
Just before noon on August 15th, a man entered the regional office's Office of Planning, Design and Maintenance, took a woman's wallet and placed it in his pocket. S.E., who works in the office, confronted the man, who pushed her against a wall and began running through the regional office's first floor hallway. Several employees were alerted by S.E.'s screams and chased the man through the regional office parking lot, across a street and into a housing development, where he was subsequently spotted hiding behind some shrubs. Apprehending him were Jim Reilly, regional ranger activities specialist, Brian Reilly, regional law enforcement specialist, and Ernie Kuncl, criminal investigator. They held the suspect until Lakewood officers arrived at the scene. S.E., who is seven months pregnant, was not seriously injured, and the wallet was recovered. [Brian Reilly, RLES, RAD/RMRO, 8/15]
While conducting a routine traffic stop on the afternoon of September 22nd, ranger Kevin Crider discovered that the vehicle had been entered in NCIC as stolen from Alabama. The report also indicated that a .22 revolver was in the vehicle at the time of the theft. The driver, J.G., 21, of Alabama, took off while the check was being run; Crider and ranger Doug Ridley pursued him down a winding, 15-mile stretch of Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuously paved highway in the contiguous United States. J.G. subsequently crashed through a gate on the Continental Divide that had been closed as a roadblock, stopped his car at the Colorado River trailhead, then fled on foot. Crider, Ridley and several West Unit rangers eventually caught and arrested him. J.G. was charged with unsafe operation, felony vehicular eluding, and felony transportation of a stolen vehicle. State of Alabama charges are pending. The .22 revolver was recovered during the impoundment of the vehicle. [Dispatch, ROMO, 10/3]
On Friday, February 17th, ranger Patty McGlynn-Shafer came upon a vehicle off road and stuck in a snow bank west of Beaver Meadows entrance station. Although there was no NCIC entry for the vehicle, McGlynn-Shafer suspected that the 1995 Nissan 240SX was stolen because it didn't have license plates and the odometer only displayed 75 miles. During the investigation, McGlynn-Shafer and ranger Kurt Oliver discovered that the driver, J.R. of Caldwell, Idaho, also had a federal government gasoline credit card in his possession. Further investigation revealed that the automobile had been stolen from a distribution center near Denver along with eleven other vehicles that morning. The credit card was stolen out of an unlocked government vehicle parked at park headquarters. J.R. was arrested for theft of government property and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. He was ordered held and will appear in court today. [David Holmes, ROMO, 2/21]
On April 7th, F.C. and her two children, J.C., 11, and C.C., 5, headed out on a backpacking trip across the continental divide by way of the Flattop and North Inlet trails. They had little snow or cold weather experience. After crossing the divide, the pack containing their camping gear fell onto a frozen creek; while trying to retrieve it, the mother fell through the ice into chest-deep water. All of their equipment was lost. They left their soaked sleeping bags, tent and extra clothing along the creek side and continued along the North Inlet trail. After spending two nights in temperatures below freezing with only their coats for warmth, F.C. left her children, who could no longer walk due to frostbite, and hiked to the trailhead to obtain help. There she met a rescue team preparing to leave in search of the family. Ranger Chris Ryan, VIP Bill Keiss and Firepro staffer Ray Miller found the children near the Big Pool backcountry site. The children's feet and hands were exposed, and C.C. had become lethargic and sleepy from hypothermia. The rescuers bundled the children in clothing and carried them a mile and a half to a site where a helicopter from St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction had landed. The flight nurse determined that C.C.'s core body temperature had dropped to 88 degrees. Both are being treated for frostbite and hypothermia. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO, 4/15]
On the afternoon of May 26th, park dispatch broadcast a description of a homicide suspect who was considered armed and dangerous and who had been seen earlier that day looking for work at a livery in the Moraine Park area of the park. A park employee spotted the man's vehicle in that area about an hour later. A phone call to the livery confirmed that the suspect was there. Rangers began observation of the area; after 30 minutes, the suspect got in his truck and left the park, followed by rangers and sheriff's deputies. He was surrounded by nine rangers and deputies in a parking lot at a local shopping center and taken into custody without incident. Rangers involved in the incident were Doug Ridley, Mitch Fong, Scot Bowen, Scott Hall and Pete Mercier. [Kris Holien, ROMO, 6/7]
An extremely wet, cool spring has resulted in a snow pack that is 200% of normal. For the first time in 14 years, Trail Ridge Road did not open on Memorial Day weekend, and only 15% of the park's backcountry sites are free of snow. The park and adjacent agencies have developed response plans for possible flooding. These unseasonal winter conditions caused several accidents and two fatalities. On June 6th, M.P., 68, was hiking on snow above Bear Lake when she slipped and was injured; a litter rescue resulted. On June 8th, 21-year-old J.H. attempted to snowboard two-and-a-half miles from Gore Range overlook to Milner Pass in poor visibility and whiteout conditions. When he failed to show up as planned, a search was launched. J.H. was found about a half mile below the overlook, suffering from the initial stages of hypothermia. On June 10th, a vehicle containing the bodies of A.F., 19, of Maryland, and F.S., 19, of Delaware, was found 700 feet below the Rock Cut on Trail Ridge Road. The vehicle apparently went off the road two days previously. Technical SAR techniques were utilized to stabilize the vehicle and prevent it from rolling another thousand feet down the steep scree slope while recovering the victim's bodies. [Dispatch, ROMO, 6/13]
Late on the afternoon of July 6th, P.B., 22, a British resident of Estes Park, slipped 350 feet down a snowfield in Tyndall Gorge and landed on a rock outcropping. The park's technical SAR team lowered him a thousand feet down the snowfield to Emerald Lake, ferried him across the lake through icebergs by inflatable raft, wheeled him on a litter to Bear Lake, then transferred him to ground and air ambulances for evacuation to a Fort Collins hospital. P.B. subsequently underwent surgery there, and is reported to be in stable condition with a collapsed lung and arm, wrist, rib and lower leg fractures. P.B. was the only member of his group who was without an ice axe. [Kris Holien, ROMO]
On the evening of July 15th, R.G., 53, took a 35-foot fall on the Hallett's Chimney route on Hallett Peak. R.G.'s climbing partner found him unconscious but breathing. After hiking all night, rangers reached the now conscious, injured climber, and began the evacuation with the shuttle of 17 search and rescue personnel to the scene in a Forest Service contract helicopter. R.G.'s litter was raised over 300 feet to the top of the chimney; he was then taken by helicopter to a Denver hospital, where he is in stable condition with edema and bruising to the brain. R.G. was wearing his helmet when he fell and still had it on when his partner reached him. [Kris Holien, ROMO]
One of two 15-year-old twins visiting the park with a guardian was attempting to drink from the North Saint Vrain River on the afternoon of July 24th when he fell in. His brother and the guardian jumped into the river in an attempt to save him, but became stranded themselves. One twin was swept 75 feet down the river by a strong current before his sweater became snagged on a log and he was able to pull himself to shore. His brother and their guardian remained stranded, clinging to a rock, until the park technical rescue team and local fire department personnel and dive teams were able to rescue them. They were treated for bruises, bumps and chills, but were otherwise okay. The members of the party were very lucky, as the park's rivers are still swollen and running very fast due to runoff from the heavy spring snowfall. [Dispatch, ROMO]
A 37-year-old man sustained lower back injuries while attempting a technical ascent of 12,713-foot Hallett Peak on the afternoon of July 29th. The victim and his climbing partner were within 30 feet of the Culp-Boosier route on Hallett's 800-foot north face when he lost his hold in wet conditions and fell 10 to 25 feet, sustaining injuries to his lower back and pelvis when his harness stopped his fall. Another climbing party in the area heard calls for help, responded and raised the injured man to the crest of the Boosier route. A member of the party descended and contacted ranger Scott Hall at 9 p.m. The injured man's climbing partner remained with him on the crest until a team of a dozen rescuers, who began their ascent at 11:30 p.m., arrived at the scene at 5 a.m. Paramedic Mike Pratt stabilized the patient and the team moved him a half mile up vertical scree to the summit of the mountain, where he was medevaced by helicopter to Denver. He is currently being treated for three fractured vertebrae. This is the third climbing rescue this month on Hallett Peak. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO]
A two-day search for 16-year-old H.G. of Nashville, Tennessee, concluded successfully on the morning of August 11th. H.G. failed to return on the evening of the 8th from a strenuous 16-mile day hike in the Mummy Range in which she was going to attempt to ascend six peaks, five of them over 13,000 feet high. She was found in the Hague Creek drainage by a search team that had heard the faint sound of H.G.'s whistle. At its peak, the search effort involved 75 people, three dogs and a helicopter. Doug Ridley was incident commander. [CRO, ROMO]
A couple from Lincoln, Nebraska, was pulled to safety from Roaring River above the 75-foot-high Horseshoe Falls on August 12th. The wife had slipped into the water and immediately became wedged between some boulders. The husband and other visitors made a couple of rescue attempts, which concluded with the husband entering the water and becoming stranded in mid-stream. Water rescue teams members and volunteers responded immediately, but the couple was nonetheless in the icy water for about 40 minutes before rescuers arrived on scene. Longs Peak ranger Jim Detterline entered the water in a wetsuit and was able to grab them just as they were about to lose their grip; all three were then pulled ashore. The man and woman were both suffering from hypothermia. They received warm fluids intravenously, then were airlifted to a Denver hospital by two helicopters. Rangers cared for the couple's three children and drove them to the hospital to be reunited with their parents when they were released later that evening. [Kris Holien, ROMO]
J.K., 33, a Japanese citizen, fell to his death while descending the Keyhole route at the Ledges on Longs Peak on August 25th. Rangers Jim Detterline and Mike Pratt witnessed the accident. Earlier in the day, the two rangers had talked to J.K. about current snow and ice conditions on that route, then had encountered him again as they were descending and he was turning around from a summit attempt. J.K. was hiking with the rangers when his ankle twisted and he lost his balance and fell 400 feet. Pratt, who is also a paramedic, descended the slope to confirm his death. Ironically, J.K. was on dry rock at the time of the fall. The body was removed by helicopter. J.K. was later cremated, and some his ashes were scattered at the Keyhole a few days later. [Kris Holien, ROMO]
On the afternoon of December 2nd, G.L. fell 50 to 100 feet from the "hand-over-hand" route on Batman Rock on Lumpy Ridge and sustained a flail chest, a fractured femur and a lacerated pancreas. Twelve members of the park's SAR team, led by ranger and IC Doug Ridley, stabilized and lowered the Colorado State University student, then carried him to the trailhead and a waiting ambulance. He was taken to a hospital in Denver, where he is in stable condition. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO]
On the evening of Wednesday, January 31st, air controllers in Denver lost radar contact with a private, two-engine aircraft just northeast of Ypsilon Peak in the park's Mummy Range. On Thursday, the park implemented ICS (Doug Ridley, IC) and brought in a helicopter to conduct air searches of the area. No sign of any wreckage was found. Searches by five Civil Air Patrol (CAP) aircraft also proved fruitless. Four military helicopters assisted on Friday. Efforts to find the plane continue. [Doug Caldwell, ROMO]
The aerial search for the private plane that apparently went down somewhere over the Mummy Range continues. The pilot has been identified as P.S., 45, a well-known attorney from Denver who was on a business trip to Boise and the Pacific Northwest. Three Civilian Air Patrol aircraft were committed to the search on Monday, but were hindered by low ceilings and very high winds. A ground search has accordingly been initiated. A four-person team comprised of rangers Jim Detterline, Karl Pearson, Scot Bowen and maintenance employee Bill Brown cross-country skied to the Lawn Lake patrol cabin yesterday, placing themselves a half-day's distance from the Fay Lakes area east of Ypsilon Mountain - the possible location of the downed aircraft. The team will traverse a high ridge leading towards Fairchild Mountain today, then descend into the Fay Lakes drainage. They are carrying an ELT finder in the hope that P.S. was able to activate the plane's emergency location transmitter. Investigators have determined, however, that P.S. was flying a borrowed plane, and that he left his winter survival gear in his own aircraft, which was in the shop for repairs. [Doug Caldwell, ROMO]
The four-person ground search team looking for the downed two-engine Piper Seneca in the Fay Lakes/Ypsilon Mountain area reported no success yesterday in locating any evidence of the plane. The team skied and snowshoed some four miles to the east slope of the mountain and the adjacent drainage and searched the area above the tree line (11,500 feet). Team members planned to seek evidence of the crash in the forests along the trail on their return from the area late yesterday. Park personnel will consult with CAP officials on what actions to take next. The search effort has been hampered by blizzard conditions and sub-zero temperatures. [Doug Caldwell, ROMO]
Efforts to find the two-engine Piper Seneca that is thought to have gone down in the Fay Lakes/Ypsilon Mountain area of the park continue to be fruitless. Despite two days of searching throughout that area, park ground teams have been unable to detect ELT signals or find any wreckage, trash, sheared-off trees or other evidence of a crash. Avalanche danger is very high in several search areas; ground searches have accordingly been suspended until conditions improve or aerial searchers detect evidence of the wreckage. [Doug Caldwell, PIO, ROMO]
On March 3rd, a volunteer with Rocky Mountain Rescue discovered the wreckage of the twin-engine Cessna which went down in the park on January 31st. Park employees hiked to the Lawn Lake area the next day in an effort to reach the site and recover the body of the pilot, P.S., 45, of Littleton, Colorado, but deteriorating weather conditions forced them to discontinue the operation. Attempts will resume when the weather improves. The crash site is very close to the coordinates originally provided by air traffic controllers in Denver. No wreckage had been found there during previous searches, and its believed that it appeared because last week's high winds blew away the snow that was covering it. The volunteer who reported the wreckage is the same individual who found the wreckage of another private plane which crashed in the Indian Peaks wilderness area just outside the southern boundary of the park about two weeks ago. [Doug Caldwell, ROMO]
On March 9th, two members of the park's SAR team reached the wreckage of the twin-engine aircraft which went down in the park during a snow storm on the evening of January 31st. The wreckage lies on a 70 degree slope near the summit of 13,514-foot Ypsilon Mountain in the north central area of the park. Although the pilot's remains were found, park officials ruled out any further recovery efforts due to the airplane's position just below unstable snow cornices. [Doug Caldwell, PIO, ROMO]
Rangers have assisted the Forest Service and county search and rescue team on four incidents in the adjoining Arapaho National Forest this month. On March 1st, rangers helped rescue three snowmobilers who spent the night in a snow cave after their machines became stuck on a steep hillside. On March 13th and 16th, ranger Jim Richardson assisted on three separate incidents involving injuries, including a fractured arm, possible fractured ribs with a pneumothorax, and a snowmobile collision with a tree which resulted in a dislocated shoulder. The park's snowmobile rescue sled has proven to be a valuable asset to area SAR personnel. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO]
Rangers were advised of an injured climber on Lumpy Ridge shortly after midnight on Monday, May 6th. A 15-person park team was assembled under incident commander Doug Ridley. The team reached the victim, J.A., 40, of Boulder, Colorado, around 2 a.m. J.A. had taken a 20-foot leader fall while on Cheap Date, a 5.10 difficulty climbing route. Paramedic Mike Pratt was lowered to J.A.'s location in order to treat a fractured upper femur. A technical team headed by Rick Guerrieri then effected a 1200-foot lowering and evacuation over scree. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO]
Seasonal ranger Bob Drury, who had worked in fee collection and as the Aspen campground ranger since 1992, died of a heart attack while hiking near the Rock Cut area of the park on May 15th. A memorial service for him was held at Forest Canyon overlook on Trail Ridge Road on May 18th. No additional details are presently available. [Kris Holien, ROMO]
Seasonal ranger Bob Drury, who died of a heart attack on May 15th, was 50 years old and a resident of Estes Park at the time of his death. He had been a professor at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. He was an avid hiker and had led numerous Colorado Mountain Club trips. Survivors include his parents, a sister, and a nephew. Condolences may be sent in care of his sister, Marry Ellen Drury. Flags at park entrances, visitor centers and campgrounds were flown at half staff in his honor for three days. [Kris Holien, ROMO]
In July, 1995, V.F., a local climbing guide, advertised for a female climbing partner in Denver area climbing stores. A school teacher from California contacted V.F., went climbing with him in the park, and stayed at his residence. She subsequently alleged that he had sexually harassed her, stolen her property, and tampered with her motor vehicle, the latter causing a loss of $750. An investigation resulted in charges being filed against V.F., but the case was ultimately dismissed because the woman was reluctant to testify. This past spring, V.F. reappeared, harassing his ex-wife and her boyfriend, both of whom are employees of the NPS in Denver. He did so by entering the field area office with an old USGS ID card which he'd never turned in. Security guards were told to seize the ID and deny him entry to the building if he returned. Three days later, V.F. attempted to enter the building with a medium-sized dog. A Federal Protective Service officer was notified and responded. V.F. refused to talk to him or produce his identification and attempted to leave the area. The officer restrained him, and V.F. ordered his dog to attack. V.F. and the officer fought until two citizens assisted in his arrest. V.F. went to trial this month, and was found guilty of assault on a federal officer on June 11th. Sentencing will be in October. An appeal is expected. [Erny Kuncil, CI, IMFA]
On Sunday, July 15th, climber N.D. fell 800 feet down Lamb's Slide on the east face of Long's Peak. Two visitors witnessed the fall, hurried to his location, and administered first aid for a laceration to the subclavical artery in N.D.'s neck, an injury caused by his ice axe. Ranger and paramedic Mike Pratt arrived shortly thereafter and continued to provide aid for the next five hours. The prolonged on-scene assistance was necessitated by high winds which made it impossible for a medevac helicopter from Denver to land. The helicopter's crew, however, was able to drop off rangers near the scene before leaving. An extended evacuation followed across three scree slopes; N.D. was then taken by raft across Chasm Lake to a lower helispot. He was flown to Saint Anthony's in Denver, where he underwent surgery and is now listed in stable but serious condition. The incident involved 30 rescuers, including several from Larimer County search and rescue. The area is named Lamb's Slide after Reverend Elkannah Lamb, who fell down the 800-foot slope while guiding climbers in August of 1871. After surviving the fall, Lamb was quoted as saying "my salvation was a divine and direct providence." [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO]
A 35-year-old Malaysian student was swimming in the North Inlet on the afternoon of July 1st when he fell 100 feet down the 200-foot Cascade Falls. Despite his injuries, he was able to climb onto a rock and await help. Bystanders alerted park dispatch; 29 rescuers, including local SAR team members, responded and set up a Tyrolean traverse. By this time, the man had been stranded for over four hours. Rescuers got him into a harness and pulled him ashore. He was taken by ambulance to a local clinic, where he was treated and released. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO, 7/1]
Ten-year-old M.M. was killed by an 88-pound female mountain lion while hiking on the park's North Inlet trail on July 17th. M.M. and his family were returning from a day hike at the time. The attack was unwitnessed because the boy was several minutes ahead of his family on the trail. When the boy's parents saw the lion dragging him off the trail, they screamed and frightened it away. M.M.'s mother, a registered nurse, began CPR, and was assisted by responding rangers and visitors who were in the area. CPR was discontinued two hours later, and the boy was pronounced dead. Three hours after the attack, the lion returned to the site and approached ranger Chris Philippi. Philippi fired his service-issued 9mm pistol three times at a distance of less than 15 yards, striking the animal twice. The injured lion left the area, but was treed by a lion hunter and his three dogs about 45 minutes later (the hunter was under contract with the Colorado Division of Wildlife). The lion was shot and killed by rangers, and its carcass was sent to Colorado State University for a necropsy. The is the park's first recorded mountain lion fatality. Last year, a park employee was attacked by a mountain lion near Shadow Mountain Lake and sustained minor injuries. A visitor was treed by a lion in the Big Meadows area in 1995. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO, 7/23]
T.M., 34, of Estes Park, Colorado, was killed in a fall at a point near the summit of 12,500-foot Petit Grepon on the evening of July 2nd. His Italian climbing partner was uninjured. T.M. was the lead climber at the time of the accident and was not wearing a helmet when he fell between 50 and 75 feet, striking the cliff face head first. When the pair failed to return from their day climb by the following morning, T.M.'s wife called the park and reported them overdue. Responding rangers received other reports of a motionless climber hanging upside down on the cliff and subsequently confirmed that T.M. had been killed. The body recovery was completed on Friday, July 4th, which would have been T.M.'s 35th birthday. A CISD debriefing was provide for those involved in the body recovery on Sunday, July 6th. [Kris Holien, ROMO, 7/9]
On the morning of July 17th, visitors reported that they'd come upon the body of a man with a gunshot wound to his chest in a locked vehicle in the parking lot at Fall River Pass. Due to suspicious circumstances, FBI agents and the county coroner were called in. Law enforcement rangers, interpreters and maintenance personnel secured the area; Alpine visitor center, Trail Ridge store and Old Fall River road were also closed for a few hours. A hand gun and suicide note were found in the vehicle. The victim was identified as H.R., 29, of Springfield, Massachusetts. Boxes in the car contained unpaid bills and bounced checks to the IRS. [Kris Holien, ROMO, 8/1]
On August 20th, a cellular phone call from an on-scene EMT alerted park dispatch to an injured hiker in the "trough" section of the final ascent to the summit of Long's Peak. The EMT advised that the victim had suffered facial and spinal injuries when he was struck in the face by a falling rock. Helicopter rescue efforts were hampered by high winds, fog and blowing sleet. A park paramedic/ranger team left the trailhead at 10:30 a.m. and reached the victim at 3 p.m. They were supplemented by rescuers who were flown to the summit through intermittent thunderstorms. The hiker was stabilized and lowered to within a quarter mile of the "keyhole" formation by 9:30 p.m. He was then lowered through the keyhole to a boulder field, where he was placed on a wheeled litter manned by a team from Larimer County rescue. The team reached the trailhead just after 6 a.m. The hiker was taken to a hospital by ambulance. This was the sixth major search and rescue incident in the park since August 1st. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO, 8/21]
Park dispatch received two cellular phone calls from local law enforcement agencies just before 9 p.m. on September 10th, each relaying a hiker's report that he'd come across what appeared to be the body of a dead hiker below the Loft on Mount Meeker. Ranger May Beth Lisse was already on the trail not far from the reporting party and contacted him within the hour. Lisse was on scene by 11:15 p.m. and confirmed the fatality. Rangers Scot Bowen and Patty McGlynn Shafer were flown in by contract helicopter to conduct the investigation. The body of the victim, subsequently determined to be 26- year-old T.M. of Denver, was flown out and turned over to the county coroner. The apparent cause of death is severe trauma from a 150-foot fall from a series of ledges. T.M. signed the trailhead register at 8 a.m. on September 9th, but the time of the accident is unknown. This is the park's sixth fatality this year. [John White, Dispatch, ROMO, 9/11]
T.E. of Oak Lawn, California, was found guilty of poaching in the park in federal district court in September. The incident took place last December, when T.E., accompanied by his two sons, killed a five-point bull elk on the McGraw ranch, well inside the park's boundaries. T.E. was charged with illegally taking wildlife from a national park (16 USC 3372(a)(1) and 3373(d)(2)). He was also charged under the Lacey Act for transporting parts of an illegally slain animal across state lines. T.E. pled guilty, was fined $2,500, and lost his hunting privileges in Colorado for five years. Since Colorado is a member of the Wildlife Violator Compact, T.E. is also subject to a five-year revocation of his hunting privileges in seven other western states. Each of his sons was fined $750 for acting as accessories to the poaching. Rangers worked cooperatively with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Colorado Division of Wildlife to produce sufficient evidence to obtain the conviction. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO, 9/4]
A search was begun on Sunday, October 12th, for two climbers - D.S. and C.S. - who failed to return from a day climb on the east face of Long's Peak. A snow storm which struck the area on Saturday night stranded the pair 100 feet below the mountain's summit (14,255 feet). Four rangers searched all day Sunday, but high winds and blowing snow hampered their ability to make contact with the climbers. Despite adverse weather conditions that continued on Monday, two rangers began ascending the climbers' intended route. They heard cries for help about two-thirds of the way up the route, but winds in excess of 80 mph and zero visibility again made contact impossible. The exhausted rangers returned to the Chasm shelter with the help of other rescue personnel in mid-afternoon. A Larimer County SAR team en route to the shelter to replenish food and equipment came upon C.S. in the boulder field below Long's Peak at about that time. C.S. had left D.S. on the mountain to go for help. It was determined that D.S.'s location was only 200 feet above the point where the rangers had been forced to turn back. Tuesday dawned clear and bright. A party of four climbers left Chasm shelter and reached D.S. at 8:30 a.m. They provided minor medical aid and helped him climb the remaining 100 feet to a waiting helicopter. He was flown to a hospital with severe frostbite to his hands and moderate frostbite to his feet. A total of 30 NPS, county, Rocky Mountain Rescue and Colorado Mountain School personnel were involved in the incident. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO, 10/28]
Park staff responded to a series of significant rescues during the five-day period from Thursday, August 6th, to Monday, August 10th: o F.V., 19, became separated from his party near the summit of 12,800-foot Mount Ida on Thursday. F.V. had no food or warm clothing and only a little water with him. A helicopter, ground teams and county SAR dogs attempted to find him that day, but without success. Although disoriented and unfamiliar with the park, F.V. managed to stumble out to a park road and was picked up by a visitor late that evening. Bob Love was IC. o Visitors reported a semi-conscious man lying on the Flattop Mountain trail about two miles above Bear Lake at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Rangers and Estes Park Medical Center paramedics responded and found R.B., 48, in a semi-comatose state due to ingestion of excessive amounts of alcohol and prescription drugs in what was determined to have been a suicide attempt. He was stabilized, carried out, and committed to a hospital for observation. Patty McGlynn-Shafer was IC. o R.S., 27, fell 60 feet while climbing the Checkerboard formation on Lumpy Ridge on Sunday afternoon and sustained rib and leg injuries. Rangers lowered him to a scree slope, then littered him to an ambulance. A medical exam confirmed that he had a broken fibula and tibia and bruised ribs. Patty McGlynn-Shafer was again IC. o While the above evacuation was underway, six visitors were struck indirectly by lightning at the Gore Range overlook at 11,300 feet on Trail Ridge Road during a violent thunderstorm. The lightning struck nearby and radiated through the ground, knocking several people over and leaving one 54-year-old woman unconscious. She was resuscitated by other visitors, stabilized by ranger staff, and evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Denver. Two other visitors were taken by ambulance to the Estes Park Medical Center and released that evening. The remaining three visitors declined treatment. Kurt Oliver was IC. o On Monday, the park was notified that 45-year-old A.T. was overdue from a day hike from the Bear Lake area to an unknown destination. Investigation narrowed the initial search area to the Spearhead formation above Black Lake. On August 11th, a cell phone call was received from another visitor, seeking assistance for A.T., who was, indeed, above Black Lake, and had sustained a fractured ankle. He was evacuated by the helicopter employed in the Killip search (below). Doug Ridley was IC. o A second search was begun on Monday when K.K., 48, was reported m missing by his hiking partners, who had last seen him two days previously while hiking in a rugged area without trails below Mount Ida Ridge. Violent afternoon thunderstorms with lightning hampered search efforts, which involved up to 50 people. K.K., an experienced outdoorsman, was found on Wednesday. He had hiked above the tree line and laid out numerous items of clothing to attract the attention of helicopter observers. Rick Guerreri was IC. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 8/13]
The park reports three more rescues from late July and early August: o On July 31st, wilderness backcountry crew members came upon W.L., 66, of Denver, who was complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. A paramedic and litter team comprised of eight park employees responded to the area of The Loch Vale, which is at 10,300 feet. W.L. was carried three and a half miles over slippery terrain during a lightning storm to a waiting ambulance. The weather cleared long enough for a helicopter to land in the Bear Lake parking lot at dusk. W.L. was flown to a Denver hospital, where he underwent quadruple bypass surgery and is doing well. Patty McGlynn-Shaffer was IC. o While telemark skiing in the Mills Glacier area of Longs Peak on August 1st, 43-year-old F.B. of Boulder slid 300 feet down the famous Lamb Slide at 13,000 feet, sustaining an ankle injury and contusions and lacerations to her head. She was carried by a litter team to a landing zone; during a break in the afternoon's showers, she was picked up and evacuated by helicopter to a Boulder hospital. Kurt Oliver was IC. o Park dispatch received a cellular phone call on August 3rd reporting that 20-year-old Jacob Johnson had fallen just below the top of Mount Lady Washington, a 13,281-foot peak in the Longs Peak area, and sustained back injuries and various lacerations. A technical team lowered and carried Johnson to two different landing zones before weather would permit a helicopter evacuation. Eight park employees and 22 Larimer County SAR personnel assisted in the rescue. Kurt Oliver was IC. The Lamb Slide noted in the second incident was named after Reverend Charles Lamb, who slid down the chute in 1871. Lamb later wrote of the fall: "An eternity of thought, life and death, wife, and home concentrated in my mind in those two seconds." [Sharon Brubaker, Comm Center, ROMO, 8/14]
The park received a report of a 47-year-old man who was unconscious and not breathing near the saddle below Twin Sisters summit, elevation 11,428 feet. Rangers, trail crew members, and paramedics from the Estes Park Medical Center responded as thunderstorms gathered over the mountains. They performed CPR on the victim for over an hour before ending efforts. During the response, ranger Scott Wanek and paramedic Dan Clark were struck by lightning at locations below the tree line in separate incidents that occurred just minutes apart. Wanek was treated and returned to work the next day; Clark sustained a ruptured eardrum and mild concussion. [Doug Ridley, IC, ROMO, 8/19]
On September 5th, J.L., 20, of Boulder, Colorado, attempted to ski down the Tyndall Glacier along the Continental Divide. J.L. made about three turns before falling and sliding approximately 200 feet down the icy slopes into rocks below the glacier. His injuries included a compressed lumbar vertebrae, numerous lacerations, a broken wrist, and possible skull fractures. A medevac helicopter could not be brought in because of the terrain and a litter carryout would have required five to six hours, so a military Blackhawk helicopter with hoist capabilities was brought in from Fort Carson to lift J.L. off the mountain. This was the first external hoist operation in the park in ten years. Patty McGlynn-Shafer was IC. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 9/7]
On November 15th, R.L., 37, of Boulder, Colorado, fell over 100 feet while solo ice-climbing on "All Mixed Up," a popular ice-climbing route about four miles into the park's backcountry and southwest of Mills Lake. The park was notified of the accident by cellular phone around 11 a.m. Ranger Scott Wanek arrived on scene first about two hours later. R.L. was found to be unconscious and suffering from multiple traumatic injuries. High winds prevented helicopter evacuation. Park staff and Larimer County SAR volunteers were in the process of carrying R.L. out by litter when he went into cardiac arrest. He died around 5 p.m. Doug Ridley was IC. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 11/15]
On the afternoon of June 24th, Ch.H., a 47-year-old Methodist minister from Wichita, Kansas, was reported overdue with his son C. from a hike on the Ute Trail off Trail Ridge Road. C.H. was found in good condition the following morning; Ch.H. was found dead in the Windy Gulch Cascades just before 9 p.m. Due to the hazardous terrain and approaching darkness, his body was not recovered until the morning of the 26th. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 6/28]
On August 3rd, R.D., 75, apparently slipped off the Narrows section (13,600 feet) of the Keyhole route on Long's Peak and fell 100 feet to his death. Off-duty rangers in the area coordinated a long-line extraction of his body. On August 4th, rangers received a report of a fallen climber near the Gorrell's Traverse area (13,000 feet) of Long's Peak. J.P., 56, was on the approach route with his son when he slipped on wet rock and fell about 100 feet, sustaining significant head injuries. J.P. was still conscious when his son left him after three hours to seek help. This little- used approach to the back side of the summit is along the Loft Route between Meeker and Long's Peak. Technical rescue teams were unable to locate J.P. that evening due to lack of an exact location and rain and heavy fog that created unsafe conditions for rescuers. His body was found in a steep gully below the traverse at 6:30 a.m. the next morning. The body was removed by helicopter on August 6th after a difficult raising effort. Jim Detterline was IC for both incidents. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 8/11]
M.H., 24, was struck and killed by lightning while hiking with a church group on the Cow Creek trail in the northeast corner of the park on the afternoon of August 7th. Two other hikers were injured. Rangers responded and provided EMS and evacuated the victim's body. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 8/11]
Park staff responded to two climbing-related accidents within two hours of each other on the evening of August 7th - and just after the lightning fatality reported in Friday's Morning Report (99-453). Around 6 p.m., the park was notified of a climber with a tibia/fibula fracture near the Spearhead area in the park's backcountry. C.K., 42, apparently fell and broke her leg while walking out from an earlier climb. A hasty team responded and she was medivaced from the scene by a Flight for Life helicopter from Denver. At 8 p.m., staff responded to a report of a climber with a broken femur at Little Twin Owls, a popular bouldering area. B.P., 36, had pulled a rock onto himself, breaking his femur above the knee. A short technical lowering effort was required to evacuate Pollack to a waiting ambulance. Doug Ridley was IC. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 8/11]
On the afternoon of March 5th, rangers located and recovered the body of 27-year-old E.S. of Boulder, Colorado, who died in a fall while climbing in the Longs Peak area. E.S. headed out from the Longs Peak trailhead early on March 3rd, intending to solo the Notch Couloir route on the east face of the 14,225-foot peak, traverse south across "The Loft" to the summit of Mount Meeker, then descend via the east ridge. He was reported missing by friends on Saturday morning. Initial efforts to find him were unsuccessful. Additional NPS personnel and mountain guides from the Colorado Mountain School were flown by helicopter to the Loft early on Sunday to search the upper, technical portions of the peak. E.S.'s body was located by helicopter near the base of the cliff around noon. E.S. has been described by friends as an experienced alpinist who frequently climbed in the park. It appears that he was in an area of deep snow when he slipped and fell over 300 feet. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 3/6]
Last December, ranger Jim Detterline discovered the intentional diversion of the Hidden Falls spring in the Wild Basin area of the park to create a new ice climbing route. A 51-foot-long, up to 14-inch-deep trench had been dug to fashion the new 80-foot route. This practice, called "ice farming," has become popular in many areas to create climbing routes. Through contacts in the local climbing community and by monitoring a web site on rock and ice climbing conditions, Detterline and ranger Bill Alexander were able to identify Fort Collins resident B.D. as the responsible party. B.D. had written an entry on the site claiming an ascent of a new ice route named "Hidden Dream." In lieu of legal action, B.D. agreed to assist ranger staff in a rehabilitation project at Hidden Falls this spring. Aside from the trenching, resource damage was minimal. An article will also be submitted to Rock and Ice Magazine explaining NPS policy on this type of activity. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 3/9]
On May 1st, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) notified the park of an overdue twin-engine Piper Aerostar that had disappeared the previous day while flying over the northern portion of the park. R.D. and T.D. of Fort Collins had been flying home from Page, Arizona, when their plane disappeared from radar just after noon on April 30th. The CAP managed a joint search which included park and Army National Guard units. No sign of the plane was found during the first three days of the search, but on May 4th a National Guard helicopter spotted the downed aircraft in a rocky boulder field near the summit of Comanche Peak (12,650 feet), located on the park's north central boundary. Both Donohos had been killed instantly. On May 5th, a multi-agency team removed their remains. The NTSB is investigating. [Doug Ridley, IC, ROMO, 5/7]
On August 4, 1999, D.K.W., the former accounting manager for the Rocky Mountain Nature Association (RMNA), the non-profit organization for Rocky Mountain National Park, was arrested on a Colorado state arrest warrant for the embezzlement of over $30,000 in RMNA funds. The arrest was the result of a year-long joint investigation conducted by special agents from the National Park Service, the DOI Inspector Generals Office, and the FBI. On June 7th, D.K.W. was sentenced after pleading guilty in Larimer County District Court to a lesser count of felony tax evasion. She received 60 days of jail time, eight years of probation, 768 hours of community service, must pay $10,000 in restitution to RMNA, must pay $1,635.94 in back taxes on the embezzled funds, and must submit to any treatment deemed necessary by her probation officer. [Susan Morton, SA, IMRO, 6/30)
Park personnel have conducted six significant rescue operations and one body recovery in the park since mid-June: o June 17th - S.M., a guide for the Colorado Mountain Club, fell while glissading down Tyndall Glacier. S.M. struck the rocks at the bottom of the slope, breaking four vertebrae. A rescue team lead by ranger Bill Alexander reached S.M. just after 7 p.m., stabilized him and raised him over 300 feet to the top of the glacier. Unfortunately, darkness fell as he was being raised, forcing a five-mile, all-night litter carryout by staff, with assistance from Larimer County Volunteer SAR. It took 17 hours of surgery to repair S.M.'s injuries. o June 22nd - Park staff received a call at 2:30 a.m. reporting that C.H., 20, had fallen in the Boulderfield. Hussey, who had a history of seizures, was slightly incoherent. Rangers Bill Alexander and Jordan Mammel arrived on scene around 6 a.m. and coordinated a helicopter evacuation that morning. o June 24th - Climber J.W. was struck in the face by falling ice while climbing on Long's Peak. J.W. was able to make it to the Chasm Lake shelter, where rangers coordinated a helicopter evacuation to Denver. J.W. was treated for sub-arachnoid trauma. o June 30th - A.H., 37, contacted ranger Mary Beth Lisse at Thunder Lake, complaining of lower right quadrant pain. He was evacuated by helicopter at 8:30 p.m. and underwent an emergency appendectomy in Denver. Lisse cared for A.H.'s two children that evening and hiked them out in the morning. The quick response saved A.H.'s life. o July 1st - Climber M.H., 26, called on his cell phone at 9 p.m. to report that he had fallen and broken his ankle on the Osiris route on The Book on Lumpy Ridge. M.H. was able to jumar to the top of the route, where he was treated, then carried out through the descent gully by park staff and Larimer County SAR. o July 2nd - E.T., 34, slid down a snowfield in Chaos Canyon below Otis Peak (12,486 feet) and broke her ankle. The area is appropriately named, as it is filled with large, unstable boulders. This made it impossible to land a helicopter, so a hazardous litter carryout was required. Because of darkness and safety concerns, the evacuation team spent the night in the field and carried E.T. out at first light. o July 6th - Experienced climber C.T., 32, of Boulder, Colorado, slipped on loose gravel while approaching the base of the Yellow Wall climbing route on Long's Peak, falling over 600 feet to his death. Rangers Jim Detterline, Mark Ronca and Ryan Schuster arrived at C.T.'s resting place at the base of Fields Chimney around 6:40 p.m. They conducted an investigation and coordinated the removal of his body by helicopter long line. C.T. was the park's second fatality this year. Numerous other incidents also occurred during the period. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/7]
On July 12th, A.H., 28, of Boulder, Colorado, was struck and killed by lightning while climbing the 5.11 Casual Route on the Diamond face of Longs Peak. His partner tied him off at a spot around the 13,800-foot level, then rappelled off the route to safety. Over the next two days, 25 park staff and two members of Rocky Mountain Rescue conducted a technical recovery of A.H.'s body, which was hand-winched 500 feet to the summit and removed by helicopter. The recovery effort was hindered by afternoon lightning on the 13th that forced the team to leave the mountain and postpone recovery efforts until the following day. Due to safety concerns regarding falling rock, all climbing routes on the mountain were closed both days. This complex rescue was the first on Diamond face in over a decade. A.H. was the park's fifth fatality this year. Mark Magnuson was IC. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 7/14]
On January 4th, B.M., 23, of Boulder, Colorado, lost control of his descent while boot-skiing down Lambs Slide near Longs Peak. B.M. slid 300 feet before striking a rock and sustaining a compound fracture to his right tibia and fibula. An attempted helicopter evacuation was unsuccessful due to high winds. This necessitated a five-mile carryout by a 34-person rescue team comprised of park staff, Larimer County SAR volunteers, and Colorado Mountain School guides. B.M. was transferred to an ambulance at the trailhead around 1 a.m. Lambs Slide is an 800-foot, 70-degree-slope snow and ice field named for Reverend Elkanah Lamb. In August, 1871, Lamb attempted an uncharted descent down the east face of Longs Peak and had an experience similar to B.M.'s. Although Lamb was able to arrest his fall and therefore was uninjured, he later wrote about his harrowing experience: "Quicker than I can tell it, my hands failed to hold, my feet slipped, and down I went with almost an arrow's rapidity. An eternity of thought, of life, death, wife and home, concentrated in my mind in those two seconds." [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 1/5]
Hikers reported the sound of a single gunshot near Gem Lake in the Lumpy Ridge area of the park on the morning of April 17th. Rangers investigated and found the body of a 32-year-old woman from Boulder on the shore of the lake. The evident cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Boulder police had reported her missing and suicidal earlier in the week. The body was turned over to the county coroner, who ruled her death a suicide. [Sharon Brubaker, ROMO, 5/1]
A nine-year-old boy from Windsor, Colorado, fell into a fast stretch of the Big Thompson River and drowned on Saturday, May 12th. The boy was standing next to his father on a smooth rock near the bridge which crosses the river in Moraine Park when he apparently slipped and fell into the fast, deep water. Dispatch received the call at 1:50 p.m. and rangers were on scene within minutes. A hasty search proved fruitless, so assistance was summoned. Fifty-five people from nine agencies responded. Articles of the boy's clothing were found downstream from the point where he fell in; searchers accordingly focused their efforts on this area. His body was found and recovered from the river just a few feet from the point where he'd fallen in. The powerful force of the current had evidently pulled him under and pinned him among submerged rocks. The river is more than 10 feet deep at this point. [Peter Allen, PIO, ROMO, 5/14]
Over 2300 bicyclists rode through the park from west to east on Trail Ridge Road on June 21st as part of the "Ride the Rockies" bicycle tour. This annual tour has taken different routes through the Colorado Rockies each year since 1988. This year's tour started in Crested Butte and ended in Boulder, covering 432 miles in six days. The event's passage through the park was managed under ICS, with ranger Bob Love as IC. Seventy park staff and VIPs assisted with the event. Trail Ridge Road remained open to motor vehicle traffic throughout the event. There were aid stations at four locations in the park. Six emergency medical incidents occurred, four of them bike accidents; four of these medical cases required ambulance transport. The tour also came through the park in 1993 and 1998. [Tim Devine, Planning Section Chief, IMT, ROMO, 6/27]
President Bush made a visit of about three hours' duration to the park and the adjoining YMCA site on August 14th. Secretary Gail Norton, director Fran Mainella, Colorado governor Bill Owens and members of the Colorado Congressional delegation accompanied the president. President Bush spent an hour reviewing and working with park staff on a trail reconstruction project and nearby fuel reduction project along the boundary with the YMCA. This was followed by a picnic with visitors and staff from the park and YMCA. The incident was managed under ICS. Supporting park staff were five protection rangers from Fort Laramie NHS, Curecanti NRA and Florissant NM. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 8/17]
Park staff responded to numerous incidents during the early part of the month: o On August 3rd, a maintenance worker reported that a 24-year-old man had fallen on an ice axe on Mills Glacier, lacerating his right leg. Rangers reached him two hours later and littered him to a landing zone, where he was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Denver. o On the afternoon of August 5th, a man in his 20s fractured an ankle while hiking near the junction of the Ledges and the Trough on the Longs Peak trail. A team of ten responded and littered him to the Boulderfield area, where he was flown by helicopter to a hospital. o Later on August 5th, a visitor called and reported that a 42-year-old man had had an apparent stroke while climbing the Spearhead, a technical climb in the Thompson River District. Although partially paralyzed, he was able to get himself to the base of the Spearhead with the help of his partner. He, too, was flown to a hospital in Denver. o On the afternoon of August 6th, rangers in Wild Basin District and Allenspark fire personnel responded to an incident in which a 13-year-old girl fell and lost consciousness while hiking near Copeland Falls. She was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. o Only minutes after the above incident, a cell phone call came in from Boulderfield reporting a hypothermic 20-year-old woman. Visitors and family were huddled around her in a privy without a roof, trying to keep her warm. She was unable to speak or move when rangers arrived. The group had been caught in a violent downpour. The woman was flown to Longmont hospital, where she was treated with warming therapy and released. o On August 7th, rangers littered a woman with a fractured ankle from Dream Lake. o Early on the morning of August 8th, members of the wilderness rehab crew heard screams at the base of Longs Peak. Rangers found that a 29-year-old man had broken an ankle. He was littered to Chasm Lake, then flown to a hospital in Denver. o On August 16th, three boys were reported missing from an Outward Bound cross-country hiking trip. They had become separated from their leader two days previously near Rowe Mountain (13,184 feet), at which time the leader had attempted to find them himself. Severe rain and lightning had been occurring over the north part of the park for several days. Through contacts made with other hikers by hasty teams on the 16th, the search effort on the 17th focused on the West Creek drainage east of Mummy Mountain (13,425 feet). A helicopter spotter found the boys around 2 p.m. in the primary search zone. They were picked up and flown out. The primary cause of this incident appears to have been poor judgement, leading to separation of the leader from the inexperienced group and delayed notification to park staff. The IC was Doug Ridley. Most of the rescues were complicated by daily thunderstorms and unusually frequent lightning strikes. [Sharon Brubaker, Joe Evans, ROMO, 8/15 and 8/17]
On the afternoon of August 16th, park SAR staff were preparing to debrief from a search that had just concluded when a report came in of a fallen climber near the top of the descent route from Sundance Buttress along Lumpy Ridge. T.D., 44, was descending with a guide from the Colorado Mountain School when he fell and sustained multiple facial and skull fractures, a partially collapsed lung, and a broken arm and leg. Due to the extent of his injuries, it took four-and-a-half hours for 25 rescuers from the park, Larimer County volunteer SAR, and the Colorado Mountain School to lower T.D, over 2,000 feet of scree to a medevac helicopter. The operation concluded around 1 a.m. The IC was Tim Phillips. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 8/21]
On the evening of Sunday, August 26th, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of gunshots fired in a residential area of Estes Park near the park's boundary. A domestic dispute over custody of three small children had reportedly taken place between M.P.C. and his common law wife, A.K. Following a confrontation in which she was held against her will, A.K. attempted to flee the house by driving into the park. M.P.C. chased the vehicle down on foot and fired three rounds from a .25 caliber Browning semi-automatic pistol, striking A.K. in the shoulder and hand as she passed by. M.P.C. then turned the gun on himself, inflicting a mortal gunshot wound to his temple. A.K. was able to get assistance in driving to a nearby medical center, where she was treated for non-life-threatening wounds. Responding rangers worked with deputies to secure the area, begin investigations, and assist the county crime scene unit. The investigation is being handled jointly by the NPS and sheriff's office. [Doug Ridley, ROMO, 8/29]
On October 21, 2000, rangers found remains of an elk in West Horseshoe Park near a park highway. The park subsequently received information from the Colorado Department of Wildlife regarding the possible involvement of J.B. of Matheson, Colorado. Ranger Eric Gabriel led the investigation and worked with local wildlife officers to develop enough evidence to implicate J.B. in the illegal taking of a six-point bull elk. J.B. plead guilty to a Lacey Act charge this past August. On September 25th, he was fined $2,000, sentenced to 100 hours of community service (to be served either in the park or with the state), and had his hunting privileges revoked in eight states. [Doug Ridley, DR, Fall River District, ROMO, 10/17]
Over the past six months, rangers and the park's concessions management specialist have been monitoring Internet sites for potential illegal commercial activity in the park. Several companies have been found to be advertising for commercial activities in the park without permits. Appropriate letters have been sent to advise these companies of park regulations. After being warned, W.L., owner of Rocky Mountain Photo Adventures, was cited for conducting photography workshops in the park without an incidental business permit. On November 9th, W.L. pled guilty to the charge of engaging in a business operation in a park without a permit (36 CFR 5.3). He was fined $500 plus a $25 victim's assessment fee and was suspended from the park until the fine is paid. [Kyle Patterson, ROMO, 11/28]
On the morning of December 25th, visitors found the body of a 55-year-old man from Superior, Colorado, in a willow copse south of Lily Lake. The lake is a popular day-use area along the Highway 7 corridor. The death has been classified as a suicide, pending further investigation by park staff and the county sheriff's office. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 1/3]
Two buildings at the Bear Lake parking lot - a small information kiosk and an eight-vault visitor restroom built in 1992 - were forcibly entered during the early morning hours of January 1st. Fires were ignited, and the two buildings, which were about 100 feet apart, burned to the ground. The total estimated replacement cost comes to $600,000, which includes cleanup, rental of temporary facilities, some redesign work, and replacement of emergency equipment. The Bear Lake parking area is one of the more popular trailheads in the park and is visited by close to a million visitors a year. At this time, the crime does not appear to be linked to any domestic or eco-terrorism group. The investigation is being managed in cooperation with the FBI. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 1/3]
Park staff assisted local area Mountain Rescue Association teams in hosting the national MRA conference held at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park from June 6th to June 8th. Over 200 MRA members from across the country attended. Search and rescue field exercises were held in two areas of the park on June 7th and 8th. International SAR team delegations from China and Israel attended, and staff provided the Israeli delegation with a tour of the park. WASO SAR program coordinator Randy Coffman and park SAR program coordinator Mark Magnuson gave presentations during the conference on search and rescue issues and programs with the NPS. {Joe Evans, CR, ROMO, 6/11]
In the early morning hours of January 1st, a ranger kiosk and an eight-seat restroom burned to the ground at Bear Lake, causing over $300,000 in damage. The facilities were at Bear Lake Road, a popular trailhead in the heart of the park. About 700,000 people visit the area during an average year. The facilities have been replaced by a temporary trailer and port-a-potties this summer. Rangers and agents from the Denver and Fort Collins FBI offices conducted the initial investigation, and were subsequently supported by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office and Estes Park Police Department. This multi-agency investigation ultimately lead to the identification of three juvenile males - two from Estes Park and one from Missouri - as suspects. All three confessed to the crime. Each was sentenced to two years' probation and ordered to attend school as a condition of the probation. They were also ordered to spend 30 days in a juvenile detention facility and required to perform 120 hours of community service. A restitution hearing is scheduled for August. [Joe Evans, CR, ROMO]
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 21st, rangers received a report of a seriously injured climber in the westernmost area of Lumpy Ridge, a popular rock climbing area. A 32-year-old Loveland man had fallen nearly 100 feet after leading a portion of a 5.11 climb on Sundance Buttress. According to his climbing partner, the fall, which occurred at the top of the first pitch, was caused by a communication breakdown between the two climbers. A total of 30 people from the park's SAR team and Larimer County SAR provided ALS and rescued the climber. The evacuation was over 1800 feet of scree and rough terrain to a waiting medevac helicopter. The climber sustained multiple spinal, internal and bilateral injuries to his lower legs. He was flown to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins. [Doug Ridley, ROMO]
Park personnel participated in a number of SAR missions in late July: * Wednesday, July 24th - Rangers received a report of two overdue 19-year old women. The pair had told friends that they were going to hike the Estes Cone trail, and were reported missing 10 hours after they were to return to their residence. Hasty teams were deployed along with two dog teams from Boulder County SAR. The women ended up hiking out to a nearby residence at 2 a.m. They apparently lost the trail during their return trip and hiked off-trail in a steep, densely forested area. Neither was injured. A total of 14 people from the park and Boulder County SAR were involved in the search. Jim Detterline was IC. * Thursday, July 25th - Rangers responded to a report of an injured nine-year-old at Lake of Glass. The boy apparently slid on a snowfield, struck a rock, and sustained head and back injuries. A hasty team of two rangers was flown into the area to stabilize, package and provide initial medical aid to the victim. Due to weather constraints, the helicopter was unable to return, so a litter team hiked into the area and evacuated the boy by ground. The litter carryout included one technical lowering near Timberline Falls and a four-mile hike. The nine-year-old was transported to Estes Park Medical Center by ambulance. Kurt Oliver was IC. * Sunday, July 28th - A 32-year-old Energy, Illinois, man sustained significant injuries in a fall on Longs Peak. The solo hiker was attempting to summit the 14,255 foot peak via the Keyhole, a route that is often non-technical during summer. After passing through the Keyhole formation near 13,000 feet, the hiker strayed off the normal route and fell approximately 50 feet while scrambling up steep rock. After regaining consciousness, he crawled several hundred yards back through the Keyhole and down to the Agnes Vaille shelter, a historic rock structure near the base of the north face. Upon receipt of a cell phone report from passing hikers, rangers responded to the scene via foot. A Llama helicopter was temporarily released from the nearby Big Elk fire, flying a medical team of three rangers/medics to nearby Battle Mountain, about two-and-a-half miles from the scene. High winds precluded landing any closer. Following this initial flight, it was necessary for incident personnel to release the helicopter to respond to a smoke report east of the park. Remaining rescue personnel and equipment responded via foot, a distance of six miles and a 4,000 foot elevation gain. Rangers stabilized the victim and carried him by litter to a landing zone in the Boulderfield. A window of favorable weather and wind conditions allowed an air ambulance helicopter from Denver to land and transport the patient to a Fort Collins hospital. The man was admitted with multiple severe injuries. The incident involved twenty persons from the park and ten volunteers from Larimer County SAR. Mark Magnuson was IC. * Monday, July 29th - Rangers responded to a report of an ill hiker on the Longs Peak trail. The 19-year-old male from Estes Park had become ill while hiking toward the Keyhole route near Granite Pass. The hiker, who had a history of asthma, became nauseous with associated vomiting and generalized weakness. A litter team was deployed to the scene and evacuated him five miles to the trailhead. He was flown by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. Mark Magnuson was IC. All of these incidents occurred while the Big Elk Fire was burning outside but adjacent to the park. While rescues of this kind and frequency are not unusual during the summer at the park, they did stretch park resources. Park staff, assisted by local SAR organizations, handled all incidents in a safe and skilled manner. [Bob Love, ACR, ROMO]
On January 6, a six-point bull elk was shot and removed from Horseshoe Park, a roadside area two miles inside the park boundary on Highway 34. Evidence at the scene indicated that shotguns were used to shoot the elk from the edge of the road. Acting on a tip from a Denver police detective, rangers discovered the head and antlers in a storage unit in Firestone, while the quartered animal remains were found at an abandoned sugar mill near Longmont. Rangers interviewed five young men, ages 17 to 19, and received written statements implicating all of them in the poaching. Successful investigation of the case was made possible through excellent support from Firestone, Frederick and Longmont Police Departments and the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. A press release to the Denver Post from the park's PIO provided information to the public that led to the initial tip. The case was recently prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in federal magistrate's court in Denver. Although prosecution was deferred on the five, they received significant community service sentences and were ordered to pay substantial sums in restitution. [Submitted by Doug Ridley, District Ranger, Fall River District]
On January 24, J.B., a self-described "professional hunter" from
Boulder, Colorado, pled guilty in federal court to illegally killing a
six-point bull elk in the park last September 21. Ranger Tim Phillips
cited J.B. for shooting the elk with a bow and arrow while it was
standing about 700 feet within the park boundary. In a plea agreement,
J.B. agreed to a fine of $3,000. J.B. hunts in numerous states and posts
his hunting stories on his website (www.tagitworldwide.com).
Ranger Pete Swisher from Lincoln Home NHS assisted Rocky Mountain staff
by serving J.B. with his court summons while J.B. was on a hunting trip
to Illinois.
All visitor services and roads in the park are closed due to the
major snowstorm that has been pounding Colorado for the last two days.
As of 7 a.m. yesterday morning, at least 36 inches of snow had fallen
and accumulated at Beaver Meadows VC. Snow accumulations at higher
elevations are not yet known. The snow is heavy and wet and snowplow
operators are having a difficult time keeping up with the heavy location
and finding places to pile the snow that has been plowed. Snow was
forecast to continue falling on the park throughout Wednesday.
The snowstorm which dumped nearly seven feet of snow along the Front
Range of Colorado over the course of three days last week was partly to
blame for stranding a group of nine mountaineers from Iowa State
University in the park's backcountry. The group of college students went
into the backcountry to ice climb on Sunday, March 16th, as the weather
began to deteriorate. When they failed to return to their vehicle as
planned on Wednesday, search and rescue operations were begun to locate
and reach them on Thursday. Three teams departed the Glacier Gorge
parking area, breaking trail in waist deep snow. A Department of Energy
helicopter with NPS observers on board spotted the overdue hikers
approximately two miles from the trailhead, still making slow progress
without the aid of skis or snowshoes. A radio and snowshoes were dropped
to the group. All nine were found to be in good condition, though hungry
and tired. They were assisted to the trailhead by means of a trail
compacted by park rescue personnel. This successful effort would not
have been possible without the concerted efforts of the park road's
maintenance crew, who worked diligently for three days and nights to
maintain access to the Bear Lake road and trailheads.
A large, unwitnessed avalanche swept down from the saddle between
Mount Meeker and Long's Peak sometime on or about April 2nd and
destroyed the Chasm Cabin. The cabin was not occupied and there were no
injuries. The avalanche was undoubtedly a result of the "hundred-year"
snowstorm that hit and closed the park in March. This stone-walled cabin
was built in 1931 at an elevation of about 12,000 feet. For decades, it
had served as a base for rescues and ranger patrols on the two peaks and
their environs. About $20,000 worth of pre-positioned SAR gear and
equipment has been lost or damaged. Rangers will attempt to recover
equipment over the next several weeks as the snows melt from the area.
On the morning of Friday, May 30th, the Water Supply and Storage
Company notified the park that a portion of the Grand Ditch - a
private irrigation waterway - had breached about two miles south of
La Poudre Pass. The Grand Ditch is located at an altitude of 10,175
feet. The cause of the breach is unknown, but it is believed that heavy
snowmelt and runoff caused a portion of the mountain to slide in to the
Ditch, which created a temporary dam. Water then flowed against the dam
and soon overtopped the Ditch, causing about 100 feet of the Ditch and
access road to plunge 1,000 feet to the valley below. It's estimated
that about 150 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water from the Ditch is
currently emptying through the breach into the Colorado River.
Consequently, a large portion of the mountainside below the Ditch has
been washed to the valley floor by the erosive power of water, rock, mud
and vegetation. The extent of the damages to the park's cultural and
natural resources has yet to be determined. There has been no reported
injury or loss of life caused by this incident. Due to already high
water levels in the Colorado River, coupled with the breach, trails on
the west side of the park, west of Route 34, have been closed since
Friday. Gravel roads, footbridges, and other trail structures have most
likely been seriously damaged along the drainage. An assessment of the
damage is ongoing. The Grand Ditch was built in the late 1800s. The
Ditch is 14 miles long, 20 feet wide and six feet deep and is owned by
the Water Supply and Storage Company. Carved into the slopes of the
Never Summer Mountains, the Grand Ditch captures snowmelt and diverts it
to Long Draw Reservoir. From there, the water flows into the Cache La
Poudre River. At a spot just north of Fort Collins, shareholder
agricultural interests from the eastern plains draw water. In 1986, the
City of Thornton purchased rights to a significant portion of the water
for future municipal purposes. When full, the ditch is capable of
carrying in excess of 350 cfs.
On the morning of Sunday, July 13th, park dispatch was notified of a
black bear attack that had taken place about 45 minutes previously at
the Fern Lake group backcountry site. Five people were camping in three
separate tents. The bear approached one tent and bit through it to reach
P.F., 22, of Boulder, Colorado. P.F. was bitten in the
forehead and scalp, but the bear let go when he screamed. The bear then
walked over to another tent and scratched through it to reach T.S.,
23, of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. T.S. was just beginning to wake
up after hearing P.F.'s screams; he also yelled out, and the bear
walked away. The three people in the other tent were not touched.
Rangers reached the group within two hours and stabilized and cleaned
the two men's wounds. Both suffered serious lacerations. It appears that
the members of the group took all proper measures for food storage,
including hanging food and cooking away from their tents the previous
evening. About an hour after this incident, a bear matching the above
bear's description was seen at a backcountry site in Fern Lake,
aggressively striking a food storage container. All backcountry sites in
the Odessa Gorge area were closed and rangers are attempting to locate
the bear. Black bears are rarely aggressive towards humans in Rocky
Mountain National Park. The last incident in which a bear attacked a
human led to a fatality in 1971 on the west side of the park.
On Saturday, July 26th, the body of K.Z. was found south of
Baker Mountain on the west side of the park. K.Z., a 33-year-old
field technician for Colorado State University, was working on a bighorn
sheep research project. Park dispatch was notified late Friday evening
that K.Z. had not returned from his backcountry assignment. Rangers
and CSU researchers began searching for him, retracing his intended
route. K.Z.' body was found at the bottom of a cliff face on Baker
Mountain above the Grand Ditch Road. The exact cause of death is
unknown, but traumatic injuries are consistent with a fall. Grand County
Search and Rescue volunteers assisted park staff with recovery efforts,
including a 900-foot technical scree evacuation. At the time of his
death, K.Z. was surveying bighorn sheep in the Never Summer Range
near the park boundary. The data collected from these surveys is helping
to determine how many sheep are in the park, how successfully they are
lambing and their general distributions. Superintendent Vaughn Baker
expressed the condolences of the park staff on the death of Kurt
K.Z.: "K.Z. participated in a number of research projects in the
park. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and co-workers at
Colorado State University. He had a passion for wildlife biology and the
park staff know more about the park's wildlife as a result of the
research projects K.Z. was involved in."
Rangers were involved in three rescue operations between August 16th and the 24th:
[Submitted by Mark Magnuson, Acting Chief Ranger]
A 19-year-old boy from Brockton, Massachusetts, committed suicide in
the Moraine Park campground on the evening of November 16th. He
telephoned his sister in Massachusetts prior to the incident, and she
called the Estes Park PD and asked for help. Three Larimer County
deputies were dispatched to assist rangers in their search for the boy.
A deputy soon found him sitting in his car in the campground. As the
deputy approached the vehicle, the boy shot himself with a .45 caliber
pistol. Ranger Jan Pauley arrived on scene shortly thereafter and
determined that he was still breathing and had a radial pulse. Pauley
provided EMS until the arrival of an ambulance. The boy was transported
to the Estes Park Medical Center and later flown to Poudre Valley
Hospital in Fort Collins, where he was pronounced dead.
A 13-year-old girl fell about 100 feet at Cascade Falls near the
North Inlet trail on the west side of the park around 1 p.m. on June
23rd. Another visitor who was in the area hiked out to the trailhead and
called 911. The girl's body was found below the falls at 4 p.m.The exact
cause of death has not yet been determined. Grand County EMS, Grand
County SAR, the Grand County Sheriff's Office and Grand Lake FD assisted
in the response.
On July 8th, long-time park volunteer W.T, 80, went hiking
on his own time near Estes Cone, an area and trail that he was very
familiar with and had visited many times over the years. When he failed
to return to his vehicle, a hasty search was begun by rangers.
Information obtained from other hikers suggested that W.T. had likely
left the designated trail and was traveling in steep, rugged terrain.
Search efforts were escalated; by early evening, more than 40 people and
three dog teams were committed to the operation. Confinement was
established around the search area through the night while searchers
continued to look for him. Trackers from the Larimer County SAR team
picked up signs near a trail switchback around
6 a.m. the next morning that led searchers to W.T. He had
missed the switchback and become disoriented in the steep, forested
terrain. After being treated by a park medic for minor injuries and
dehydration, W.T. was raised via litter up steep terrain to the trail,
then taken to a waiting ambulance. He was hospitalized for several days.
Also assisting in the operation was the Larimer County Sheriff's
Department's Office of Emergency Services and the Arapahoe Rescue
Patrol. This was the fifth search in the park over a two-day period.
On the afternoon of July 14th, a 58-year-old visitor from Texas was
hiking the Huffer's Hill trail near Fall River Pass on Trail Ridge Road
(elevation 11,800 feet) when he began experiencing chest pain. He was
assisted to the nearby Alpine Visitor Center, where ranger-EMT's from
both the protection and interpretive staff began caring for him. The man
went into cardiac arrest and was shocked with a park AED that is
maintained at this high altitude visitor center, at which time pulse and
respirations were restored. Additional advanced life support care
was provided by responding paramedics from the Estes Park Medical Center
Ambulance. The patient was flown from the scene via air ambulance
helicopter to a hospital in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
R.M., 40, of Huston, Texas, sustained serious head
injuries in a fall on Andrew's Glacier on Monday, August 2nd. R.M.
was reportedly sliding down the glacier on a plastic trash bag when he
spun out of control and hit some rocks along the edge of the ice. Park
dispatch received a cell phone call reporting the accident. A park
entrance station employee happened upon the scene and provided
additional information via radio. Rangers began a hasty response up the
trail while simultaneously arranging for a rental helicopter from
Geo-Seis out of Fort Collins. SAR personnel and equipment were flown to
a landing zone near the base of the glacier. They joined the rangers who
came up the trail in providing advanced life support. R.M. was flown
from the glacier to a hospital by a St. Anthony's Flight for Life
helicopter from Denver.
Larimer County Emergency Services contacted the park on July 31st and
asked rangers to help with the evacuation of an injured hiker from Hells
Canyon, an area in Roosevelt NF about five miles east of the park's
boundary. A 45-year-old woman was hiking in the forest when a boulder
weighing more than two tons dislodged and rolled ten feet downhill,
striking her and coming to rest on her legs. Pneumatic air bags were
employed to move the boulder enough to permit extrication. She was then
littered down a tree-covered slope, transferred to an ambulance, and
flown out by a Denver-based medevac helicopter. Seven rangers assisted
20 people from four other agencies in this operation.
On Saturday, September 4th, Sudheer Averineni, a 26-year-old Indian
national, attempted a climb of the Keyhole route on Longs Peak, the
park's popular "Fourteener" (a "Fourteener" is any mountain over 14,000
feet — Longs Peak is 14,259 feet high). The Keyhole route is still
classified as "technical" due to snow and ice conditions, only the
second known year since the early 1920's that this route has remained
technical throughout the entire summer season. While attempting the
summit, Averineni's two companions turned back near the Keyhole
formation around 13,000 feet due to deteriorating conditions. Averineni
continued on, though, and was last seen a short distance below the
summit just after noon. When he failed to
returned that evening, a search was begun. Conditions on Longs Peak from
Saturday afternoon through Sunday were severe — fresh snow, rime
ice, recorded winds in excess of 60 mph, and temperatures well below
freezing. Averineni's body was found on the summit around
1 p.m. on Sunday. He was dressed in sneakers, jeans,
a cotton shirt, and a cotton sweatshirt. A cell phone was found in his
pocket. The cause of death has been determined to have been exposure.
This was reportedly Averineni's third attempt on Longs Peak this year.
The recovery of his body was delayed until Monday due to weather and
winds. The summit of Longs Peak remained closed to public use until that
time. Rangers also dealt with two other rescues early this week. A
13-year-old girl on an organized group outing with Cheley Camp of Estes
Park was evacuated by air ambulance from the north side of Longs Peak on
Monday. She was experiencing difficulties associated with a pre-existing
medical condition. She was flown to Children's Hospital in Denver, where
she experienced — but survived — sudden cardiac arrest. That
evening, a man in his early 20's was evacuated by horse from the south
side of Longs Peak. He sustained a lower leg injury while climbing, but
was able to "self-rescue" over difficult terrain until he met up with
rangers on the Sandbeach Lake trail.
A memorial service to celebrate ranger Suzi Robert's life will be held on Monday, September 27th at 1:00 p.m. at the Church of Eternal Hills in Tabernash, Colorado (details appear below). Suzi died on September 14th while attempting to remove rocks on the road in the Kipahulu District of Haleakala National Park on Maui. She had worked at the park since April as a law enforcement ranger. She was 36 years old. Suzi worked in the Colorado River District of Rocky Mountain National Park from 1995 through 2004. She accepted her first permanent ranger position in Haleakala this past April. Suzi served in a variety of positions on the westside of Rocky Mountain National Park, including working in the entrance station, as an interpretive ranger and for her last five years at Rocky as a law enforcement ranger. Suzi was an alpine skier and coach, a lift operator foreman at Winter Park Ski Area, and taught special needs children how to ski. She obtained an MS in recreation and park administration from the University of Wyoming. Suzi was a cherished and dear friend to many in Grand County and was a great ranger.The family has requested that any donations be sent in her name to: The Student Conservation Association, National Park Program, PO Box 550, Charlestown, NH 03603-0550 or to any national park of your choice in care of the National Park Foundation, 11 Dupont Circle NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. Cards or remembrances may be sent to: The Roberts Family, c/o Rocky Mountain National Park, PO Box 100, Grand Lake, CO 80447. The memorial service will be held at the Church of Eternal Hills located at 100 Meadows Boulevard in Tabernash, Colorado. The phone number for the church is 970-887-3603. The church is located a mile east of Tabernash off U.S. 40. All uniformed National Park Service employees planning on attending the memorial service should wear the formal winter Class A dress uniform, which includes long sleeve shirt, Class A pants, tie, felt hat and Ike jacket (short jacket). If you don't have this full uniform, then the Class A dress summer uniform or other uniform issued will be appropriate. All employees who plan on wearing a dress uniform are asked to arrive at 11:00 a.m. for a briefing, including a review of proper protocols. All other uniformed NPS employees not wearing a dress uniform should arrive no later than 12:30 p.m. For further information please contact Kyle Patterson, public information officer for Rocky Mountain NP, at 970-586-1363.
Over 425 people attended the memorial service for Suzi Roberts on Monday, September 27th, at the Church of Eternal Hills in Tabernash, Colorado. It was fitting that on the day family and friends gathered to celebrate Suzi's life, the skies were blue, the views from the church were of snow-capped mountains, and gold and orange aspen reflected the sun's rays. It was a beautiful autumn day in an area Suzi loved and spent nine years of her life. Words of remembrance were shared by Suzi's brother G., Amy Brees and Eric Andersen from Haleakala National Park, Julie Turner a co-worker from Winter Park Ski Area and Bob Love from Saguaro National Park, formerly from Rocky Mountain National Park. Many tears were shed and laughs shared remembering Suzi's love of life, sense of humor, wonderful potential and diverse ranger skills. Among the many poignant moments during the service, several stand out:
Suzi "Sooz" Roberts received a fitting tribute and farewell from her family, friends and NPS colleagues.[Submitted by Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs, Rocky Mountain NP]
The body of ranger Jeff Christensen was found by a group of hikers early on Saturday afternoon near Spectacle Lakes in the remote and rugged Mummy Range. The park continues its investigation, but it appears at this time that he died from a fall. Christensen's parents, D. and C., have released the following statement. "We would like to express our deepest thanks and gratitude to all of those who have helped us during this trying time. We would especially like to thank the following groups and people: The staff at Rocky Mountain National Park and other National Park Service staff who made us feel like a part of their family The Incident Management Team, family liaisons, Winter Park
Ski personnel, and the dedicated searchers who were second to none in
their search efforts and risked their own safety to find Jeff The Christensens also shared the following statement that Jeff had once made to a friend: "You know, if I ever die while at work in the mountains, do not cry for me because you will know that I died doing what I love. But if I die in a car accident on my way to an office job, then cry for me because you will know I was miserable and not doing what I loved." All employees are authorized to wear black mourning bands laterally across their badges from now until the date of interment. Those employees who wear uniforms that do not have badges or who are in civilian clothes may wear suitable black mourning ribbons. Parks and offices in Intermountain Region are authorized to lower their flags to half-staff in Jeff's memory until his memorial service on Wednesday. [Scott Sticha, Information Officer, ROMO, with additional information from WASO]
Additional details have been released on Jeff Christensen's death and on the memorial service in the park and the subsequent funeral in Minnesota. Jeff Christensen was killed on Friday, July 29th, when he suffered head injuries as a result of a fall near the south slope of Donner Ridge on Mt. Ypsilon. The accident, which was not witnessed, is estimated to have occurred in mid-afternoon while Jeff was on a backcountry patrol in the Mummy Range area of the park. His body was discovered at about 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 6th, by a group of hikers. His mother and father were out in the park at the time of discovery and were notified as soon as they could be reached. The Larimer County Coroner's Office has estimated the time of Jeff's death to be "late p.m." on July 29th, which is defined as between 6 p.m. and midnight. His body was recovered on Saturday evening and evacuated by helicopter. Investigators from the National Park Service and the Larimer County Sheriff's Office processed the accident scene. A National Park Service employee fatality requires that a serious accident investigation team continue the investigation into his death. This team is now assembling and beginning to gather information. Upon conclusion of the investigation, more details will be released. The memorial service for Jeff will be held on Wednesday, August 10th, at 9:30 a.m. at Hyde Chapel at the YMCA of the Rockies complex in Estes Park. Jeff's family has asked that the memorial service be a celebration of his life. His family is encouraging park staff and volunteers to attend the service. A reception will follow in the Walnut Room within the YMCA complex. Uniformed employees attending the service are to be in summer Class A uniform. All uniformed employees are to meet at Hyde Chapel at 8:30 a.m. This was Jeff's fifth season as a Rocky Mountain National Park employee. His first four years were on the park's west side. His first season was with the maintenance division and his last four seasons were as a park ranger. Jeff's funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m., Friday, August 12th, at Saint Paul's Church, 1740 Bunker Lake Boulevard, Ham Lake, Minnesota. Representatives from the park and incident management team will be in attendance. If you want to assist Jeff's family, an account has been opened at a local bank. Donations should be sent to: Jeff Christensen Family Fund, The Bank of Colorado, PO Box 2560, 533 Big Thompson Avenue, Estes Park, CO 80517. Checks should be made payable to the Jeff Christensen Family Fund. Cards or remembrances may be sent to The Christensen Family c/o Rocky Mountain National Park, 1000 US Highway 36, Estes Park, CO 80517. Important note: Flags at all parks nationwide EXCEPT as noted below are to be lowered to half staff, effective this morning. They are to remain at half staff until Friday's interment, then should be returned to full staff on Saturday. The one exception is the National Mall and Memorial Park in downtown Washington. Flags at all sites in this park (the Washington Monument and the other memorials in the city's core area) are to remain at FULL staff. [Kyle Patterson, Public Information Officer, Rocky Mountain NP, and Cam Sholly, Chief of Staff, Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO]
On the morning of Wednesday, August 10th, the family, friends and colleagues of ranger Jeff Christensen joined in a memorial service and celebration of his life at the Hyde Chapel at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. More than 650 people attended, both inside the chapel and listening from outside. Following a welcome and prayer, there were words of honor and remembrance from a number of speakers. Following are three of those tributes: ******** "Each of us feels the loss of Jeff personally, and our hearts go out to his family and friends. In his open face and his broad smile, we see the reflection of our own children, our own brothers and sisters, our own close friends. We know that their loss would diminish our world; would make our hearts ache; would test our hope and faith. "But we know, too, that all life is fleeting, and that the lives of young people like Jeff Christensen and his friend and colleague Suzi Roberts enrich our world immeasurably, making it a better place, and bringing joy to friends and strangers alike. "Jeff believed in service. He was trained to help. He lived to benefit others. He was a ranger, an emergency medical technician, served on the ski patrol, and was active in search and rescue. Many of those searching for Jeff said that they knew, if the tables were turned, it would be Jeff spending those long days search for them. Jeff followed his heart, he did what he loved, and what he loved was helping others. "He also loved the outdoors. As a ranger, he made the commitment to protect and preserve one of the most beautiful places on earth. He took great joy in being in the park and in helping people understand its rare and delicate beauty. In the backcountry, he was in his element - soaking in the natural world, helping visitors, promoting the preservation and understanding of a special place that is set aside for all of us. Only through the efforts of energetic and dedicated people life Jeff are these places passed down as our priceless legacy from one generation to the next. "I am proud to work for an organization that drew Jeff to it - proud to say that we wore the same uniform and shared the same values. And I am humbled to be here, sharing his memory and honoring someone so dedicated to living life to its fullest in service to us all and the world around us. I would like to say, on behalf of the entire National Park Service, thank you, Jeff, for all you have done for us, and thank you to his family for instilling in him such powerful values, and for sharing him with us." Mike Snyder, Acting Regional Director, Intermountain Region ******** "Jeffrey Alan Christensen, 31, of Estes Park and Winter Park, Colorado, died Friday, July 29, 2005, in Rocky Mountain National Park. He was born February 23, 1974, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Dale and Christine Christensen. "Jeff graduated from Forest Lake High School in Forest Lake, Minnesota. In May 1998, he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota at Duluth, with a major in history and a minor in geography. He completed law enforcement training at Santa Rosa in December, 2001. Jeff lived in Arvada, Colorado, for one year, then moved to Winter Park. He worked for the Winter Park Ski Resort doing ski patrol during the winter seasons from 1999 to 2004. "Jeff first came to Rocky in June 2001 as a maintenance worker on the west side. According to his co-workers in maintenance, he was very nimble as he scrambled around on the roofs of the comfort stations in the Timber Creek Campground. He returned to Rocky to work as a law enforcement park ranger on the west side during the 2002, 2003 and 2004 summer seasons. He moved to the east side this spring to expand his experience as a park ranger. "Jeff enjoyed skiing, volleyball and softball, hiking, biking and rock climbing. "Jeff is preceded in death by his grandfathers: G.C. L.H. (as). He is survived by his parents, D. and C., of Forest Lake, Minnesota; his grandmothers: A.C. of St. Paul, Minnesota, and A.H. of Pine City, Minnesota; and his two brothers and sister-in-law: J.C. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and B. and J.C. of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. "Rocky Mountain NP was an important part of Jeff's life, as he was an important part of our lives. As we observe the 90th anniversary of the park's establishment, I recall the words of Enos Mills, one of those who worked to establish the park those many years ago. This is a beautiful world, and all who go out under the open "Jeff did his best during his time here at Rocky. He was part of our family. Dale and Chris, I want you to know that you have touched our hearts this past week and that we will continue to honor Jeff here at Rocky every day by protecting the mountains he loved and serving the visitors he served. "Over the years, a lot of people have paid tribute to the employees of the National Park Service. Perhaps it's fitting, then, to close my remarks with the closing words of Director Horace Albright's 1933 farewell letter to his friends and coworkers: We have been compared to the military forces because of our God's speed, Ranger Jeff Christensen. Vaughn Baker, Superintendent, Rocky Mountain National Park ******** "Good morning. My name is Mark Magnuson. I'm the chief ranger here in RMNP. I've had the privilege and the honor to know and work with Jeff these past five years. Dale and Chris, as a father of two boys myself, I can't begin to comprehend the sorrow and loss that you feel. "These past few days, I've attempted to field many questions from the media, and others, about our mission as park rangers, why we often travel alone in the mountains, deserts, and forests. I feel my efforts to explain have too often been inadequate. "So with help from a dear friend and fellow park ranger, I've put together some thoughts that I hope will help to convey just who we are, what we do, and why. "We are rangers. We walk the last of the wild lands, patrolling the interface between man and nature. Ours is the world of the sun and sky, cloud and storm. Ours is the world of flower and tree, rock and mountain. We rest by the waterfall and cool our feet in the deep pools of the glen. The elk and deer, the coyote and fox, our silent companions. The hawk and eagle follow us by day, the owl leads us by night. "We are rangers. We travel alone, silent caretakers of a world fast disappearing. It is not our job, rather it is our honor, to behold that which nature has bestowed upon us. It is not our job, rather it is our privilege, to play some small part in preserving this beauty for our children and their children beyond them. We travel alone, there are few of us, and the task which lays before us is enormous. Some say we face risk, even unnecessary risk, but in our hearts we know that it is nothing compared to the loss of the wilderness. It is nothing compared to the loss of the bear, the cougar, and the wolf. We risk all to protect that which endures beyond our individual selves, that which we love beyond all else. "We are rangers. We treat our fellow man with respect. We understand those who seek solitude in the wild places. We are teachers, to those who wish to tread for the first time on ground made of dirt rather than concrete. We watch in delight at the smile of the visitor who first substitutes the canyons of skyscrapers for that of massive cliffs. "We feel the excitement of the family who first hears the bugle of the elk, the child who sees the bighorn ram, and the grandmother who reviews her life while sitting by the flowing stream. "We are rangers. We keep those who would harm the land as well as those who would harm their fellow man at bay. We care for the sick, search for the lost, assist those who cannot assist themselves. Sometimes we bring home those who would not otherwise return. "Jeff Christiansen was a ranger. He was one of us. We could not feel more honored. Jeff knew who he was. 'If I ever die while at work in the mountains, do not cry for me because you will know that I died doing what I love.' Those were Jeff's precious words, given as a gift to his parents. Those of us who walk the last of the wild lands will not cry for him. We will see him as the sun rises above the peaks. We will hear him as the wind in the trees. We will taste the cold mountain water cascading in the streams and remember him. We will know when the coyote calls that it is Jeff, reminding us all that we are rangers. "John Muir said 'Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.' We will listen to these words and we will do their bidding. Jeff, we do not say good-bye, for the ranger in you will live forever." Mark Magnuson, Chief Ranger, Rocky Mountain National Park ******** Following the service, the colors were carried from the chapel in advance of the casket and NPS bagpiper Mark Daniel played a postlude. A line of honor was formed by rangers, Winter Park ski patrollers, SAR team members, and representatives from more than a dozen agencies. As Jeff was carried out from the chapel, a dispatcher called his number - 233 - over the park's radio system several times, then made a final transmission: "No contact, Ranger 233. Ranger 233 out of service." ******** The funeral service will be in Minnesota today and will be attended by eight rangers from the park, six of whom will be pallbearers. Parks are to return flags to full staff tomorrow (Saturday).
The funeral for Jeff Christensen was held last Friday at Saint Paul's
Church in Ham Lake, Minnesota. More than 1,000 people attended,
including eight representatives from Rocky Mountain NP and another 50 to
60 representatives from Midwest Region parks. Mississippi NR&RA
staff provided much needed local assistance. The Minnesota Law
Enforcement Memorial Association and local police departments also
provided outstanding support, with more than 80 officers providing
traffic control for the three-mile-long process from the church to Union
Cemetery in St. Paul - including shutting down traffic on a busy
metropolitan interstate.
Park staff continued their search yesterday for H.B.-A., 45, of Austin, Texas, who was last seen near the summit of Fairchild Mountain in the Mummy Range at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 28th. H.B.-A. was hiking ahead of his brother, who saw him on the mountain's summit at that time. When his brother reached the summit, though, H.B.-A. was not there. Park dispatch received a phone call from H.B.-A. around 4:30 p.m., then again about 30 minutes later. H.B.-A. said that he was lost. He mentioned that he'd traveled by three lakes and was told by a ranger to return to the last lake that he'd passed. H.B.-A. confirmed that he'd heard the instructions shortly before the cell phone signal was lost. It appears that another call was made from his cell phone around 10:20 p.m. that night, but its unknown if a connection was made. The search began on Sunday evening and continued into Monday, with rangers and other park staff searching near lakes, trails and drainages in the Mummy Range. A helicopter was also utilized to assist with search efforts. Approximately 70 people, two dog teams and two helicopters, including one with thermal imaging capabilities, were committed to the search yesterday. Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group and Alpine Rescue assisted. The Mummy Range is a remote, high altitude, rugged area which includes Fairchild Mountain, Mount Chapin, Mount Chiquita, Ypsilon Mountain and other prominent peaks. There are few designated trails in the area and hiking mainly occurs cross country. [Submitted by Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
The search for hiker J.B.-A., 45, of Austin Texas, who'd been missing since early afternoon last Sunday, came to a successful conclusion yesterday when he was spotted by aerial searchers in the Hague Creek area of the Mummy Range. He was picked up and flown to the park's helibase at Upper Beaver Meadows, where he received medical care. Although tired and hungry, he appeared to be okay. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A motor vehicle accident on the afternoon of September 12th claimed the life of J.W., a 32-year-old visitor from Nashua, New Hampshire. The accident occurred on Old Fall River Road approximately one half mile above Chasm Falls. The preliminary report indicates that J.W. and his wife got out of the vehicle to take photographs. Their two-and-a-half year old son was in the backseat of the vehicle, restrained in a child safety seat. The Hyundai began to roll backwards and J.W. attempted to stop the car by opening the driver's side door and getting in. The car traveled backwards for 25 feet down a steep, rocky embankment, dragging J.W. along, before it came to rest. J.W. sustained multiple traumatic injuries and died at the scene. The child was uninjured. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On January 13th, a woman from Firestone, Colorado, pled guilty to hunting within the park and to possessing a loaded weapon in a vehicle. A male companion pled guilty to possessing a loaded weapon in a national park. On November 19, 2005, rangers received a report of two people wearing hunter blaze orange and carrying a rifle along the Endovalley Road within the park. When they contacted the pair, the woman told them that she had shot a deer near the paved Alluvial Fan Nature Trail. She and her companion had been tracking the animal's blood when rangers arrived. The injured animal was not found, but blood tests confirmed that she'd shot an elk. The woman will pay two $350 fines - one for hunting within a national park, the other for possessing a loaded weapon within a national park. She also forfeited a .243 caliber Weatherby rifle with sling and Tasco scope and a .25 caliber semi-automatic Berretta. The man was fined $200 for possessing a weapon in a national park. The woman was carrying a deer hunting tag for the antlerless season for a hunting unit east of the park and a similar elk tag for a unit west of the park. Both said that they weren't aware that they were in a national park. Endovalley, however, is approximately three miles past the park's Fall River entrance on U.S. Highway 34. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 32-year-old man from Denver and his hiking companion planned to ice climb near Chasm Lake, but when they reached Battle Mountain Junction at 5:30 a.m. on March 11th they separated - the Denver man went on to the lake while his companion returned to the Longs Peak parking area. Their plan was to meet back at the lot by 8:30 a.m. When the former failed to return by 11 a.m., his companion contacted park staff and notified them of the situation, but did not ask for assistance. Early that afternoon, though, the partner, who was hiking back up the trail, asked another hiker heading down the trail to contact the park and ask for help. Rangers left the trailhead at 3:15 p.m. Weather conditions during the day continued to deteriorate, with heavy snowfall throughout the area and white-out conditions reported above tree line (11,500 feet). Search efforts were in the process of winding down due to darkness when the rangers saw a headlamp moving down Mount Lady Washington. They contacted the missing man at 6:50 p.m. at approximately 12,000 feet and found him to be in good condition. The rangers gave him water and food and escorted him down the trail. Although the man was not prepared to spend the night outdoors and lacked snowshoes, he did have food, water and proper clothing for the weather. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 25-year-old man from Golden, Colorado, fell about 30 feet near the Broadway Ledge while on a technical climb of Kiener's Route on the afternoon of Sunday, April 16th. Rangers reached the man just after 8 a.m. on Monday morning as he was descending the North Face of Longs Peak with his climbing partner and two other climbers. They found that he was suffering from an ankle injury and possible frostbite; his partner, a 36-year-old woman, was also suffering from some possible frostbite. Wind gusts in the Boulderfield and at other helicopter landing zones along the Longs Peak trail made it impossible to employ a helicopter to carry out the pair. Rescuers accordingly walked out with them. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
On Wednesday, May 31st, rangers began a search for a 48-year-old Louisiana man. A missing person report had been filed on him the previous Monday, and rangers found his vehicle on Wednesday at the Colorado River trailhead. On Thursday, an employee of the Water Supply and Storage Company, which manages the nearby Grand Ditch water diversion, was hiking in the area and came upon what he believed was an "SOS" symbol marked out in the snow. He notified park staff, and searchers flew to the area and confirmed that he was correct. The searchers continued to fly over the area and soon found the missing man sitting on a rock, flagging the helicopter. The location where he was found was near the point where the Little Yellowstone trail intersects with the Grand Ditch, about six miles from the Colorado River trailhead. They dropped a radio, food and water to him. Ground searchers arrived shortly thereafter, found that he was mobile, and helped him to a nearby road. He was taken to Grandby Medical Center and kept overnight for observation. The man's wife and son traveled to the park from Louisiana and were reunited with him. Park staff are still trying to determine how many days the man was in the park's backcountry before he was found. Approximately 50 people were involved in the search. Rangers were assisted by personnel from the Grand County Sheriff's Office, Grand County SAR, Grand Lake Fire Protection District, Larimer County SAR and the Colorado SAR Board. [Kyle Patterson and Scott Sticha, Public Affairs Specialists]
A two-day search for a missing park volunteer concluded successfully on Saturday afternoon when he was found near Desolation Peaks. S.D., 23, a volunteer working with the park's resource management staff, was returning to base camp late on Friday morning when he got ahead of his NPS companion. His partner yelled to him to slow up, but S.D. evidently did not hear him because of the wind. He was 50 to 100 yards ahead of his partner when last seen and did not show up at their base camp. A search for S.D. began late Friday afternoon. Initial efforts consisted of establishing a containment area along Fall River Road and in the Corral Creek area. On Saturday morning, over 75 people took to the field in the search for him. Park staff were augmented and assisted by ten teams - six of them dog teams - from a total of seven search and rescue organizations. Searchers focused on the area from Lawn Lake Trail west, around the base of their camp, and in the Hague Creek area along the creek up to the tree line and over to Mummy Creek Pass and trail. A helicopter was also utilized in the effort to find him. He was not found on Friday, so the operation resumed on Saturday morning. Around 3:40 p.m., S.D. was found between a quarter and half mile east of the Flatiron backcountry campsite along Hague Creek - north and slightly west from the point where he was last seen. He was flown by helicopter to Upper Beaver Meadows, then taken by a ranger to Estes Park Medical Center for medical treatment. Participating in the search were Larimer County Search and Rescue, Grand County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Routt County Search and Rescue, Arapaho Rescue Patrol, Summit County Rescue, and Garfield County Search and Rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 58-year-old man from Louisville, Colorado, fell about 300 feet to his death near The Loft between Longs Peak and Mount Meeker on the afternoon of Sunday, September 3rd. Two rangers on a climbing patrol witnessed the accident and reached the man within a half hour. They found that he'd sustained massive traumatic injuries and had no pulse. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The man and a friend had hiked to the summit of Mount Meeker that morning and were descending when the accident occurred. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A park visitor came to the Alpine Visitor Center around noon on Thursday, September 14th, and reported a vehicle fire a quarter mile west of the Forest Canyon overlook on Trail Ridge Road. A ranger was on scene within ten minutes, but by that time the 1990 Jeep Wrangler was completely engulfed in flames. The utility trailer that the Jeep was pulling had also caught on fire, as had a small section of tundra near the road. A passerby had picked up the driver and passenger and taken them to Estes Park Medical Center. The driver, 65, sustained serious burns; his wife, 61, suffered only minor burns. The driver was flown to the burn unit at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley. The Estes Park Volunteer Fire Department extinguished the blaze. The cause is being investigated. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On Sunday, November 5th, the park received a call reporting that B.J., 25, of Carrollton, Texas, was missing and had last been seen late that afternoon by his aunt and uncle near an overlook west of Nymph Lake. B.J. was believed to be on the trail that runs up toward Dream Lake and Emerald Lake, so a ranger headed up the two-mile-long trail to look for him. There was no sign of B.J. at Emerald Lake or along the trail, though. Thirteen rangers were then committed to a search of the area, which was covered by nearly two feet of snow. Light snow began to fall, the wind came up, and overnight temperatures dropped into the 30s. The search continued through the night under a full moon. Rangers looked for tracks and shouted and used sirens in an effort to contact B.J., but winds kept sound from traveling far. B.J. was found around 4:30 a.m. just below Lake Haiyaha at about 10,220 feet and approximately two miles from the trailhead. Instead of traveling west toward Emerald Lake from Dream Lake, as was initially discussed, he'd headed south to Lake Haiyaha. He was in good condition and good spirits and was extremely thankful to see park rangers. B.J. was very wet from "post-holing" through deep snow. He was wearing blue jeans under other cotton pants, a waterproof jacket with a hood, and nylon boots - but did not have a hat, gloves or snowshoes. He walked out with the rangers and reached the trailhead about an hour later. Estes Park Medical Center paramedics cleared and released him at the trailhead. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
The blizzard that struck Colorado and neighboring states on Wednesday and Thursday caused temporary closures in NPS offices in the Denver area and at two parks: Rocky Mountain NP - Most operations on the east side of the park closed down around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, except for ranger patrols and plowing. The snow stopped on Wednesday night and the park returned to regular operations on Thursday. As of Wednesday afternoon, from 20 to 30 inches of snow had fallen on the east side of the park, with 26 inches of new snow at Bear Lake - bringing the seasonal total at that location to 57 inches. [Kyle Patterson, ROMO; Ken Mabery, SCBL]
Gusts of up to 100 mph buffeted Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday, blowing some sports utility vehicles off the roads and leading to the closure of the eastern side of the park. Winds were steady between 30 and 50 mph, said park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson, causing blowing and drifting snow, reducing visibility to zero and creating slick road conditions. The park shut down Saturday afternoon because of white-out conditions, Patterson said, and the park urged visitors not to visit on Monday, as gusts of up to 90 mph were expected, decreasing to 60 mph by afternoon. "With that forecast of 90 mph winds, it becomes a pretty futile effort for snowplows," she said. "Roads get drifted as soon as they plow. It's a good time to stay inside right now." Wind and ice caused a few large SUVs to go off the side of the road, but no one was injured. Patterson said Sunday afternoon that the park was not aware of anyone camping in the backcountry. There were no reports of people stranded in the park, she said. Park rangers were keeping their eyes on some cars in parking lots, but Patterson said they could belong to people sledding or snowshoeing. Rangers were planning to check them again on Monday to determine if anyone might be stranded. The National Weather Service is predicting that another storm will move through the area later in the week, possibly bringing more snow and frigid temperatures. The snow could start falling Thursday and last through Saturday, with "significant accumulation" possible late Thursday into Friday. The storm also could bring freezing temperatures with highs not expected to climb out of the single digits by Friday and Saturday. [Submitted by Sara Reed, The Coloradoan]
On Sunday, June 24th, J.B., 22, slid 30 feet on ice and snow in the "Homestretch" area of Longs Peak, sustaining a severe leg injury. The Homestretch is the final scramble to the summit of 14,259-foot Longs Peak. J.B. ended up about 200 feet below the summit. A ranger was flown to the area to assess his injuries. Two rangers started hiking to his location from the trailhead, while a team comprised of another six rangers was flown to the peak to conduct a technical rescue. J.B. was lifted to the mountaintop, picked up by an air ambulance, and flown to the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. Longs Peak is still considered a technical climb, and hikers are encouraged to use crampons and ice axes. The good weather made it possible to employ a helicopter, which is often not the case. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On Wednesday, August 8th, park staff rescued a seriously injured climber in the Lumpy Ridge Area of the park. Just before noon, a 36-year-old visitor from Boston suffered a serious injury to one of his legs in a rock fall in the descent gully between Batman Pinnacle and Batman Rock. Rangers, including a park medic, reached him about 90 minutes later. The first part of the carryout involved a difficult, 200-foot vertical lowering. The remaining 800 vertical feet from that point was a mix of steep terrain, including large boulders, scree and loose rock. At 7:20 p.m., the victim was flown by Flight for Life to Medical Center of the Rockies. Due to aggressive patient management, park personnel are being credited with saving both life and limb. Approximately 17 park staff were involved in this incident. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the morning of Saturday, August 11th, C.P., 25, of Seattle, Washington, was seriously hurt while bouldering alone about two miles up the East Inlet trail. She initially fell 10 to 15 feet, then rolled another 20 to 25 feet down loose talus rock and scree. Fortunately, a hiker along the trail heard her fall and called for help via a cell phone. C.P. suffered numerous serious injuries and contusions. A number of park staff, with assistance from Grand County Search and Rescue, conducted a low-angle rescue and evacuation over the difficult terrain. The carryout took more than three hours. C.P. was flown to St. Anthony's Hospital in Denver by Flight for Life. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A hiker called park dispatch via cell phone at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, August 20th, to report the discovery of a seriously-injured woman near The Ledges at the 13,000-foot elevation along the Longs Peak trail. S.T., 48, of Chaska, Minnesota, had evidently taken a 200-foot tumbling fall from the False Keyhole area around 4 p.m. on the previous afternoon. It's unclear whether she tried to call for help that afternoon or whether there was anyone in the vicinity when she fell. The hikers heard her calling while heading up the trail Monday morning. Rangers left the trailhead at 9 a.m. and reached her two hours later. She was found to be conscious, with head and other injuries. A complicated high angle rescue began just before noon. Townsend was packaged in a litter and brought 200 vertical feet up to the False Keyhole. Park staff then lowered her 400 to 500 vertical feet on the north side of the False Keyhole down to the Boulderfield. Townsend was carried from there to a landing zone, then flown by a Flight for Life helicopter to a hospital. Temperatures were near freezing and it was windy at that elevation on Monday night. There were 25 park staff involved in this rescue. They were assisted by a paramedic from Estes Park Medical Center and ten members of Larimer County Search and Rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of Saturday, September 1st, T.(T.)J., 56, and M.J., 49, were dropped off at the Chapin Pass trailhead on Fall River Road in the northern portion of the park. They had a backcountry permit to stay at the Flatiron backcountry campsite near Hague Creek that night. On Sunday, their plan was to hike north via the Cache la Poudre River trail and Big South trail out to the Big South trailhead. On Monday night, their car was located outside of the park at that trailhead. Nobody in their family has heard from them since Saturday. Rangers are working on containment and confinement of the area near the Chapin Pass trailhead and of the Mummy Pass trail leading in from Corral Creek. Other backcountry campers who were staying at sites in the same area Saturday night are being contacted to see whether the J.'s made it to their Flatiron campsite. This would help narrow down a point last seen for the couple. Larimer County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services and Larimer County Search and Rescue are searching trails outside of the park in the Comanche Peak wilderness area. Both of the J.'s are experienced backpackers with gear and equipment to spend the night outdoors. Neither has any pre-existing medical conditions. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A major, inter-agency search for a couple who failed to return from a hiking trip in the park last weekend came to a happy conclusion yesterday morning when they were spotted by a Civil Air Patrol searcher who'd seen smoke coming from a cliff on the other side of the Big South trailhead. T.J., 56, and M.J., 49, were found to be tired but in good health and able to walk out of the area with the assistance of SAR personnel. The J.'s were dropped off at the Chapin Pass trailhead on Fall River Road in the northern portion of the park last Saturday. They had a backcountry permit to stay at the Flatiron backcountry campsite near Hague Creek that night. On Sunday, their plan was to hike north via the Cache la Poudre River trail and Big South trail out to the Big South trailhead, but did not show up as planned. A search was begun earlier in the week. The J.'s told authorities that they took a wrong turn and decided to stay put at the location where they were found once they determined that they were lost. Their greatest concern was that they were unable to notify their family and friends to let them know they were okay. They said that they survived on mushrooms and berries after using everything in their backpacks. [Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain NP; Kathy Messick, Larimer County Sheriff's Office]
B.S., 56, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was dropped off at the Lawn Lake trailhead to climb 13,425-foot-high Mummy Mountain at 7 a.m. on the morning of Monday, September 24th. He failed to return to the trailhead to meet his wife as scheduled that afternoon, and she reported him as overdue at 8 p.m. The weather above tree line on Monday was wintry (Trail Ridge Road was closed due to snow and ice on Sunday afternoon). The park began searching for B.S. with hasty teams early on Tuesday morning. An area search by helicopter was begun at mid-morning and a dog team began working the area in the afternoon. No sign of B.S. was found that day. At 6:30 p.m., a group of four searchers from the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group hiking into Lawn Lake encountered B.S., who was hiking out on the same trail. He was in good condition. They notified the incident command post that he'd been found - just as his wife and two other family members were arriving for an evening briefing. B.S. arrived at the trailhead just after 8 p.m., where he conducted a brief interview with the media before being reunited with his wife and family at the ICP. He was debriefed by incident commander Cindy Purcell and her team. B.S. said that he'd become disoriented in whiteout conditions while descending the peak and had entered the wrong drainage. After discovering his mistake, he tried to retrace his steps and ran out of daylight. He crawled into a small "cave," stacked rocks around him, covered himself with a plastic bag, a "rescue blanket" and clothing items he had with him, and weathered the night above tree line while 60 to 70 mph winds blew through the area. Both of his water bottles froze solid. He stayed in place until 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning, when the weather had greatly improved and the sun had come out, then worked his way back toward the area he had come from, sat on a high point for three hours after seeing a helicopter, and finally made his way back to the Black Canyon and Lawn Lake trails, where he was found. He required no medical treatment. Media interest was considerable. [Larry Frederick, Acting PIO]
Two 68-year-old men hiking on the Sandbeach Lake trail in Wild Basin on Tuesday afternoon were hit by a falling tree during a period of high winds. One was stunned by the hit, the other was killed. Winds that afternoon were in the 20 to 30 mph range, with gusts as high as 50 mph. A dead Douglas fir tree about 30 feet off the trail broke off 15 feet above the ground and fell on the two men. The hiker who was stunned found that his companion was unresponsive, so hiked two miles to the trailhead and reported the accident with assistance from the staff at Wild Basin Lodge. Park dispatch was notified around 3:30 p.m. and rangers hiked from Estes Park to the location of the accident. Upon arrival, the rangers, who were joined by a nurse/paramedic who is a member of the Allenspark Fire Department, determined that the second hiker had suffered fatal injuries. Eleven rangers and members of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group hiked in to recover the body and carry it to a waiting coroner's vehicle. The first hiker was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Hospital for observation. Jim Sanborn was incident commander; Patty Shafer is the investigating ranger. [Submitted by Larry Frederick, Chief of Interpretation and Education]
On Sunday, March 2nd, a 32-year-old climber fell on The Squid, a popular ice climb above Emerald Lake. She fell approximately 35 feet and landed on a rock shelf, suffering serious injuries to her pelvis and lower leg. Her climbing partners were able to lower her to the ground and then contacted park dispatch by cell phone. Park employees responded, provided medical care, then lowered her approximately 120 meters down a very steep snow slope using a belay. They then skied her out in a toboggan approximately two miles to an ambulance waiting at the Bear Lake trailhead. She was taken to Estes Park Medical Center, then transported by ambulance to Boulder Community Hospital. Due to the nature of her injuries and the location of this accident, this was likely a life saving rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Information Officer]
On May 13th, a ranger investigating a suspicious vehicle in the Endovalley picnic area came upon a woman in the car who was in the process of attempting suicide. She had blood stains on her hands, a razor blade, and medications in the center console. There was a strong odor of alcohol in the car, which was later attributed to her having a very high blood alcohol level of .259. The ranger found that she had two deep wrist lacerations, both of which appeared to be fresh. Other rangers responded along with an ambulance from Estes Park. The woman was placed in protective custody and her wounds treated. Several knives were subsequently found in the vehicle. While being transported to Estes Park Medical Center and after her arrival there, the woman was extremely combative, and restraints failed to keep her under control. Medics and a ranger on board the ambulance had to use physical control techniques to manage the situation. The woman was later taken to a psychiatric facility. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On May 25th, a 31-year-old Loveland, Colorado, man fell approximately 35 meters while climbing in the upper portion of Hallett Chimney on the north face of Hallett Peak. He sustained numerous significant injuries in the fall and was lowered to the base of the multi-pitch mixed route by his climbing partner. Rangers treated injuries on scene and lowered him the remaining distance down steep snow to a point near Emerald Lake where he was transported by toboggan (winter conditions prevailed) to an awaiting ambulance at the Bear Lake Trailhead. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 66-year-old Fort Collins man fell to his death above Emerald Lake on Saturday, June 7th. Witnesses said that he took a tumble fall of at least 500 feet on a steep snow slope above the lake's western edge. One of them called the park via cell phone at 3 p.m. When others reached him about 15 minutes later, they found he'd suffered massive trauma and had evidently died during the fall. Rangers were on scene by 5 p.m. and carried the body out. The man was mountaineering and was wearing crampons and a helmet. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On Tuesday, June 17th, rangers responded to a report of an injured hiker on Eagle Cliff Mountain. A 22-year-old employee from the nearby YMCA of the Rockies camp was scrambling on rock when he slipped and took a tumbling fall of approximately 20 feet, sustaining multiple traumatic injuries. He also suffered from an underlying medical condition which complicated his overall status. A park medic provided advanced life support and an evacuation team carried him out via litter, a process that required numerous low-angle lowerings and a wheeled litter carryout to a waiting ambulance. He was then taken to Estes Park Medical Center and treated by a trauma team. [Kyle Patterson, PAO]
A group of eight visitors from Texas - a family of seven with a friend - were hiking on the Glacier Gorge trail near Mills Lake early on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 8th, when a thunderstorm passed over the area. Lightning hit nearby and three of them - two men and a woman - were thrown to the ground. All three received minor burns from the lightning and sustained additional injuries when they hit the ground. Another visitor called park dispatch via cell phone and reported the incident. As rangers headed to the area, the three injured visitors hiked down to the trailhead. They were treated there by rangers and medical personnel from the Estes Park Medical Center, but declined further medical care. [Kyle Patterson, PAO]
On Thursday, July 24th, a 42-year-old man from Berthoud, Colorado, was backpacking with a dozen young people and a second group leader when he suffered a heart attack while en route to their backcountry group campsite. The incident occurred on the Chapin Creek trail about a mile-and-a-half from the trailhead at an elevation of 10,500 feet. The other group leader hiked out to the trailhead, drove to the Alpine Visitor Center, and reported the incident. He said that his partner had a history of heart disease and was displaying symptoms consistent with a heart attack. Two ranger-medics hiked from the trailhead to the man's location, and a medevac helicopter was launched from Summit County within 20 minutes of receiving the park's request for assistance, arriving on scene with the rangers within five minutes. The victim was stabilized and airlifted to the Medical Center of the Rockies. [Kyle Patterson, PAO]
A 58-year-old man was seriously injured on the evening of Friday, July 25th, when his vehicle went off Trail Ridge Road near the Gore Range overlook around 8:30 p.m., then rolled numerous times for over 500 feet downslope from the road. He was able to crawl out of the car, then laid next to it all night until a visitor spotted the wreck around 7:30 a.m. the following morning and notified the park. Rangers found that he'd suffered multiple injuries, and he was flown by a Lifeguard helicopter to the Medical Center of the Rockies. The accident is under investigation. [Kyle Patterson, PAO]
A 40-year-old visitor who attempted to solo ski Andrews Glacier along the Continental Divide apparently fell to his death during the afternoon of September 30th. Dispatch was notified by concerned friends that he was overdue on the night of September 30th. A cursory search began that night at probable trailheads and confirmed that his vehicle was parked and unoccupied at Glacier Gorge trailhead. A hasty search was begun the next morning by rescue rangers and the missing man's friends. His body was found near the bottom of Andrews Glacier and extricated by helicopter that afternoon. Family members are being notified and the investigation is on-going. [Mark C. McCutcheon, Acting Chief Ranger]
On the evening of Tuesday, December 30th, staff on the park's west side were asked to assist the Grand County Sheriff's Office with a search tor two snowmobilers lost in the Arapaho National Forest. The pair - J.R. 49, of Cold Spring, Minnesota, and his 20-year-old son, T.R. - had gotten stuck in deep snow on the south side of the Bowen Gulch drainage. The two men had sent text messages to their family saying that they were stuck and lost and that they had started a fire to keep warm. On Wednesday, using a map made after the text signal pinpointed the pair's location, district ranger Mark McCutcheon and two other rangers from the park skied three miles to the general area and located the lost snowmobilers, who were hiking through three feet of snow. The two men were in an area of the Never Summer Wilderness Area in the Arapaho National Forest that is officially closed to snowmobilers. They said that they had become disoriented. Rangers gave the pair snowshoes, food and water, and assisted them in walking out. Snowmobiling is allowed on the North Supply access trail in J.R. Mountain National Park, a two-mile-long trail which provides access between Grand Lake and 100 miles of snowmobile trails on the adjacent national forest. Rangers often are called to assist with snowmobile-related incidents outside of the park. On Saturday, December 27th, two snowmobilers from Colorado were killed in an avalanche in Grand County. Rangers assisted with the recovery efforts. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Park dispatch received a call reporting a stranded climber in the Lumpy Ridge area of the park around 5:30 p.m. on January 16th. A 17-year-old girl from Estes Park was climbing with friends when she got stuck about 200 feet above the ground, unable to climb either up or down. She had no climbing equipment and was wearing a t-shirt and leggings. The caller was unable to specify her exact location. Park staff asked the Estes Park Volunteer Fire Department to use spotlights to illuminate the Twin Owls area of Lumpy Ridge in an effort to locate the climber. She was found on lower Twin Owls, 200 feet up on the route known as Organ Pipes. Park staff arrived above her at 7:10 p.m. They lowered a park rescue person to her location, who reached her at 7:25 p.m.. He secured her with climbing equipment and gave her warmer clothing. Park staff lowered them both to the ground. The girl was able to walk out with park staff and they reached the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead at 9:30 p.m. She was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center for further evaluation. Approximately 15 park staff were involved in addition to personnel from other agencies, including Estes Park Volunteer Fire Department, Estes Park Police Department and Estes Park Medical Center. Park staff feel this was truly a life saving rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A staff member from the west side of the park came upon a burned vehicle off U.S. 34 just south of the Kawuneeche Visitor Center at 7 a.m. on the morning of April 29th. There was the body of a person inside. An investigation is ongoing by the FBI, Rocky Mountain National Park and the Grand County Sheriff's Office. No further information is available at this time. [Kyle Patterson, Public Information Officer]
Two backcountry skiers came upon an injured 57-year-old man at the base of Ptarmigan Glacier late on Tuesday morning. He'd taken a tumbling fall (distance unknown) on Monday morning while mountaineering in the area and had been lying at that location for 24 hours when the skiers showed up. One of the skiers contacted park dispatch via cell phone and reported the accident. A park rescue team responded to the location, which was at the 11,000-foot elevation (above treeline) and about five miles from Bear Lake trailhead. Two rangers reached him at 3:30 p.m. and found that he was conscious but suffering from numerous injuries. Winds at the time were blowing at about 75 miles per hour, making a helicopter evacuation impossible. The rescue team therefore evacuated him via wheeled litter. They reached the Bear Lake trailhead around 10:30 p.m. and transferred him to an ambulance for transport to Estes Creek Medical Center. The victim was alone at the time of his accident and had not been reported as overdue. It appears that an avalanche may have caused his fall. The two skiers saw the man from a distance, but he at first appeared to be part of the rocky terrain. When they got to him, they provided him with warm clothing, fluids and food, moved him from avalanche-prone terrain, and stayed with him - likely saving his life. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Two climbers - one 40, the other 15 - fell and were injured below Hallett Peak near Emerald Lake on the afternoon of June 9th. They'd been climbing through snow in a steep, rocky area about two-and-a-half miles from the Bear Lake trailhead. Rangers were notified of the accident via cell phone in mid-afternoon. The first rangers reached the two injured men at about 4 p.m. Twenty-five park staff were involved in the rescue, assisted by personnel from Larimer County Search and Rescue. The rescue involved a technical lowering and litter carryout. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the morning of July 6th, a 54-year-old woman from Enid, Oklahoma, was posing for a photograph next to Glacier Creek along Bear Lake Road when she slipped and fell and was swept 15 to 20 yards downstream before she was able to pull herself up on a rock and hold on to a shrub. Her husband drove to Moraine Park Visitor Center to get help. Rangers were on scene just after noon. They were able to use a rope to get a life jacket, helmet and additional clothing to the woman. Personnel from Estes Park Dive Rescue, Estes Park Volunteer Fire Department, and Estes Park Ambulance assisted the rangers. Dive Rescue deployed an inflatable boat to reach the woman and get her to dry land. A section of Bear Lake Road was closed for almost an hour during the incident. The woman suffered from hypothermia and a broken wrist and was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the morning of July 24th, a 64-year-old man from Estes Park fell approximately 10 feet in the "Trough" area of Longs Peak and suffered a head laceration, an ankle injury, numerous abrasions and back pain. A hiker reported this incident at noon to a park ranger who was on a backcountry patrol in the Boulderfield area of Longs Peak. The ranger reached the victim at 12:50 p.m. With assistance from the ranger, the man was able to get to the "Ledges," which is at the base of the "Trough." Another park ranger joined him and the first ranger at 5:00 p.m. The group made its way to the Agnes Vaille shelter, located at 13,150 feet. The man was then taken by litter to the Boulderfield area, picked up by a helicopter, and flown to a hospital. Recent photos of the "Trough" and the "Ledges" can be found on the park's website at: HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/road_conditions.htm" [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
The county sheriff's office received a 911 call regarding an injury on Mount Ida early on the afternoon of Saturday, August 8th, and passed it on to the park. A 32-year-old man had taken a 20-foot tumbling, sliding fall near the mountain's summit and suffered cuts, bruises and a broken leg. Two rangers reached him several hours later. They found him positioned on loose rock and scree a few hundred feet below the ridgeline. A litter team of seven rangers headed to the location, but had to turn back due to darkness. Five rangers stayed with the man and his hiking partner overnight. On Sunday morning, the litter team, accompanied by two park medics, hiked up to the site, set up a low-angle technical rescue to bring him 200 feet up toward the summit, and moved him to a position where he could be lifted out by helicopter. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of September 1st, a 53-year-old man from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, took a 25-foot tumbling fall in the "Trough" area of Longs Peak. The "Trough" is a long, steep gully with loose rocks. The man and his son, who is in his mid 20s, had climbed to the summit of Longs Peak and were descending when the incident occurred. The man suffered numerous injuries, including a leg injury and numerous bruises and abrasions. A few bystanders tried calling for assistance around 5:30 p.m. on their cell phones, but the calls were dropped after limited information was given to park dispatch. The dispatcher was only able to hear that a hiker was in distress near the "Trough." The two men had camped on Monday night and were planning to camp again on Tuesday night at a backcountry campsite at the Boulderfield. Not knowing whether rangers had been contacted, the son hiked down to their camping gear and hiked back up, bringing a sleeping bag, first aid kit, food and water to his father. He then proceeded to hike down to the Longs Peak trailhead. Two rangers, responding to the earlier calls, met the son on the trail at 8:30 p.m. roughly two miles from the trailhead. The two rangers proceeded to the Boulderfield and spent the night there. At first light Wednesday morning, they hiked through the "Ledges" to the injured man, reaching him at 6:00 a.m. Two teams of rangers and a paramedic from the Estes Park Medical Center left the Longs Peak trailhead at 3:00 a.m. and at 5:00 a.m. to support the two rangers on scene. With assistance from the initial two rangers, the man was able to move slowly to the Keyhole area. He was flown from the Boulderfield (elevation around 12,760 feet) at 10:30 a.m. by St. Anthony's Lifeguard One to Medical Center of the Rockies. Eighteen park staff were involved in this incident. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 62-year-old woman from Boulder fell between 25 and 50 feet into a creek while hiking on the Fern Lake trail early on the afternoon of Friday, September 4th. Other hikers contacted park dispatch by cell phone and reported the incident shortly thereafter, but it was unclear from these calls just where the accident had occurred or the extent of the woman's injuries. Two rangers headed out from the Fern Lake trailhead around 1 p.m. and arrived at her location, which turned out to be about five-and-a-half miles up the trail, a little less than two hours later. Meanwhile, more calls were received, fixing the location of the accident, and other rangers headed in from the Bear Lake trailhead, about three-and-a-half miles away. The rangers found the woman hypothermic and with a lowered level of consciousness. CPR was begun and continued for over an hour. Cardiac medications and an AED were also employed, but unsuccessfully. The woman was pronounced dead at 6 p.m. The Larimer County Coroner's Office will determine cause of death. Twenty-two people were involved in the operation, including a team from Larimer County Search and Rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the night of Thursday, September 10th, the park was notified that J.B., 55, of Littleton, Colorado, had failed to return from a hike to Longs Peak that day. A search was begun the following morning. At the same time, an off-duty park employee found the body of an unidentified man below the False Keyhole on Longs Peak. It appears that the man died from injuries incurred in a significant fall from the north side of the peak. It's not yet known if he's the missing man. The Boulder County Coroner's Office is working to identify the man and determine the cause of death. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 27-year-old woman from Golden, Colorado, was severely injured on Wednesday afternoon when her car went off Bear Lake Road, rolled over, and came to rest on its wheels in Glacier Creek. Rangers responded along with personnel from the Estes Park volunteer fire department medical center and dive team. She was extricated from the car, then airlifted to the Medical Center of the Rockies. The woman was not wearing a seatbelt. Colorado State Patrol officers are assisting rangers with the accident investigation. At this time, the cause of the accident is unknown. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the evening of Saturday, June 12th, a 20-year-old woman reported to rangers that she had been attacked near the Glacier Creek Trail. She said that she was taking a break from trail running in the area when she was attacked from behind by a man. The assailant was reported to be a white male, wearing a black windbreaker, physically fit and between 5'4" and 5'9" tall. She was able to fight him off and ran down the trail to call for help. She then called park dispatch and reported the attack. A ranger took her to Estes Park Medical Center, where she was treated for a minor injury and released. The investigation is ongoing. On Saturday night, rangers contained the area and increased patrols in nearby Glacier Basin Campground, about a half mile from the location of the attack. The Estes Park Police Department and Larimer County Sheriff's Office were notified. Rangers continue to gather information and have increased patrols in the area. Anyone in the vicinity of the attack Saturday night or with information pertaining to this incident is asked to call the park at 970-586-1204. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Yesterday afternoon, the park received a cell phone call reporting that a 28-year-old Colorado man had fallen 150 feet down a slope south and west of The Narrows on Longs Peak. A ranger was flown to the summit by helicopter and hiked down to the man, reaching him around 4 p.m. He had numerous injuries, but was conscious and stable. Rangers employed a short-haul helicopter and a team from Grand Teton NP that had been assigned to the Cow Creek Fire to evacuate the man from the peak. He was short-hauled to the Boulderfield on at 7 p.m., where a Flight for Life helicopter picked him up and took him to St. Anthony's Hospital. There were approximately 30 rescuers involved in this incident, including members from Rocky Mountain Rescue who were on standby in case assistance was needed for a ground evacuation. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
The park received a call from the Civil Air Patrol on Thursday afternoon, reporting that two HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Locator_Transmitter" ELTsignals had been received from a downed aircraft near Milner Pass. Rangers searched the area with binoculars from several locations on Trail Ridge Road, but saw neither smoke nor any sign of the plane. Two CAP members flew to the area that evening and confirmed the ELT beacon in upper Forest Canyon. They also reported seeing two points of light - possibly fires - in the same general area. Rangers began hiking to the remote location and found the two occupants of the plane around 6:40 a.m. Pilot J.M., 54, and his daughter T.M., 18, both from Wisconsin, had walked away from their single-engine American Champion aircraft with only minor injuries. The plane crashed in heavy timber. Its wings were folded back, but the cockpit remained intact. Neither of the J.M.'s lost consciousness in the accident. They got out of the plane because of concern that it might catch fire, built a shelter from plane debris, and started two signal fires. A helicopter from Grand Teton that was stationed at Rocky Mountain to assist with the Cow Creek Fire flew to a landing zone near the crash site, picked up the J.M.'s, and flew them out. The FAA and NTSB will be investigating. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers received a call yesterday afternoon from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center, reporting that they'd received an emergency activation signal from a HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPOT_Satellite_Messenger" SPOTdevice from a point near Lost Lake in the northeast section of the park. Two rangers, one a park medic, flew to the location in a Grand Teton NP helicopter that is in the park to support operations on the Cow Creek Fire. They found a 27-year-old man who'd suffered a broken leg after sliding 30 yards down a snowfield above the lake. He was flown out and taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of a 29-year-old man from Rhode Island was found by a hiker along the Keyhole Route around the 13,000-foot elevation on Longs Peak early on the morning of Friday, July 16th. He evidently fell from 250 to 300 feet to his death. A park trail crew that was camping near the Boulderfield was on scene within two hours; rangers were flown to Boulderfield and hiked in, joining the trail crew around 11 a.m. The man's body was flown out and transferred to the county coroner. The victim was in a hiking party with three others, who had stayed behind at their backcountry camping site at the Boulderfield and were not with him at the time of the accident. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
W.E., 27, of nearby Boulder, Colorado, was on a technical climb on Stettner's Ledges near Mills Glacier on Longs Peak on Saturday afternoon when he took a 20-foot lead fall, seriously injuring both ankles. Two rangers on backcountry patrol near the summit of Longs Peak reached W.E. within a little over two hours, picking up search and rescue gear at the nearby Chasm shelter on the way. W.E.'s climbing partner had safely lowered him another three pitches, making it easier for rangers to assist him. Although W.E. could not put weight on his feet, he and his climbing partner tried to move as far down on the snowfield as possible. The two rangers, assisted by eight other climbers who were in the area, carried gear and the litter with W.E. on it to a helicopter landing zone near Chasm Lake. A Flight for Life helicopter from St. Anthony's Hospital then flew W.E. to Boulder Community Hospital. The rangers have expressed their gratitude for the assistance they received from climbers in the area. Although all of the climbers happened to be from Boulder, they were all in different groups. The rescue efforts made for a long day for the climbers, as they had all left the Longs Peak trailhead before dawn. Their assistance to park rangers in carrying W.E. to the landing zone enabled the helicopter to be able to fly out during daylight hours. Because of their assistance, additional park staff did not have to hike to the area, allowing them to focus on other operations on a busy Saturday in July in the park. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of July 20th, rangers learned that C.D., a 27-year-old climber from Fort Collins, had gotten stuck while descending a section of The Diamond on Longs Peak. C.D. found herself off the fixed rappel route while descending and was unable to ascend or climb to the correct rappel station. She and her partner tried to resolve the situation for about two hours, but were unsuccessful. C.D. was able to set up an anchor and attach herself to the wall while her partner rappelled to the base of Mills Glacier and went to get help. She was well prepared with clothing to help her weather the elements; a heavy rainstorm moved through the area at 5:30 p.m. At 7:15 p.m. four rangers who specialize in climbing and mountain rescue were flown to the 14,259-foot summit of Longs Peak. They then descended from the summit to Table Ledge on the upper part of The Diamond, where they established an anchor system to lower one ranger to C.D.'s location. The ranger reached her at 12:15 a.m. and gave her dry clothes, food and water. The ranger was able to assist the stranded climber up the fixed ropes to Table Ledge and back up to the summit of Longs Peak via the upper Kiener's Route, a vertical gain in altitude of approximately 700 feet and a distance over terrain of approximately 1,200 feet. They reached the summit at 3:00 a.m. Rain continued off and on through the evening and the temperature was 39 degrees. C.D. was rescued without incident, warmed and fed at the summit, and flown out at 8:00 a.m. Due to the inclement weather, the last ranger and helicopter crew member weren't flown off the summit until 10:00 a.m. There were roughly 25 people involved in this rescue operation, including five members of Rocky Mountain Rescue who were on standby to assist park rangers if a carry-out was necessary. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers were notified of an overdue backcountry skier early yesterday morning, The 40-year-old Colorado man was reported to be an experienced backcountry skier. He planned on hiking to Finch Lake on Saturday and skiing on a nearby snowfield. Rangers found the man's car at the Finch Lake trailhead and began looking for him. They found his body on a snowfield above Cony Lake in the Hutcheson Lakes drainage near the park's southern boundary, about ten miles from the nearest trailhead. It will be recovered today. The cause of death is not yet known. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Members of a park trail crew working near Lost Lake on the morning of July 23rd were contacted by a visitor and told that a 15-year-old boy hiking with a group near Lake Dunraven was ill and needed help. The lake is at 11,600 feet and about 11 miles from the North Fork trailhead. The 15-year-old, who was complaining of chest pain and nausea, had pre-existing health conditions, including asthma. The trail crew hiked to his location, arriving at 1:35 p.m. Due to the young man's condition, acceptable weather conditions and an appropriate helicopter landing zone nearby, rangers requested assistance from Flight for Life from St. Anthony Hospital. The Flight for Life reached the landing zone in Upper Beaver Meadows around 4 p.m. and flew the boy to the Medical Center of the Rockies. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers received a phone call late yesterday morning reporting an injured man on Longs Peak. He'd been found by hikers in the area of The Narrows at roughly 13,800 feet. According to the initial reports, the 31-year-old Minnesota man had hiked to the peak the day before and spent an unplanned night in the backcountry. He was conscious and able to walk slowly with assistance, but was unable to recall what had caused his injuries. As a trail crew headed to his location, dispatch received additional calls from visitors who reported that they were helping the man down the trail and were also providing him with dry clothing, food and water. The crew reached him in early afternoon at The Ledges. Based on an assessment of his injuries, including numerous burns, it was determined that he'd been struck by lightning sometime late on Tuesday. The trail crew provided immediate care and got the man to the Agnes Vaille shelter, where they waited out an intense storm with lightning, hail, heavy rains and low temperatures. They then resumed their slow hike down the trail and connected with rangers at The Boulderfield around 4 p.m. The rangers provided him with emergency medical care. He was then littered to a location where a medevac helicopter was able to pick him up and take him to St. Anthony Central. About 35 people were involved with this rescue, including a paramedic from Estes Park Medical Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On Tuesday, August 10th, rangers conducted three rescue operations over the course of about nine hours. At 9 a.m., the park was notified via cell phone that a 22-year-old woman with a knee injury was 200 feet below the summit of Longs Peak. Visitors and park staff helped her get to the Boulderfield, where she was picked up and flown by helicopter to Upper Beaver Meadows. She was then taken by ground ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. At noon, rangers learned that a 55-year-old visitor from Kentucky had fallen and injured her leg on the Tonahutu Trail on the west side of the park about ten miles from the trailhead. Rangers on horseback reached her just after 5 p.m. She was brought out of the backcountry on horseback. At 2 p.m., a report was received that a 62-year-old woman had fallen and broken her ankle on the Gem Lake Trail. Rangers carried her out on a wheeled litter, then transferred her to an ambulance that took her to Estes Park Medical Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Early on the morning of August 27th, park dispatch received a report of a probable climbing fatality from climbing ranger Kevin Sturmer. Sturmer saw the climber fall about 800 feet from the North Chimney route on the east face of Longs Peak. Park SAR personnel reached the victim's location on the Mills Glacier; he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter via radio link by the Boulder County coroner. An investigation is underway into the cause of his death. [Mark C. McCutcheon, Acting Chief Ranger]
Three hikers on the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak saw a hiker take a 300-foot fall early on the afternoon of September 25th. Rangers were advised via cell phone and were on scene about three hours later. The hiker did not survive his fall. At the time of the report, his identity had not yet been determined. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers received a cell phone call just before noon on Saturday reporting that a climber had fallen on Taylor Glacier. They reached the climber's body late that afternoon and determined that the man had taken a tumbling fall of more than a thousand feet to his death. The climber, J.P., 54, was ascending with two companions and took their rope when he fell, leaving the others stranded near the top of Taylor Glacier just below the ridgeline between Taylor Peak and Powell Peak. They were able to anchor themselves in place until help arrived. Two rangers reached the ridgeline above the pair late on Saturday afternoon and belayed the two climbers up to their location. The cause of the accident is under investigation. This was the park's fifth falling fatality this year. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A visitor contacted park dispatch on Saturday afternoon and reported a climbing-related fatality on the All Mixed Up climbing route above Mills Lake on Thatchtop Mountain. The man who was hilled was part of a two-person climbing team; his partner was uninjured. Due to the remote location, difficult terrain, limited daylight hours and weather conditions, the park's technical rescue team had to wait until early Sunday morning to head to the scene. Assisting were other park personnel and members of Rocky Mountain Rescue and Larimer County Search and Rescue. The accident is under investigation. The All Mixed Up route is closed until it's completed. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
The park received a cell phone call yesterday afternoon reporting that a 55-year-old Chicago man had taken a significant tumbling, sliding fall of about 900 feet while backcountry skiing with companions near the east face of Flattop Mountain on "The Drift." Rangers left the Bear Lake trailhead at approximately 2 p.m. and reached the man an hour later. They found that he had sustained numerous injuries. They began descending the slope and snow-packed trail just before 5 p.m., dealing with extremely cold temperatures, high winds, and whiteout conditions. They reached the trailhead around 6:30 p.m. The man was taken to Estes Park Medical Center by ambulance and flown from there to Medical Center of the Rockies. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A long and challenging rescue came to an end around 11:30 p.m. last Saturday when rescuers carried an injured woman out of the backcountry to a waiting ambulance. R.S., a 20-year-old student from Massachusetts who is attending the University of Colorado in Boulder, suffered a serious fall earlier that morning. She was in a party of five who left the Longs Peak Trailhead at 4 a. m. with the goal of climbing 13,191-foot Mount Meeker. Around 8 a.m., members of the party put on their crampons to start across a steep icy slope above Peacock Pool in the Chasm Lake area just east of Longs Peak. R.S. fell and slid 200 feet down the slope, incurring multiple injuries. Her party activated a SPOT satellite GPS messenger device, alerting the International Emergency Coordination Center in Texas. The park received a call from the center shortly thereafter and rangers were sent to the trailhead to hike into Chasm Lake. Around 10 a.m., they came upon two members of the party, who confirmed the location and nature of the accident. Additional personnel responded as rangers continued to the accident scene, arriving around noon. They treated R.S., who remained alert and stable throughout the rescue. Personnel from the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group in Boulder and Larimer Country Search and Rescue and a paramedic from Estes Park Medical Center soon arrived to assist. Rescuers began the arduous task of raising her 200 feet and carefully moving her toward Chasm Junction, arriving there around 5:20 p.m. A total of 22 rescuers then carried R.S. roughly three miles to the Longs Peak Trailhead. R.S. was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. [Larry Frederick, Chief of Interpretation and Education]
A visitor contacted a trail crew working near Calypso Cascades in the Wild Basin area last Thursday afternoon and reported that a 53-year-old man had fallen near Ouzel Falls and was seriously injured. The trail crew was on scene within 30 minutes and found a visitor assisting the injured man. A park medic arrived about two hours later and found that the man had suffered numerous traumatic injuries and needed advanced life support. A team of 20 rangers and trail crew members, assisted by seven Rocky Mountain Rescue volunteers, brought the man down through deep snow on a rescue toboggan and then employed a wheeled litter to traverse the lower section of the trail. The man was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. While the cause of this accident is still under investigation, backcountry users have been advised to be aware of the unusually deep snow and high water in the backcountry, which are creating additional early season hazards that must be accounted for when travelling beyond the trailhead. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
A 30-year-old Toronto man was bicycling on Trail Ridge Road last Thursday when he was blown over by a heavy wind gust and suffered numerous traumatic injuries. He was about a quarter mile east of Lava Cliffs when knocked over by thunderstorm winds that exceeded 45 mph and sustained serious pelvis and head injuries, even though wearing a helmet. He and his companion were both suffering from hypothermia as well when rangers got to the scene. The injured cyclist was taken by an Estes Park Medical Center ambulance to the Alpine Visitor Center, where an air ambulance from St. Anthony Hospital was participating in a training exercise with park staff. He was flown to that hospital for treatment. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers responded to three calls - two lost parties and an injured hiker - on Monday and Tuesday, with both of the former resulting from trails that were hard to follow due to deep snow. The park received a call on Tuesday night from a man and woman in their 20s who had become disoriented while hiking near Lake Haiyaha in the Bear Lake area and were unsure as to how to get back to either the Glacier Gorge or Bear Lake trailheads. Rangers went to the Glacier Gorge parking area and employed lights in an effort to help them find their way out. Around 10 p.m., the lost pair reported that they could see the lights, but that they were too far in the distance to help them figure out what direction they should take. Rangers told them to stay put, suggested techniques for staying warm throughout the night, and told them they'd be heading toward their location at 6 a.m. Temperatures during the night were relatively mild, remaining in the mid-40s. Rangers reached the lost hikers at 7 a.m. and escorted them out. At about the same time the call came in from the lost hikers on Tuesday evening, rangers were notified that an 18-year-old woman had suffered an injured ankle near Ouzel Falls in the Wild Basin area. Since this trail was snow-free, they were on scene by 9 p.m. and evacuated her by horse. On Monday evening, a call came in reporting that a 56-year-old man who'd lost his way at the base of Flattop Mountain in the Bear Lake area. Rangers contacted him and advised him to keep moving east. His cell phone battery then ran out. Other hikers reported contacting the man at 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, and rangers reached them about 90 minutes later. Many visitors are not expecting deep snow trail conditions on higher elevation trails in the park at this time of year. Due to snow-covered trails, good route-finding skills are important and following tracks in the snow may lead a hiker to go off route and become disoriented. It can take longer to hike in these conditions and many visitors are not prepared to stay out after dark or overnight. Visitors should come prepared with these essentials items: Water, high-energy food, layers of insulating, windproof clothing, sturdy footwear and extra socks, storm gear for rain and snow, hats and gloves, sunglasses, sunscreen, first aid kit, topographic map, flashlight or headlamp, waterproof matches, pocket knife and whistle. Cell phones are helpful but are unreliable. There are numerous trails in the park that are free of snow. Visitors are encouraged to stop at a park visitor center for current trail conditions. Many trail conditions are posted on the park website, HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/romo" - follow the Quicklink to Trail Conditions Reports. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Last Friday morning, rangers were notified via cell phone of a 26-year-old Kansas man suffering from severe high altitude sickness at the Boulder Field on Longs Peak. He'd become ill while summiting Longs Peak the day before. Two members of a nearby park trail crew reached his location within a half hour and determined that his illness was severe enough to warrant evacuation by medical helicopter. A St. Anthony's Flight for Life helicopter reached the scene shortly thereafter and flew him to the Medical Center of the Rockies. Doctors later said that the care given by the Flight for Life crew and the park trail crew likely saved his life. High altitude sickness (also called acute mountain sickness) occurs when you cannot get enough oxygen at high altitude. How physically fit you are plays no role in whether you get altitude sickness. Symptoms include a dull to throbbing headache, loss of appetite, nausea or a feeling of being sick to your stomach, vomiting, and feeling weak or dizzy. The best treatment for high altitude sickness is to go to a lower elevation. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 68-year-old Boulder man who took a 30-foot sliding fall near the top of Lamb's Slide on Longs Peak called rangers via cell phone on Friday afternoon and reported that he'd been injured in the accident. Two rangers reached him just after 4 p.m. and assessed his injuries. An hour later, they began a tandem rappel and lowering operation and got him down the slide to Mills Glacier. Other rangers joined them there and helped the man down to the Chasm Lake Shelter. A total of ten rangers were involved in the operation. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On Sunday afternoon, rangers learned that a 15-year-old boy on a group camping trip to the North Inlet group site had become ill the previous night and was not getting better. The campsite is located at 9,290 feet and about six-and-a-half miles from the North Inlet trailhead on the park's west side. Fortunately, a ranger on backcountry patrol was nearby and was onsite within the hour. Three other rangers, one a park medic, arrived three hours later. While the rangers were treating the young man, another ranger rode to the scene on horseback, leading a second horse. The boy was put on the second horse just after 9 p.m. and taken to the trailhead, arriving near midnight. He was taken by ambulance to Granby Medical Clinic. Eighteen park staff were involved in the rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
The operator of an excavator working for a contractor at the Farview Curve parking area suffered minor injuries in an accident on the afternoon of July 31st. The excavator dropped four to five feet off the edge of the road and rolled on its side. The Grand Lake Fire Department assisted with the initial cleanup of the small amount of hazardous materials that spilled during the incident. The cause of the accident is still being determined. Farview Curve is located on Trail Ridge Road on the west side of the park. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
The park received a cell phone call on Saturday afternoon reporting that a 44-year-old man had fallen about 15 feet and suffered a lower leg injury while climbing roped on Kiener's Route on Longs Peak. The man's climbing partner and four other climbers in the area assisted the man, helping him to get to the top of Lamb's Slide, where rangers met them. They employed a tandem rappel and lowering operation to get him down to Mills Glacier. He was then flown to Saint Anthony Hospital. Six rangers were involved in the rescue operation. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
Rangers found the body of a 60-year-old man who died in a fall of about 300 feet late on Monday afternoon. It appears that he jumped to his death. The recovery involved a technical raise of about 300 feet in a gully with scree and loose rock. Sixteen park staff were involved in the operation. An investigation is underway. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
On Thursday, September 8th, a 65-year-old visitor from Tulsa, Oklahoma, had a medical emergency that caused him to collapse and fall on rocks and then roll in to Lake Haiyaha. A family member and other visitors were able to pull him out of the water. Park dispatch was notified of the incident just before noon by a visitor who had climbed to a spot where a cell phone connection could be made. A park trail crew was working in the area and reached the man within minutes. Other park staff in the area also assisted. Two rangers reached the scene around 1 p.m. and provided advanced medical care. A litter team comprised of park staff brought the man down the trail to the Bear Lake parking area. As the rescue progressed, the man's condition continued to improve. He was taken by Estes Park Medical Center ambulance to the Glacier Basin campground, where he was flown by AirLife of Denver to Swedish Medical Center. Eighteen park staff were involved in the field on this rescue. Lake Haiyaha is just over two miles from the Bear Lake Trailhead. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
Rangers dealt with three significant incidents within a little over three hours on the afternoon of Monday, September 12th. Just after 3 p.m., a caller reported that a 60-year-old woman from Texas had taken a 15-foot tumbling fall at Sky Pond while hiking with a family member. It was later determined that she was actually at Lake of Glass, which is four-and-a-half miles from the Bear Lake trailhead. Two visitors stayed with her until rangers arrived about two hours later. They found that the woman had suffered several traumatic injuries. They got her to a landing area on the east side of Lake of Glass, where she was picked up by a St. Anthony Flight for Life helicopter and taken to that hospital, which is in Denver. While this response was underway, dispatch was notified by park staff of a 61-year-old man who was having a severe food allergy reaction near the bridge at Bear Lake. Rangers reached him within 15 minutes and were soon joined by an ambulance and paramedics from Estes Park Medical Center. The man was treated on scene and declined to be taken by ambulance from the area. Then, at 6:30 p.m. rangers learned that a 55-year-old Ohio man had fallen into the water near Alberta Falls. One family member ran to the Bear Lake trailhead for assistance while another helped him down the trail until he could no longer proceed. Park rangers reached him about ten minutes later. They found that he's suffered numerous injuries and was hypothermic from falling in the water. An ambulance and paramedics from Estes Park Medical Center also responded. The man was brought down the trail by a park litter team, which had staged for the first incident, and reached the Bear Lake Road just before 9 p.m. He was then taken by ambulance to the Estes Park Medical Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
Park dispatch received a 911 call early on Wednesday morning from a 22-year-old man identifying himself as A."A."L. of Branson, Missouri. He was calling from his cell phone and thought he was somewhere above Lake Haiyaha (elevation 10,220 feet), where he was seeking shelter under a large boulder. A.L. had hitchhiked to the park and was dropped off at the Bear Lake trailhead on Tuesday afternoon. Overnight temperatures on Tuesday were below 25 degrees and more than a foot of snow had fallen in the area by Wednesday morning. A.L. seems to have been unprepared for the deep snow and winter conditions, but reported that he had a sleeping bag, tarp and whistle. He said that he was wet, cold and had no water, and that he'd intended to spend Tuesday night in the backcountry but did not get the required backcountry camping permit. Rangers spoke with him hourly on his cell phone throughout Wednesday, but were unable to reach him by phone after 3 p.m. Rangers also attempted to track the location of the cell phone, but A.L.'s phone evidently lacked the necessary features. A hasty search team reached the Lake Haiyaha area around midday Wednesday, with additional searchers joining them about three hours later. They searched the upper "Chaos Canyon" area west of Lake Haiyaha and attempted to establish contact using air horns and whistles. Chaos Canyon is appropriately named, known for very large boulder fields that make walking difficult. With over 18 inches of new snow in this area, conditions were challenging and hazardous. The Wednesday night wind chill was below zero. Search efforts resumed yesterday morning, with rangers joined by personnel from the Colorado Mountain School and Larimer County Search and Rescue. The search area was expanded to include Dream and Emerald Lakes. Around 10:30 a.m. yesterday, rangers made verbal contact with A.L., who proved to be above Emerald Lake in the Tyndall Glacier area - not above Lake Haiyaha as he initially told rangers. A search team reached him within a half hour. At the time of the report late yesterday, team members were determining the best way to help extricate him from the backcountry. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
Extremely high winds and micro bursts that hit the area between last Saturday evening and early Sunday morning blew down numerous trees in the park. Winds were estimated to be between 70 and 90 miles per hour, with even stronger micro bursts. Many of the trees that blew down were not beetle-killed trees, but were old, large ponderosa pines. Sprague Lake is temporarily closed as park staff continue to cut trees that have fallen on the access road leading to Sprague Lake from Bear Lake Road. Tuxedo Park, a picnic area located along Bear Lake Road, is also closed due to numerous fallen trees. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
The Grand County Sheriff's Department received a cell phone call on Saturday afternoon reporting that a 64-year-old man who'd been snowshoeing with a family member in the park had collapsed and was unconscious and not breathing. They were about a third of a mile from the Green Mountain trailhead when the incident occurred. Rangers and area emergency service personnel responded, reaching the man within minutes. They provided advanced medical care but were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
Late on Saturday evening, rangers learned that a 54-year-old Estes Park woman had not returned from a day trip into the park. A family member found her car at the Bear Lake parking lot and rangers responded. They were at the scene until after midnight but were unable to determine whether she had gone hiking or snowshoeing in the park. Early on Sunday morning, rangers searched the Nymph, Dream and Emerald Lake areas as well as trails leading to Odessa Lake. The woman was found around 10 a.m. roughly three miles up the summer trail to Odessa Lake on the north side of Flattop Mountain. She was breathing but was unconscious and unresponsive. St. Anthony Flight for Life landed in the area within the hour and she was flown to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Specialist]
On April 4th, park dispatch received a cell phone call reporting that a man had fallen about ten feet near Alberta Falls and suffered numerous traumatic injuries. Park rangers and medics arrived on scene and provided advanced medical care. Alberta Falls is roughly a mile from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. The 39-year-old man from Indiana was carried in a litter to Bear Lake Road, where he was transferred to an ambulance from Estes Park Medical Center. The man was then taken to Glacier Basin Campground, where an air ambulance from North Colorado Med Evac flew him to Medical Center of the Rockies. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Park rangers successfully completed two rescue operations on Friday, July 6th. In both cases, rangers worked through monsoonal rain, hail and lightning to find and rescue the visitors. W.P. III, 51, of Arvada, Colorado, became separated from his family near the campground at Sandbeach Lake in the Wild Basin region of the park and was reported missing by family members around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Rangers found W.P. about 5 p.m. on Friday after they'd heard him blowing a rescue whistle. He was dried off and warmed up by rescuers on scene and was able to walk with rangers to the trailhead, about four-and-a-half miles away. He was then transported to Estes Park Medical Center for non-emergency care. In another incident on Friday, rangers at the Longs Peak Ranger Station were notified at about 1 p.m. of an injured man on the Estes Cone Trail. At about 2:45 p.m., they reached D.S., a 78-year-old visitor from Chicago, and found that he had an ankle injury. They treated his injury onsite and assisted him on horseback to the trailhead. D.S. got himself to the Estes Park Medical Center for treatment shortly after 5 p.m. [James Doyle, Chief of Communications and Legislation, IMRO]
Rangers dealt with two medical emergencies and a falling fatality within hours of each other last Thursday: Late that morning, park dispatch received a 911 call reporting that a 79-year-old man on the Gem Lake Trail was showing symptoms of a significant medical emergency. Rangers reached him at noon and carried him out on a litter. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby meadow, where a life flight helicopter picked him up and flew him to Boulder Community Hospital. A 47-year-old Colorado man who was descending Andrews Glacier with some friends around 2 p.m. slid approximately 100 feet down the glacier onto some rocks. The person who called the incident into park dispatch reported that he wasn't moving. A park trail crew was in the area and reached the man's location shortly thereafter. His body was flown out and then transferred to the county coroner. At about the same time, park dispatch received a cell phone call reporting that a 74-year-old man was experiencing some distress near Fern Falls, roughly three miles from the Fern Lake trailhead. Rangers left the trailhead about a half hour later and met the man and his friend hiking down the trail. He reached the trailhead around 5 p.m. and declined ambulance transport. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 50-year-old Colorado woman took a 40- to 50-foot fall while hiking with a family member on the north side of Deer Mountain on the afternoon of Saturday, September 29th. Rangers reached her just after 8 p.m. that evening and determined that she did not survive the fall. Her body was found in steep, rocky terrain about three miles from the Deer Mountain trailhead. The body was flown out the following afternoon and turned over to the county coroner. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 45-year-old Texas man fell about 15 feet while near the Gem Lake Trail on the evening of October 18th. Rangers reached him around 10:30 p.m. He was off trail in a difficult area to access about a mile from the Gem Lake trailhead. The man was suffering from numerous injuries, including a serious lower leg injury. Ten park staff were involved in extricating him from a steep, rocky formation and then wheeling him out in a litter to the trailhead. They reached the trailhead 3 a.m. the following morning. The man was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Yesterday marked the third day of a major interagency search for a missing Texas man. T.G., 39, of San Antonio, was reported missing on Friday afternoon. T.G. was planning to attend a conference in Denver, but failed to arrive. When his wife failed to hear from him, she notified Denver police. Rangers found his rental car in the Bear Lake parking lot on Friday afternoon and began a search. They are now being assisted by members of Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue, Douglas County Search and Rescue, Arapahoe Rescue Patrol, and Summit County Rescue. Yesterday's efforts focused on the popular Bear Lake trail system, particularly on off-trail areas in the Mill Creek drainage and the Flattop Mountain area. The area between Bear Lake and Dream Lake was also searched. Snow depths and conditions vary in the area depending on the elevation. At Bear Lake, located at 9,475 feet, nine inches of new snow fell between Wednesday and Friday. Searchers continue to face winter conditions with deep snow, winds and drifting snow. Rangers would like to hear from anyone who was in the Bear Lake area last Thursday and/or Friday. They are asked to call Rocky Mountain National Park at 970-586-1204. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
The search for T.G., 39, of San Antonio, which has been underway since last Friday, has been scaled back. On Sunday, the backcountry surrounding the Bear Lake area where T.G. was last seen was again heavily used by park visitors who were snowshoeing and skiing. The saturation of this area by searchers, dog teams, a helicopter, and large numbers of recreational users provided a great deal of coverage but again resulted in no clues. Search teams on Sunday encountered deep snow and areas where avalanche conditions prevailed. The depth of snow since Thursday has hampered search operations. Aerial searching detected several large slab avalanches on the northeast aspects of peaks along the Continental Divide, but with no evidence that they were human triggered. Yesterday, search managers scaled back efforts due to concerns about safety of search and rescue personnel and lack of clues and new information. The incident management team is evaluating new search tactics at this time. In coming days, a small team of rangers will focus their search on pockets of challenging terrain in the Bear Lake and lower Tyndall Gorge areas. Visitors who were in the Bear Lake areas on Thursday or Friday are asked to call the park at 970-586-1204. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Two people who were snowshoeing north and west of Bear Lake on Tuesday afternoon came upon a body in a thickly timbered area about 100 feet off a summer hiking trail. Although the coroner has not yet confirmed the victim's identification, it's believed that the body is that of T.G., 39, of San Antonio, Texas, who's been the subject of a search since last Friday. The location where the body was found, near the Flattop Mountain trail, was inside the search area but approximately one mile north of the Tyndall Gorge and Nymph Lake region where search managers believed that T.G. may have hiked. He was found in an area that had been searched several times by ground personnel, a dog team, and helicopter overflights. T.G.'s body was against a tree and he was wearing dark-colored clothing. T.G. was planning to attend a conference in Denver. When his wife did not hear from him on Thursday, January 31st, she contacted the Denver Police Department. He did not arrive at the conference on Friday. On Friday afternoon, an advisory was issued for his rental car, which matched that of a vehicle found early Friday morning by park rangers in the Bear Lake parking lot. Search efforts began Friday afternoon. Over the weekend, teams searched throughout the Bear Lake system of trails, focusing on off-trail areas particularly in the Mill Creek drainage, in the Flattop Mountain area, and between Bear Lake and Dream Lake. Rangers were assisted by Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue, Douglas County Search and Rescue, Arapahoe Rescue Patrol, and Summit County Rescue. Aerial search efforts also took place over this entire area. Searchers faced winter conditions with deep and drifting snow and high winds. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers began a search yesterday morning for two overdue climbers who were caught in an avalanche on Sunday evening while descending from the north side of Blitzen Ridge on 13,514-foot Ypsilon Mountain. One of them, a 45-year-old woman, was found in mid-afternoon in the upper Fay Lakes basin about six miles from the Lawn Lake trailhead. She'd suffered numerous injuries and was treated and evacuated by rangers. Efforts are continuing to find the body of her 43-year-old male partner. Blitzen Ridge on Ypsilon Mountain is a challenging mountaineering route that includes sections of technical rock, often made more difficult by winter conditions. The avalanche danger in the area has been higher than normal since Saturday due to snow and high winds. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of June 14th, a 36-year-old climber from Golden, Colorado, sustained numerous injuries when he fell approximately 40 feet on Sundance Buttress, a popular climbing feature in the Lumpy Ridge area on the east side of the park. At the time of the fall he was approximately 350 feet up the route. Rangers were assisted in this rescue by an individual working as a guide for the Colorado Mountain School. The guide, who was with another party at the time, witnessed the fall, went to the man's aid, and was able to lower him to the base of the route. Grand Canyon's helitack crew, working at the time on the Big Meadows Fire, conducted a short-haul rescue. The climber was placed in a Bauman Bag with an attendant on the end of the rope and both were flown to a nearby meadow. The man was then taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Early on the morning of Sunday, June 16th, a firefighter walking with his crew from a field spike camp to the fire line on the Big Meadows Fire collapsed due to sudden cardiac arrest. Prompt action by the firefighter's crew in administering CPR and the rapid response of fire line paramedics who arrived minutes later contributed to the successful resuscitation of 51-year-old Luther E. Larkin, a senior crew member of the Horseshoe Meadow Type I Interagency Hotshots based in Sequoia National Forest in California. An AED was used onsite to resuscitate him. The presence of an AED and the availability of advanced medical care on the fire line were critical to reviving him and obtaining a pulse. Fellow crewmembers then transported Larkin to the nearest helispot just as the requested medevac helicopter arrived on scene. He was then transferred to the medical flight crew and taken to a cardiac care hospital in Denver. Prompt ordering of the emergency medical helicopter by Rocky Mountain National Park dispatch and placing it in aerial standby were critical to the successful outcome of this life-threatening event, helping to facilitate a faster transport to a cardiac care facility. Early in response to the Big Meadows Fire, Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team A, in coordination with Rocky Mountain National Park officials, began extensive preparation for any emergency response. Protocols established since the death of Andrew Palmer were instrumental in the success of this outcome. In 2008, 18-year-old firefighter Andrew "Andy" Palmer was struck by a falling tree while on the Iron Complex Fire in northern California. He died during a medevac flight while en route to a local hospital. After his death, protocols were put in place to prevent similar loss of life in the already dangerous environment in which wildland firefighters work. These protocols were implemented during the team's assignment to the Big Meadows Fire. [Bill Kight and Clark McCreedy, Fire Information Officers, and Kyle Patterson, Park Information Officer]
A 65-year-old woman was struck by lightning on Ute Trail around midday last Thursday. Responding rangers found her about 100 yards from the trailhead on Trail Ridge Road, which in turn is about a mile above Rainbow Curve. The storms was still active when they got to the scene, producing intense lighting. The woman was evacuated by park staff and Estes Park EMS, and then taken to Estes Park Medical Center. Her condition was not known at the time of the report. [Karen Brna]
On Thursday, July 25th, rangers responded to three separate incidents at the same time, each one involving a visitor suffering significant lower leg injuries. While climbing on The Left Book formation on Lumpy Ridge, a 23-year-old woman sustained a serious lower leg injury when she took a 20-foot fall on the lower section of the White Whale route. A mountain guide from Colorado Mountain School, the park climbing concessioner, was nearby and provided assistance. Responding rangers climbed to her location, provided advance life support care, and lowered her to the base of the route. A belayed, low-angle litter lowering and wheeled litter evacuation brought her to Black Canyon meadow, where she was transferred to a ground ambulance. Thunderstorms with rain and lightning added to the challenge of the rescue, precluding use of a helicopter. Meanwhile, a 45 year-old man was hiking off-trail on the northeast shore of Lake Haiyaha when he took a short fall off a boulder. Unable to walk due to an ankle injury, he notified the park communications center via cell phone and requested assistance. Due to the rugged and challenging terrain along the shores of this lake, responding rangers carried an inflatable raft to the scene, floated the man across the lake, and then carried him a short distance to the designated trail. From here, he was transported to the trailhead via horse. While resolving the Lake Haiyaha incident, rangers also responded to a motorcycle accident near the east side NPS utility area. The operator of the motorcycle sustained serious lower leg injuries when he dropped his bike while maneuvering a turn. He was treated on scene by rangers then transferred to a ground ambulance. [Mark Magnuson, Chief Ranger]
A visitor called 911 yesterday morning and reported that a 24-year-old man had fallen about 150 feet from The Narrows on the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak and suffered traumatic injuries. An off-duty park volunteer with a radio descended to the man with his climbing party and began CPR, but he subsequently succumbed to his injuries. An effort was made to recover his body by helicopter yesterday afternoon but had to be postponed due to high winds. Efforts will again be made today. Ice was present at several locations along the Keyhole Route at the time of the incident. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
As recovery operations were beginning on the morning of August 16th for a man who died in a falling accident on Longs Peak the previous day ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewincidentsarticle&type=Incidents&id=6741" click here for that report), rangers learned that a climber on the east face of the same mountain had suffered numerous injuries in a roped fall of about 50 feet. Personnel gathered for the recovery effort instead focused on assisting the injured 34-year-old climber. A ranger/park medic ascended via the North Chimney and reached the man at 11:30 a.m.; two other rangers rappelled from Chasm View to the man. He was lowered 500 feet down the North Chimney, carried out via litter, and medevaced to a local hospital. Rangers were assisted by Rocky Mountain Rescue and Larimer County Search and Rescue. The body recovery operation resumed and was completed on August 18th. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
The park received a cell phone call yesterday afternoon reporting that a 22-year-old man had fallen 30 feet while climbing Batman Pinnacle on Lumpy Ridge, a popular rock climbing area within the park. CPR was begun minutes later by people at the scene, but they were unable to revive him. The accident occurred about two miles from the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead in steep, rugged terrain with loose rock and scree. Due to severe thunderstorms with intense lightning and heavy rain, causing wet and slick rocks, recovery efforts had to be postponed until today, weather permitting. Rangers remained at the scene last night. The approach to the Batman Pinnacle and Lightning Rock formations has been closed until recovery efforts are completed. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Stage six of the 2013 USA Pro Cycling Challenge came through the community of Estes Park on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday, August 24th. The race, which began in Loveland and finished in Fort Collins, did not come through the park, but access to and egress from the park was heavily impacted, including multiple road closures right outside its boundaries. Visitors entering from the east side were encouraged to come to the park early and stay through the day to avoid detours and heavy congestion in Estes Park and along US Highway 34. Some trailheads in the park were inaccessible most of the day due to the race route. Rocky Mountain's Type 3 incident management team was assigned to manage park operations on Saturday due to limited resource support from cooperating agencies normally relied upon during a busy Saturday in August. The team worked closely with the town of Estes Park and other involved agencies to plan, prepare for and manage this event. The park provided staff to assist the town with traffic control. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers received a cell phone call on the morning of August 30th reporting that a 53-year-old man was suffering distress at a backcountry campsite near the North Inlet Trail. Due to a poor cell phone connection the initial information was unclear. A member of the man's hiking group hiked out seven miles to the North Inlet Trailhead, located on the west side of the park, to get help. A hasty team of two rangers, including a park medic, reached the man a little after 2:00 p.m. Litter teams left the trailhead at 1:15 p.m. The man, who was visiting from Louisville, Kentucky, was found to be suffering from severe HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_altitude_sickness" high altitude sickness. A support helicopter flew additional medical supplies and personnel, including another park medic, to the scene. Seventeen people, including rangers and Grand County Search and Rescue personnel, brought the man a mile down the trail through rough terrain to a suitable landing zone, where Lifeguard 1 from St. Anthony Hospital picked the man up and flew him to the Medical Center of the Rockies. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Although heavy rains last night caused flooding and landslides in the area surrounding the park, resulting in several road closures near its east entrance, the park itself remains open. Short-term and localized closures are possible today. Some park operations may also be limited due to employees being impacted by the storm. A park incident management team has been activated. Highways 34 and 36 leading in to Estes Park remain closed. More road closures in the surrounding area are expected. Neighboring counties are in a state of emergency with evacuations in place. Heavy rain is in the forecast for the rest of the day. Conditions will likely change. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
The heavy rains and flooding affecting areas along the east side of the Rocky Mountains have led to numerous road closures within the park. Old Fall River Road is closed at the US 34 junction, Bear Lake Road is closed at the intersection to Moraine Park Visitor Center and Moraine Park Campground Road, Cub Lake/Fern Lake Road is closed at the Moraine Park Campground junction, Wild Basin Road is closed at the Sandbeach Trail and Twin Sisters Road is closed from Highway 7. Trail Ridge Road remains open, but visitors have been advised to be mindful of wet conditions and debris on the road. Park campgrounds are currently still open. Due to existing and forecasted conditions as well as flash flood warnings on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, park managers are strongly discouraging visitors from traveling in the backcountry of the east side of the park. The park's backcountry office cancelled all overnight camping permits for last night for the east side of the park. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Office]
A storm system that moved slowly through the Rocky Mountain and Southwestern regions of the country in mid-September caused major flooding and damage in two national parks - Guadalupe Mountains and Rocky Mountain. Although three months have since passed, recovery operations continue in both areas. Rocky Mountain NP Damages to the historic Old Fall River Road have proven extensive, so the road will remain closed to vehicles through 2014. Due to its winding, narrow nature, the scenic 9.4-mile route is one-way only and normally opens from the fourth of July to early October. It follows the steep slope of Mount Chapin's south face. It is unknown at this time whether hikers and bicyclists will be allowed on the road next year. Park staff are working with the Federal Highway Administration on assessments of the Alluvial Fan area and Old Fall River Road. Cost estimates and design concepts are still being determined. Repair work has been completed in the Wild Basin parking lot and the Twin Sisters Road and it is nearing completion on the McGraw Ranch Bridge and the Aspenglen Bridge. Known damage to trails and pedestrian access are mainly in the Fall River, Lumpy Ridge, Bear Lake, Northfork, Twin Sisters and Wild Basin areas. Some trails remain closed to stock use. Due to the flood, backcountry travelers are being advised that they may find missing foot bridges, missing trail segments, uneven trail surfaces, unstable slopes, falling trees due to soil moisture, rutted trails, damaged water bars and steps, difficult water crossings, and missing directional signs. [Karl Pierce, Guadalupe Mountains; Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain]
A 24-year-old man from Florida was found last Thursday night by park staff in the Mill Creek Drainage of Rocky Mountain National Park. The man had contacted rangers via cell phone early that afternoon, reporting that he'd become disoriented while snowshoeing by himself near Flattop Mountain. At that time, he was not asking for assistance, but seeking directions and guidance from rangers. Weather conditions consisted of sunshine, high winds, blowing snow and temperatures ranging in the mid-20s. The man continued down from above tree line, remaining in contact with rangers. When it became dark, he stopped moving and asked for assistance, as he was not prepared to spend the night in the backcountry. Three park search teams began looking for him, focusing their efforts mainly in the Mill Creek drainage. One team followed fresh snowshoe tracks and located the man in thick timber along Mill Creek at approximately 8:45 p.m. Rangers assessed his condition and then snowshoed out with him. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A 74-year-old man from Fort Collins suffered a cardiac emergency while snowshoeing near Mills Lake on Tuesday, January 7th. The man's friends contacted park rangers by cell phone and began CPR, but were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead around 1 p.m. Mills Lake is almost three miles from the trailhead and close to 10,000 feet in elevation. Park staff, assisted by Larimer County Search and Rescue, recovered the man's body and transferred it to the Larimer County Coroner's Office. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of Wednesday, January 8th, two hikers - a man and a woman, both 23 and both from out of state - contacted the park by cell phone and reported that they'd become lost while hiking back down from an ascent to the summit of Flattop Mountain (12,324 feet). Park SAR personnel immediately began a search for them in the Flattop Mountain and Mill Creek Basin areas. They were found above the Banana Bowls at an elevation of roughly 10,600 feet around 8 p.m. They were escorted out of the backcountry, arriving at the Bear Lake trailhead around 9:45 p.m. Neither of the hikers had snowshoes or backcountry gear, and neither was prepared either for the freezing temperatures or for a night in the backcountry. Due to post-holing in deep snow, the man's jeans, cotton socks and leather work boots were frozen solid when searchers found them. Rescuers used a backpacking stove to thaw his boots so he could walk out. This search could easily have had a tragic ending and served as an important reminder that preparedness is critical when exploring a park in winter. The park offered the following reminders to visitors: Frostbite and hypothermia present a clear and present danger during winter months. If going into the backcountry, visitors should plan their trip well and be prepared for the possibility of bitter cold winter conditions. Becoming lost or receiving a minor injury can be life threatening if not prepared, especially in winter. Most trails are not marked for winter use, so navigation can be challenging. Visitors should not rely on cell phone service, as many areas of the park have no service. It is critical to check current weather and avalanche forecasts before venturing out. At a minimum, winter backcountry visitors should carry water/windproof outerwear, whistle, topographic map, compass, flashlight or headlamp, matches or other fire starter, extra high energy food and water, extra layers of clothing and insulation, emergency bivy sack, and a first aid kit. Adequate winter footwear is essential - waterproof/insulated footwear with gaiters and snowshoes are needed. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
S.F., a 19-year-old visitor from Quebec, was ascending Longs Peak with a friend on Tuesday when they became attempted to descend, he got himself stranded in an extremely precarious location on Broadway Ledge and called for help. Although S.F. was reported to be fit, he had no technical climbing equipment and no experience as a mountaineer. He was also unprepared for a night on the mountain in snow and ice and near freezing temperatures. A rescue operation was immediately launched. The park's SAR team was joined in the effort by Rocky Mountain Rescue and a Teton Interagency helicopter. Nearly 30 people were committed to the operation. S.F. was helped off the ledge, flown to an LZ in Upper Beaver Meadows, and taken to Estes Park Medical Center. For additional details, see the news story and a minute-long video at the link below. HYPERLINK "http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/29/colorado-teen-rescued-peak/9723367/" [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the night of Saturday, June 28th, a 21-year-old man activated his personal locator beacon ( HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLB" PLB) near the Continental Divide after suffering a tumbling fall and getting stuck in a location where he could not move up or down. The PLB showed his general location to be west of the divide below the Taylor Peak - Powell Peak ridge line. Rangers were eventually able to speak with him and had him call 911 from his cell phone to enable the GPS on his phone to narrow down his location, which was found to be above Sky Pond. A hasty team of search and rescue members left the Glacier Gorge Trailhead early Sunday morning. One team member was flown to the summit of Thatchtop Mountain. The man was located about 1500 feet above Sky Pond and 500 feet below Thatchtop Mountain in a steep, scree area with loose rocks. The man was assessed and treated and then evacuated to the trailhead. He was taken by a family member to a local medical facility for treatment. Rocky Mountain National Park's Search and Rescue Team members were assisted by Rocky Mountain Rescue and Larimer County Search and Rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Lightning strikes killed two park visitors and injured ten others on park trails in separate incidents this past Friday and Saturday. Around 1:20 p.m. on Friday, July 11th, the park was notified that a lightning strike had hit a number of visitors on the Ute Crossing Trail, located off of Trail Ridge Road between Rainbow Curve and Forest Canyon Overlook. Eight visitors suffered a variety of injuries from the strike, with a 42-year-old Ohio woman succumbing to her injuries. Of the remaining seven, two were transported by ambulance and five transported themselves to the Estes Park Medical Center. Just before 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 12th, rangers were apprised of a lightning strike that injured four people, also near Rainbow Curve. All were taken to Estes Park Medical Center via ambulance. One of the four, a 52-year-old Nebraska man, did not survive. The last lightning fatality that occurred in Rocky Mountain National Park was in 2000, when a technical climber was struck on the Diamond on Longs Peak. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Early on the morning of Friday, July 25th, a man climbing the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak called the park and notified rangers that he and other members of his climbing group had seen a man's body below The Ledges. Rangers reached the location just after 10 a.m. and confirmed that the man was dead. The incident is under investigation, but foul play is not suspected. A Forest Service helicopter assisted with recovery efforts. The man's body was flown to the helipad at Upper Beaver Meadows and was transferred to the Boulder County coroner's office. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of July 25th, the park received a cell phone call from a 31-year-old man who reported that he'd fallen an unknown distance while glissading down Gabletop Mountain and had sustained numerous injuries. The Forest Service helicopter employed earlier in the day for a body recovery from Longs Peak was utilized for aerial reconnaissance. Using cell phone GPS coordinates, rangers were able to determine his general location below Gabletop Mountain; the helicopter's crew provided his exact location. A rescue operation was begun. Four rangers and rescue equipment were flown to Loomis Lake between severe thunderstorms. They then hiked to his location, a steep cirque above the lake at an altitude of around 11,300 feet, arriving just after midnight. The injured man greatly aided in his rescue by moving down a steep band of rock, then down a steep snow field toward the rangers. The rangers found that the man was ambulatory, but that he was suffering from life-threatening injuries. They lowered him 500 feet with ropes and then assisted him an additional 700 feet down steep mountainous terrain to Loomis Lake. A paramedic on the park's rescue team provided advanced life support throughout the incident. The man was flown to Beaver Meadows Road, then taken by a Flight for Life helicopter to St. Anthony's Hospital for further treatment. Park rescue team members feel this was truly a life-saving mission. The man was fortunate to have cell phone coverage in this remote location, which has very limited coverage. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the morning of Monday, July 28th, the park received a call advising that a 56-year-old Illinois man was overdue from a climb of Longs Peak. He'd planned on summiting the peak on the east side on Sunday. Around 4:30 p.m., he called his family and told them that he'd be late getting back to the trailhead. When he failed to show up or call again, they contacted the park. Members of the park's search and rescue team began looking for him on Monday morning, retracing what they assumed was his intended route. Just before noon, the man called his family; he said that he was okay, but that he'd had to spend the night on the peak due to severe weather and nightfall. He then resumed his descent in heavy fog in the morning and became lost. He also reported that he might be on Mount Meeker. A helicopter was brought in to assist in the search and spotted the man below Peacock Pool in the Roaring Fork drainage late in the afternoon. Rangers were nearby and reached him 15 minutes later. He declined medical evaluation and evacuation by helicopter, saying that he wanted to hike out on his own. Ranger led him back to the trail and gave him directions to the trailhead. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A man's body was discovered Wednesday morning along the shoreline next to Glacier Creek at the base of a rock outcropping, roughly 200 feet down from Alberta Falls. Rangers reached the body about 30 minutes later and confirmed that he was dead. There were no witnesses and the incident is under investigation, but foul play is not suspected. The man's body was flown to a landing zone near the Glacier Basin Campground and was transferred to the Larimer County Coroner's Office. [Kyle Patterson, Public Information Officer]
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]
H.H., 58, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was arrested without incident Wednesday morning by NPS and FBI special agents following his indictment for first degree murder in the death of his wife. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Denver on November 5th. According to the indictment, H.H. "willfully, deliberately, maliciously, and with premeditation and malice aforethought" killed his wife in the park on or about September 29, 2012. If convicted, H.H. faces a mandatory life term in federal prison without the possibility of parole, as well as a fine of up to a $250,000. This case was investigated by the National Park Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office provided assistance during the investigation and arrest. For a related news story, click on the link below. HYPERLINK "http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/06/harold-henthorn-wife-death_n_6118576.html" [Jeff Dorschner, Public Affairs Officer, Department of Justice]
On Monday afternoon, park rangers were notified that P.J., 25, of Broomfield, Colorado, was overdue from a mountaineering trek to Rocky Mountain National Park and was believed to be in the Longs Peak area. P.J.'s car was found in the parking lot at the Longs Peak Trailhead. He reportedly left Sunday morning to summit Longs Peak and did not arrive at work on Monday. It is unclear what route he was planning, but he indicated to friends he was considering the Cables Route on the north face. He was not prepared to spend the night. A park search and rescue team searched a small segment of the area until dark on Monday. Yesterday, teams searched the north face, Keyhole Route, Chasm Cirque area and along the Longs Peak Trail. They were assisted by Rocky Mountain Rescue and Larimer County Search and Rescue. Thirty-two people were involved in the search efforts. Weather on Sunday and Monday included snow, high winds and bitterly cold temperatures. On Tuesday, teams faced extremely high winds, blowing snow and gusts up to 85 mph at 14,000 feet. Aerial search efforts were not possible due to extreme winds. Park rangers would like to hear from anyone who was in the Longs Peak area on Sunday, November 16th. Please call 970-586-1204. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Search efforts continued yesterday on Longs Peak for P.J., 25, of Broomfield, Colorado, who failed to return from a Sunday climb on Longs Peak. Search efforts focused mainly below the tree line due to hazardous conditions above 11,500 feet, including extreme winds. Teams searched drainages leading to the north and east from Longs Peak and employed spotting scopes from a distance to search other areas, including the Ledges and Trough along the Keyhole Route, Kiener's Route and Lambs Slide. A dog team was used to search from P.J.'s vehicle, his last known point. Aerial operations were again not possible due to high winds and gusts. No signs of him have yet been found. The park's SAR team was assisted yesterday by the Alpine Rescue Team, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Diamond Peak Ski Patrol, Search Dogs of Colorado and the Colorado Search and Rescue Board. Park staff have also been working with the US Air Force Rescue Coordination Center on cell phone tracking, but no significant information has been obtained that would influence the search. There were thirty-two people involved in the overall search efforts again yesterday. Park rangers would like to hear from anyone who was in the Longs Peak area on Sunday, November 16th. Please call (970) 586-1204. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
During helicopter search operations yesterday, the body of P.J., missing since last Sunday, was found 200 feet below the Ledges on the Keyhole Route. A park SAR team was flown to a landing spot in the Glacier Gorge drainage and four team members climbed approximately 1,800 vertical feet to where P.J. was found. His body was flown from the scene to a landing spot at Upper Beaver Meadows at approximately 4 p.m. and transferred to the Boulder County Coroner. P.J. was reported overdue the afternoon of Monday, November 17th, when he did not arrive at work. His vehicle was located in the parking lot at the Longs Peak Trailhead. He reportedly left Sunday morning to summit Longs Peak. Safety was a top priority in determining when and where rescue personnel could search for P.J. Winter conditions, including extreme winds and below freezing temperatures, made search and recovery operations even more difficult. These challenging conditions hampered search operations, particularly above tree line, over the past three days. With Thursday's calmer winds, searchers were able to utilize a helicopter, making it possible to cover a much larger area and ultimately locate P.J. Over the multiple day search, park SAR teams were assisted by Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue, Alpine Rescue Team, Diamond Peak Ski Patrol, Douglas County Search and Rescue, Search Dogs of Colorado and the Colorado Search and Rescue Board. Park staff also worked with the US Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A search is in progress for a New York man who disappeared while attempting to walk over the Rockies on Trail Ridge Road despite warnings from park rangers. On Monday, January 26th, park rangers contacted J.S. Jr, 34, from Cohoes, New York. J.S. had entered Rocky Mountain National Park on foot and said that he was planning to walk westbound over Trail Ridge Road. Rangers advised him against this based on his behavior and his lack of preparedness for winter alpine conditions. J.S. was wearing tennis shoes, jeans or tan canvas pants, and a black/blue jacket. He had no hat or gloves and was carrying a plastic grocery bag. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, with its highest point reaching 12,183 feet. Over ten miles of the road are above 11,500 feet. The road closed to vehicles for the season on November 4th. The road is not maintained during the winter. Conditions on the road range from bare wind-blown asphalt to deep snow drifts. On Tuesday afternoon, rangers on skis contacted J.S. above Many Parks Curve on Trail Ridge Road. They were concerned for his welfare and were attempting to assist him. J.S. fled from the rangers up a dry section of the road, though, and continued to elude rangers until darkness fell. Beginning early on Wednesday, two teams of rangers attempted to locate J.S. again on the road - one team coming from the east side of the park and the other team from the west side. They faced wind gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour. These high winds and blowing snow hampered their efforts to follow J.S.'s footprints. Aerial operations were not possible due to the high winds. The entire road corridor was checked, but J.S. was not located. Yesterday, rangers again attempted to locate J.S. in areas around Trail Ridge Road. Rangers have been assisted over the last two days by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer with an all-terrain vehicle equipped with snow tracks. Yesterday's operations were also aided by an over-snow tracked vehicle and operator from Estes Park Power and Light. The motorized equipment is only being used on Trail Ridge Road. Park rangers would like to hear from anyone who might have information on J.S.'s whereabouts. Please call (970) 586-1204. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
The search for a New York man who disappeared while attempting to walk over the Rockies on Trail Ridge Road last week came to a successful conclusion late last Thursday when rangers found him lying on a rock along the road's shoulder. J.S., 34, of Cohoes, New York, was found in poor condition and was initially uncooperative. He was nonetheless provided care and assistance, and, because he'd been exposed to the elements above tree line over several days, was flown by Flight for Life to the Medical Center of the Rockies. As this is a continuing investigation, no further information is currently being released. On Monday, January 26th, rangers contacted J.S., who had entered the park on foot and said he was planning to walk westbound over Trail Ridge Road. Rangers advised him against this based on his behavior and his lack of preparedness for winter alpine conditions. J.S. was wearing tennis shoes, jeans or tan canvas pants, and a black/blue jacket. He had neither hat nor gloves, and was carrying a plastic grocery bag. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, with its highest point reaching 12,183 feet. Over ten miles of the road are above 11,500 feet. The road closed to vehicles for the season last November and is not maintained during the winter. Conditions on the road range from bare windblown asphalt to deep snow drifts. Rangers on skis contacted J.S. above Many Parks Curve on last Tuesday afternoon. They were concerned for his welfare and were attempting to assist him. J.S. fled from rangers up a dry section of the road and continued to elude rangers until darkness fell. Beginning early on Wednesday, two teams of rangers again attempted to locate J.S. One team came from the east side of the park and the other team came from the west side of the park. Rangers faced wind gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour; these high winds and blowing snow hampered their efforts to follow J.S.'s footprints. Aerial operations were not possible due to high winds. The entire road corridor was checked Rangers were assisted by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer with an ATV equipped with snow tracks and by an over-snow tracked vehicle and operator from Estes Park Light and Power. The motorized equipment was only used on Trail Ridge Road. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers were notified of the activation of a spot tracker device just after noon last Saturday. Shortly thereafter, they received a 911 call reporting a climbing accident near Black Lake. Fifty-year-old J.B. was solo climbing (unroped) when he reportedly took a tumbling fall of about 100 feet onto soft snow. The fall was witnessed by visitors who were at Black Lake, which is about five-and-a-half miles from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. Rangers arrived on scene about two-and-a-half hours from the initial call. J.B. suffered numerous injuries but was ambulatory and with assistance from rangers was able to move down to an area where an air ambulance was able to land. Flight for Life transported him to Medical Center of the Rockies at 4:15 p.m. Fortunately, weather conditions and the location were conducive to assistance from a helicopter. Teams of Rocky Mountain National Park search and rescue personnel, assisted by Larimer County Search and Rescue and Rocky Mountain Rescue, were preparing for the possibility of a lengthy rescue operation. [Kyle Patterson, Public Information Officer ]
The park received a 911 call reporting a falling accident above The Loch late on the morning of Tuesday, March 31st. It was later determined that 28-year-old J.H. of Boulder, Colorado, took an 80 to 100 foot roped fall near or on a climbing route called Deep Freeze. She was with a climbing partner at the time. J.H. was located in steep scree roughly 500 feet above The Loch on Thatchtop Mountain. The Loch is three miles from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. Rangers reached her at 2:30 p.m.; they found that she'd sustained numerous injuries but was conscious. Rangers lowered J.H. down a steep scree slope to The Loch, where an air ambulance was able to land on the frozen lake. At a little after 7 p.m., Flight for Life transported her to St. Anthony's Hospital. Fortunately, weather conditions and the location were conducive for assistance from a helicopter. Otherwise, it would have been an even lengthier rescue operation. A total of eighteen rescue personnel had reached the Glacier Gorge Trailhead by approximately 8 p.m., including the park SAR team, Larimer County Search and Rescue and Rocky Mountain Rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Information Officer]
Park dispatch received a call early on the afternoon of June 8th reporting a hiker fall and injury in a steep off-trail area between Arch Rock and The Pool on the lower Fern Lake trail. Search and rescue team members searched for four hours in a number of off-trail areas in an effort to find R.G., 62, due to generalized description he provided of his location. R.G. was eventually located at 5:45 p.m., when rangers heard his yells for help. R.G. had been exploring an extremely steep mud and rock slide area when he fell on rocks and suffered a leg injury. SAR team members described the area as hazardous, with steep terrain, loose rock and burned and downed wood from the 2012 Fern Lake Fire. This landslide area had occurred in the spring of 2013. Park team members had difficulty finding stable locations to place anchors to perform a technical lowering down the steep gully. R.G. was initially lowered more than 1,000 feet to a high marshy meadow. The second technical lowering took place over a steep 800-foot scree area. He was then carried down the trail in a wheeled litter to the Fern Lake trailhead, reaching that location at 2:30 a.m. R.G. was travelling along and was fortunate to have cell phone coverage in the area where he fell. Over 40 park SAR team members were involved in this incident. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Members of the park's search and rescue team responded to two separate falling incidents just hours apart on Sunday, June 28th. At 9:30 a.m., rangers were notified by cell phone that a 48-year-old man had taken a 50-foot fall while backcountry skiing on Sundance Mountain and had suffered numerous injuries. SAR personnel reached him at 11:45 a.m. They performed a technical evacuation, lowering him through snow, rocks and dense brush and eventually reaching Old Fall River Road at 7:30 p.m. He was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. Twenty people were involved in this rescue. Park search and rescue team members were assisted by two members of Douglas County Search and Rescue. At noon, rangers were notified via another cell phone call that a 24-year-old man had taken a 150-foot tumbling fall down The Homestretch on the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak. Rangers were able to speak with him; he told them that he'd suffered injuries but would attempt to continue down on his own. Rangers left the Longs Peak Trailhead with the intent to assist him, but their efforts were hampered by severe weather and lightning. Rangers reached him at 8:30 p.m. at the Keyhole. They assisted him through The Boulder Field and spent the night in the Boulder Field with him. At 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning, he was flown by Lifeguard One to Medical Center of the Rockies. Park SAR team members were assisted by four members of Larimer County Search and Rescue. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
On the evening of July 19th, park rangers were notified via cell phone that a 13-year-old girl from Estes Park had suffered a leg injury roughly a half mile northwest of The Pool in rugged Forest Canyon. Park search and rescue team members reached her and her father between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. the following morning. It was difficult to find the girl in the steep, rugged, off trail terrain. The area had also been impacted by the Fern Lake Fire, which posed additional challenges for rescuers traversing the area after dark. A technical raise was used to bring the girl roughly 150 to 200 feet up and over a rock cliff to a flat bench area where a landing zone had been constructed. She was flown from the area to the Upper Beaver Meadows helispot at 4:30 p.m., then taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. Park search and rescue team members were assisted by the Northern Colorado Interagency Helitack Crew. Over 30 park personnel were involved in this incident, as well as one member of the Alpine Rescue Group. As park rescue personnel were finishing the Forest Canyon rescue, they were notified by cell phone of a 43-year-old woman with a leg injury near Emerald Lake. Park search and rescue personnel reached her at 7:45 p.m. A team carried her out on a wheeled litter. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
A search for two missing women came to a successful conclusion last Thursday morning when searchers found them off trail above Hague Creek and below Mummy Pass in the northwest portion of the park. On Tuesday, July 21st, a group of five family members and friends hiked to Mirror Lake. While they were hiking back, C.E., 51, and D.H., 26, became separated from the group. They were last seen at 2:30 p.m. just below Mirror Lake, which is approximately six miles from the Corral Creek Trailhead. When the women failed to appear at the trailhead, one of the members of the party went back up the trail and searched for them until dark. At roughly 8:15 p.m. they called for assistance. This is in a remote area with no cell service and limited radio communication. The call went to Larimer County Search and Rescue, whose members responded to the area later that night. They searched the general area and determined that the point last seen was inside Rocky Mountain National Park, so contacted rangers on Wednesday morning. A joint search was begun. When the women were found, they were cold and hungry but in good condition. The two women were flown by helicopter to the east side of the park, where they were reunited with family members. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
Late on the evening of Monday, April 24th, the park received a weak cell phone call for assistance from a man who was near Bierstadt Lake. He reported that he and his brother had become lost due to snow-packed trails and darkness. Park SAR team members reached the pair at 1 a.m. It was snowing and the men were cold and wet and unprepared to spend the night without shelter. This incident could have ended differently if the two out of state visitors had not been fortunate to have cell phone coverage and a charged battery. The incident served as an important reminder that it's not yet spring in the park's higher elevation. There's still a considerable amount of snow on trails and temperatures remain cold. Source: Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs, Rocky Mountain NP. More information.
On the evening of Friday, May 5th, rangers received a cell phone call reporting that a man had fallen and been injured on the East Inlet Trail on the west side of the park. A 19-year-old Tennessee man and two friends were backpacking about three-and-a-half miles from the trailhead, scrambling over steep terrain, boulders and downed trees, when a large boulder fell on the man's leg. His friends were able to free him from under the rock and summoned help. Search and rescue team members reached the man at approximately 11:30 p.m. He was found to be in steep terrain — cliffed-out on one side and with a steep scree slope on the other side. Due to the terrain and darkness, the 15-member team stayed with him through the night, providing advanced medical care, before evacuating him the next day. A helicopter hoisted him up and flew him to Harbison Meadow, where he was transferred to a park and taken to Middle Park Medical Center. A number of agencies assisted the park on this incident, including Grand County EMS, Grand Lake Fire Protection District, Grand County Sheriff's Office and Grand County Search and Rescue. Source: Press Release, Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain NP.
The park's rescue team had a busy day this past Saturday, with one of several incidents not resolved until Sunday morning. On Saturday afternoon, an 18-year-old man from Kansas was rock hopping on a section of the Roaring River above the Alluvial Fan when he became stuck on the west side of the river, with his family on the east side. Rangers were notified at 2:30 p.m. They assessed the situation with members of Estes Valley Fire Protection District's Dive and Swiftwater Rescue Team; after considering the complexity and length of time the rescue would likely take, they determined that it would be safest to conduct the rescue on Sunday morning. They provided the man with warm clothes, a sleeping bag and food. A ranger stayed overnight on the other side of the river from the young man. At 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning, rescuers gathered and at 7 a.m. a highline rescue operation was begun. The young man was rescued at approximately 10:20 a.m. Over 20 people were involved in the operation. In a second incident on Saturday, a 15-year-old girl fell in the St. Vrain River in the Wild Basin area. She tumbled downstream approximately 50 yards, over an eight-foot-high waterfall, and through significant rapids. Bystanders and family members were able to rescue her before rangers arrived. She sustained leg injuries and was carried out via a wheeled litter to the Wild Basin trailhead, where she was taken by ambulance to the Estes Park Medical Center. Rangers also assisted an injured 24-year-old man who'd been bouldering in the Chaos Canyon area and had injured his leg in a fall, a 27-year-old woman who'd suffered a knee injury on the Gem Lake Trail, and a 26-year-old man who'd had a seizure after taking a small fall at Emerald Lake. Source: Rocky Mountain NP.
On the morning of July 5th, a 40-year-old Tennessee woman fell into the St. Vrain River approximately a mile from the Wild Basin trailhead. She slipped on wet rocks and was swept 150 yards downstream before she was able to pull herself up on a rock and log. Members of the park's SAR team and the Estes Valley Fire Protection District dive and swiftwater rescue team responded. While some team members got the woman into a life jacket and helmet, others hiked to her location on the south side of the river and helped move her to shore. They treated her, then assisted her across the river to its north side. The woman hiked out part of the distance, then was carried via a wheeled litter to the Wild Basin trailhead, where an ambulance took her to the Estes Park Medical Center. Source: News release (with photo), Rocky Mountain NP
On the morning of Saturday, August 5th, two hikers came upon a 34-year-old man who'd been seriously injured in a 15- to 20-foot fall on Pagoda Mountain and used their SPOT GPS location device to notify the park. Due to the reported nature of the man's injuries, his location in difficult terrain, and the time it would take for rescuers to reach him, park SAR team members sought assistance from the Colorado National Guard to extricate the injured man from his location. A National Guard helicopter soon arrived and lowered a litter and medic to the location. The medic and injured man were then evacuated via a hoist operation using a winch-operated cable. The helicopter then flew him to an alpine tundra site in the Wild Basin area and transferred him to a Flight For Life air ambulance that took him to St. Anthony's Hospital. Inclement weather during the operation provided additional challenges for air operations. The aid provided by the two hikers who found the injured man and the updates they provided to park SAR team members were critical to the patient's survival. Source: News release, Rocky Mountain NP.
On Wednesday, July 26th, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of a Colorado man who shoved his wife off a cliff to her death at Rocky Mountain National Park on their 12th wedding anniversary as part of an insurance scam. H.H. was convicted and sentenced to life in a federal prison in late 2015 in the murder of his wife, T.B.H.. He had argued in his appeal that the judge should not have allowed evidence in the death of his first wife, S."L."H. H.H. was convicted of killing Toni, who plunged 128 feet off a cliff during a hike to celebrate their anniversary in September 2012. A map with an X at the location where T.B.H. was killed was presented as evidence, as were details about the $4.7 million in life insurance policies he took out on his wife. Evidence was introduced at the trial to suggest that H.H. killed S.H. in a staged accident in May 1995 beside Colorado 67, about 8½ miles west of Sedalia. Just as in the death of T.B.H., H.H. had collected large insurance claims on his first wife. The appeals' judges agreed with Jackson that prior incidents in which H.H.'s wives were killed or injured were "extraordinarily similar to the charged offense." For example, the circumstances in both T.B.H.'s and S.H.'s deaths were suspicious, including his decision to immediately cremate the bodies of both women. In 1995, H.H. stopped to change a tire shortly before S.H. was crushed as the Jeep fell on her, but the front passenger tire was only low, not flat. Other tires were just as low. He then yelled at good Samaritans who wanted to help to stand back. The appeals court also noted that T.B.H. suffered numerous injuries from the fall off the cliff — brain hemorrhaging, a fractured neck, blunt trauma to the chest, abdomen and pelvis — but there were no signs typically associated with CPR, including anterior rib fractures. H.H. had said he tried to revive his wife. "Toni's lipstick was not even smeared from the alleged mouth-to-mouth resuscitation," the decision says. H.H.'s dishonesty was so firmly cemented that his own attorney virtually apologized to the jury in closing arguments that his client "can't tell the same story twice." Source: News story with photos by Kirk Mitchell, Denver Post. Submitted by member Mike Warren.
H.G., 66, was killed in a 50-foot fall while climbing the Batman and Robin Route on Batman Pinnacle in the Lumpy Ridge area of the park on the afternoon of Saturday, September 30th. Bystanders began CPR on him and arriving rangers employed additional life support measures, but efforts to revive him proved unavailing. An investigation is underway. Source: The Coloradoan.
On the morning of Sunday, October 29th, M.K., 31, of Lafayette, Colorado, was climbing the Martha's Couloir route on Mount Lady Washington when she was struck by a rock that had been dislodged above her and sustained life-threatening injuries. Climbers in the area notified park staff of the incident via cell phone. M.K.'s climbing partner and two other climbers in the area provided aid to M.K.. She was roped in when the incident happened and they were able to then lower her. Another bystander provided updated information on her condition and location to park staff. Park SAR team members arrived on scene at 2 p.m. They provided advanced life support care and placed M.K. in a litter, then, with the assistance of bystanders, lowered her approximately 240 feet to the base of the route. From there, they lowered her an additional 100 feet to a location on the scree slope above Chasm Lake. Due to her location and the severity of her injuries, rangers asked for assistance from the Colorado National Guard. They sent a helicopter to extricate her via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. A Flight for Life air ambulance flew M.K. from the meadow to St. Anthony's Hospital in Denver. Source: News release with photo, Rocky Mountain NP.
An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court by a Colorado man convicted of shoving his wife off of a cliff to her death in Rocky Mountain National Park has been denied. H.H., convicted in 2015 in the murder of his wife, T.B.H., filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking a re-examination of a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision affirming his conviction. H.H., through his attorneys, had argued before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson should not have allowed evidence in the death of his first wife, S."L."H. to be introduced in the case of his second wife's death. In 1995, H.H. stopped to change a tire on a Jeep. Shortly afterward, S.H. was crushed as the Jeep fell on her. Just as in the death of Toni, H.H. collected large insurance claims on his first wife. "This case presents us with the difficult issue of whether a district court presiding over a murder trial abused its discretion in admitting evidence of prior, similar incidents, including whether the defendant killed his second wife in circumstances similar to those that led to the death of his first wife," the 10th Circuit Court decision said in July. The Denver-based appeals court determined that Jackson properly admitted the evidence in question. "The probative value of the evidence was not substantially outweighed by its potential for unfair prejudice." Toni, in September 2012, plunged 128 feet to her death during a hike to celebrate the couple's 12th wedding anniversary. H.H. is serving a life sentence in federal prison. His petition was denied by the Supreme Court on Monday, January 8th. Source: Denver Post news story.
Drivers who decided to ignore speed limits in Rocky Mountain National Park during the first federal government shutdown were surprised to find rangers still patrolling the roads. Rangers pulled over more drivers than usual for speeding during the Saturday-through-Monday shutdown. Visitors centers and other services were closed during the shutdown, but entrances remained open and some rangers were on duty. Services returned to normal on Tuesday but most roads were closed at the entrance stations because of ice and blowing snow from a weekend storm. Park roads were closed on the night of Saturday, January 20th, because plows didn't operate during the shutdown. Crews resumed work on Tuesday. Rangers ticketed five people on Sunday for driving on closed roads. Source: Denver Post.
A search is in progress for a hiker who's been missing since June 30th. B.P., 38, evidently got lost while hiking in the park. He hasn't been heard from since he summited Mount Meeker on June 30th, but wasn't reported missing until July 5th. Up to 65 people have been involved in the operation, and searchers have employed a drone to extend the area being covered. Dog teams have also been employed. B.P. is 5-feet 9-inches tall and was last seen wearing a tan full-brim hat, sunglasses and a red backpack. He may also be wearing a yellow puffy jacket or yellow rain jacket. Searchers are asking anyone who may have been hiking in the Mount Meeker area and saw B.P. or other clues, including abandoned gear, to call 970-586-1204. Friends of B.P. also have created a Facebook page to track the search and a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help with the efforts. Source: Daily Camera.
The NPS search for B.P., 38, who was reported missing on July 5th, nearly a week after he went hiking in the park, has been suspended, but family members are continuing to look for him. B.P. sent a friend a photo of himself on the 13,911-foot summit of Mount Meeker. He was intending only to go day hiking and did not have a tent or camping equipment with him. According to his family, however, he'd gone through Army survival training. Rescue crews searched for more than a week for B.P.; although they have ended their efforts in the field, an investigation continues. With no Rocky Mountain search teams on the ground, B.P.'s friends and family have organized their own effort. B.P. is 5 feet 9 inches tall and was last seen wearing a tan full-brim hat, sunglasses and a red backpack. He may also be wearing a yellow puffy jacket or yellow rain jacket. Searchers are asking anyone who has been hiking in the Mount Meeker area and saw B.P. or other clues, including abandoned gear, to call 970-586-1204. Source: Boulder Daily Camera.
On July 28th, a ranger on patrol discovered a body in steep terrain northwest of the summit of Mount Meeker. It's believed to be that of B.P., the 38-year-old Fort Collins man who disappeared after reaching the peak of the 13,911-foot mountain on June 30th. B.P. was last heard from that day when he texted a photo of himself atop Mount Meeker to a friend. He had been hiking alone and did not have any overnight camping gear with him. He was reported missing on July 5th. That night, rangers found B.P.'s car in the parking lot at the Sandbeach Lake trailhead. They conducted a brief aerial search near the Mount Meeker summit that night, and full rescue teams began combing the area the following day. Extensive search efforts continued for several days, involving ground teams, search dogs, helicopters and drones. They encompassed "significant sections" of the 22.5 square miles above tree line, as well as forested areas. Organizations involved in the effort included the park's SAR team, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Fort Collins police, Northern Colorado Helitack, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Flight For Life Air Ambulance and Colorado Search and Rescue. Source: Boulder Daily Camera.
On August 31st, a body was found by park SAR team members west of Keplinger's Couloir at 12,600 feet in extremely steep, rugged terrain. Identification had not been confirmed at the time of the report, but it's believed that the body is that of J."J."Y., 60, of Urbana, Illinois. On Tuesday, August 28th, rangers were notified by a family member that J.Y. was overdue from a hike. Evidence indicated that he started from the Longs Peak Trailhead at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 26th. His rental car was found at the trailhead Tuesday night after park staff were notified by his family that he was overdue. Neither his destination nor route were known. After learning about the search for J.Y., park staff heard from visitors who saw him on the morning of Monday, August 27th, along the Keyhole Route. They reported that the weather was poor with ice, sleet, rain, and strong winds. Extensive ground and aerial search efforts began on Wednesday morning. Assisting in the search were Rocky Mountain Rescue, Larimer County Search and Rescue (including one dog team), and Northern Colorado Helitack. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park.
On Saturday, October 6th, rangers began a search for R.A., 30, of Marlton, New Jersey, who was reported overdue from a planned climb of Longs Peak. His rental car was found at the Longs Peak trailhead on Friday afternoon. Members of the park's SAR team began searching the Longs Peak area on Saturday, including the Boulder Field, the Keyhole Route, The Loft, Chasm Cirque, North Longs Peak and Boulder Brook. R.A. was last seen leaving the Denver area early on the morning of Thursday, October 4th. He was wearing dark clothes and a backpack; the park press release also includes a photo of him. Rangers would like to hear from anyone who has been in the Longs Peak area since last Thursday or who may have had contact with R.A. regarding his planned route on Longs Peak. The number to call is 970-586-1204. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park.
A major search is underway for Air Force Academy cadet candidate M.T., 20, who was last seen on Saturday, November 24th. On Monday, November 26th, rangers were notified that the Air Force Academy was asking for assistance in locating M.T. His vehicle was found at the Longs Peak trailhead late on Monday afternoon. M.T.'s planned destination and route were both unknown. Weather for Longs Peak on Saturday included extremely high winds, bitter cold temperatures and snow. Search operations continued all last week. On Sunday, when the park's last update was posted, searchers were focusing on the Boulder Field, Mount Lady Washington, Battle Mountain, Storm Pass Trail and the Boulder Brook drainage. Due to the best flying conditions since the search began, two Colorado National Guard helicopters from Buckley Air Force Base were able to assist with aerial reconnaissance. The search area now covers about ten square miles. Also assisting the park are Rocky Mountain Rescue, Alpine Rescue Team, Douglas County Search and Rescue, Grand County Search and Rescue, Larimer County Search and Rescue, the Colorado Search and Rescue Board, a Summit County Rescue Group dog team, and teams from Front Range Rescue Dogs. The park has been contacted by hikers who spoke and hiked with M.T. for approximately 20 minutes on November 24th. They reported that he was wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants, a black hat, black lightweight gloves, and tennis shoes, and that he was carrying a light blue backpack. M.T. told them that he'd started out from the Longs Peak trailhead at 6:30 a.m. that morning. When they last saw him in the Battle Mountain area around 8 a.m., visibility and weather conditions were deteriorating. Rangers would like to hear from anyone who has been in the Longs Peak area since the morning of November 24th, or who may have had contact with M.T. regarding his planned route on Longs Peak. Please call Rocky Mountain National Park at (970) 586-1204. On a related note, a local radio station ran a report on November 27th concerning the commonality in this and three other major searches in the park this year — hiking alone.. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park; KUNC News, Greeley, Colorado.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Rocky Mountain NP — The major interagency search that began on November 27th for 20-year-old M.T. has been suspended due to lack of clues and harsh winter conditions that have included extreme winds, low visibility, bitter wind chills, below freezing temperatures, deep snow and high avalanche danger. Many organizations have helped the park's SAR team in its efforts — Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue (Boulder County), Colorado Air National Guard, Alpine Rescue Team, Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol, Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Grand County Search and Rescue, Douglas County Search and Rescue, Colorado Search and Rescue Board, Summit County Rescue Group Dog Team, Front Range Rescue Dogs, and FLIR Systems Inc., which volunteered its services to conduct thermal imaging of the search area. Source: Rocky Mountain NP.
A search is underway for Tennessee visitor J.P., 70, who hasn't been heard from since February 28th. Searchers are currently focusing their efforts on the Glacier Gorge drainage, the Loch Vale drainage and the Glacier Creek drainage. As of Monday, about 40 people were involved in search operations, including 29 people in the field. Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, a dog team from LCSAR, and personnel from the Colorado Search and Rescue Board have been assisting the park's SAR team. Almost two feet of snow have accumulated in the Glacier Gorge area since last Thursday. The recent snowfall in this mountainous terrain make finding clues to J.P.'s whereabouts even more difficult. When J.P.'s unattended vehicle was found at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead (9,240 feet) on Sunday morning, rangers contacted his family in Tennessee. They confirmed that he was in the area and that he hadn't been heard from since Thursday morning. J.P. arrived to the area on February 22nd. This is his third winter visit to Rocky Mountain National Park over the past three years. J.P. may be wearing a blue jacket and red or orange hat and have micro-spikes on his hiking boots. Rangers would like to hear from anyone who has been in the Glacier Gorge and Bear Lake areas since Thursday, February 28th, or who may have had contact with J.P. regarding his planned route for Thursday. Please call Rocky Mountain National Park at (970) 586-1204. Source: Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain NP.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Rocky Mountain NP — There have been no recent reports on the status of the search for 70-year-old J.P., which began on March 3rd. J.P. arrived in the area on February 22nd and has not been heard from since February 28th.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Rocky Mountain NP — The search for 70-year-old J.P., which began on March 3rd, has been suspended. Significant snowfall in mountainous terrain added to the challenge of search efforts, making finding clues to J.P.'s whereabouts even more difficult. The overall search area encompassed approximately 15 square miles and included the Glacier Gorge drainage, the Loch Vale drainage and the Glacier Creek drainage. Rangers will continue to patrol the search area and further actions may be considered as conditions improve. Reported clues will be investigated as appropriate. Source: Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain NP.
Seven people were caught in a series of large avalanches above Emerald Lake this past Saturday, but there were no fatalities or injuries. The cause of the avalanches has not yet been determined. Rangers are advising backcountry users to not travel on or below steep snow-covered terrain in the park. More information on avalanche conditions can be found at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Source: CBS News.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Rocky Mountain NP — Over a six month period in late 2018 and early 2019, three people disappeared while hiking in the park. Despite major searches for each of them that were supported by numerous state and local agencies, all three remain missing — a situation that has never before occurred in the park. Still missing are Ryan Albert, 30, M.T., 20, and J.P., 70. The three men had two things in common — each was hiking alone, and each had neglected to tell anyone his destination or route. In all three cases, heavy snows and high winds seriously hindered searchers' efforts. The park recorded 155 SAR incidents last year, 46 of them considered major. Source: Tyler Pialet, Estes Park Trail-Gazette.
The increasing frequency of climate-change-related severe weather closures and incidents in NPS areas has warranted the creation this intermittent Servicewide summary: Rocky Mountain NP — This past winter dropped "a staggering amount of snow" on the park's higher elevations — enough to nearly cover the Alpine Visitor Center and Trail Ridge Store (elevation 11,796 feet), which snowplow drivers finally reached this past week. The following article has a photo of the very top of the VC poking through the snow and a comparative image of how it normally looks. Source: Louis Amestoy, Greely Tribune.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Rocky Mountain NP — The body of R.A., 30, who disappeared on Longs Peak last October, has been found and recovered. An extensive search was conducted for him at the time, but without success. On May 25th, a team of park climbing rangers found a glove matching the brand R.A. wore. They subsequently searched an area called The Trough and found R.A.'s body, covered by deep snow. The location was about a thousand feet below the Keyhole Route, which R.A. was thought to have been climbing. Source: Dan Alexander, WKXW News.
A summary of recent openings, closures and other changes in the status of parks and their facilities: Rocky Mountain NP — Trail Ridge Road opened on June 5th, twelve days later than last year due to a series of spring storms that slowed plowing operations. Alpine Visitor Center and the Trail Ridge Store were scheduled to reopen this past weekend. Source: John Meyer, Denver Post.
A summary of recent openings, closures and other changes in the status of parks and their facilities: Rocky Mountain NP — The on-again, off-again status of Trail Ridge Road this year continues. The road was closed over the weekend due to snowfall in the mountains, but was expected to reopen Monday. Snowplows reached Lava Cliffs on Sunday but had to turn around due to 50 mph winds and heavy snow. The road had one- to five-foot snowdrifts this weekend; temperatures overnight were in the 20s. Source: Carina Julig, Denver Post.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Rocky Mountain NP — The family of M.T., who disappeared while hiking in the park on November 24th, continues to be strongly critical of the NSP regarding its management of the search and decision to terminate efforts after six days due to extreme weather conditions. Micah's mother, Janet, said that they should have done more, particularly in calling in help from the Air Force (M.T. was a cadet at the USAF Academy). She says that "more should be done in the search and rescue stage to save people who are lost in the mountains, especially for members of the military, like her son. The T.s, who first criticized the park's decision back in December to not accept aid offered by the U.S. Air Force, are now working to get a bill that would allow military personnel to lead search and rescue efforts on U.S. soil if the missing person is a member of the military." The article includes much more on the challenges of search and rescue in the parks. Source: Sady Swanson, Fort Collins Coloradoan.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Rocky Mountain NP — Remains discovered in the park last Friday have been identified as those of missing Air Force Academy Prep School cadet M.T. M.T., 20, who was reported missing by the academy on November 26th. His vehicle was found at the trailhead leading to Longs Peak, and two park visitors reported seeing him on November 24th — lightly dressed despite blizzard conditions. On Thursday, searchers affiliated with the M.T. family told park staff that they'd found items believed to belong to M.T. below the tree line in the Boulder Brook drainage. The park's SAR team found his remains nearby the next day. The Boulder Brook drainage was one of the areas where initial search efforts were heavily focused but remained covered by deep snow through the winter and spring. Source: Ellie Mulder, Colorado Springs Gazette.
A 19-year-old had to be airlifted to a local hospital after she took a fall on a steep, snow-covered area near Andrews Creek on Tuesday, July 17th. She slid about 80 feet down the slope, landed in some rocks, and sustained numerous injuries. By the time the park's SAR team arrived on scene around 3:30 p.m., she was also suffering from hypothermia. Team members provided advanced medical care for the woman and called for a Colorado National Guard helicopter to assist with her evacuation. The helicopter crew was able to extricate the teenager using a hoist operation around 8 p.m. with the help of Rocky Mountain Rescue Group members. She was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows and was transferred by ambulance to a local hospital's emergency room. Source: Stephanie Butzer, TheDenverChannel.com.
A 15-year-old boy was injured early on the morning of July 27th in in a fall of 300 to 400 feet in the area between Mount Meeker and Longs Peak. The boy fell in steep terrain covered with a mix of snow, water and rock. Because of the remote location, the park's SAR team requested assistance from a helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base. The boy was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows and transferred to a Flight For Life helicopter, which flew him to Children's Hospital. The teen was not identified, and no information is available about the extent of his injuries. Source: George Tanner, Denver Post.
A 31-year-old man suffered numerous severe injuries as a result of a lightning strike that hit either directly or nearby while he was hiking below the tree line between Dream Lake and Lake Haiyaha last Saturday. Other hikers on the trail found him and called rangers. The park's SAR team transported him to the Bear Lake trailhead, where he was picked up by a helicopter and flown to the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. His current condition is not known. Source: Robert Garrison, The Denver Channel.
Five people, including two children, were taken to a hospital on September 3rd after the vehicle they were in crashed within the park. The incident began near the Alpine Visitor Center as the vehicle sped the wrong way through the parking lot and struck a stopped vehicle, pushing it onto a sidewalk. It then continued out of the park via the inbound entrance, narrowly missing a park volunteer. The vehicle jumped a small island separating the center from Trail Ridge Road, crossed it, then flipped near Ute Trail, coming to a rest on its tires about 75 feet from Trail Ridge. Eight passengers were in the vehicle that crashed. Five of them, including two children, were taken by ambulance to Estes Park Health. The two children were not properly restrained. Three people suffered serious injuries. Source: Kieran Nicholson, Denver Post.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Rocky Mountain NP — The search for J.P., 70, who disappeared in the park last February, resumed again on October 9th in advance of a snowstorm forecast for the following day. Forty SAR team members searched the Prospect Canyon area and the Glacier Gorge drainage above Jewel Lake, but were unsuccessful in finding any clues as to J.P.'s whereabouts. Source: Sky-Hi News.
Rangers found two people dead during a search that took place last Friday afternoon. The search was launched after rangers were notified that a suicidal 24-year-old woman was likely in the park. Her vehicle was found on the Upper Beaver Meadows Road, leading to the discovery of two bodies on the Beaver Meadows Trail — that of the woman and of her 17-month-old child. Both died of gunshot wounds. The deaths have been ruled, respectively, as a suicide and a homicide. Source: Kieran Nicholson, Denver Post.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Rocky Mountain NP — The body of a man found in the park last August has been identified as that of A.S., 37, who disappeared while hiking alone. A search was begun for him on August 4th after he failed to return from his hike. Searchers found his car on the road near the Corral Creek Trailhead in the northwest portion of the park the following morning. On Tuesday, they were joined by search and rescue dog teams and a Colorado National Guard helicopter. The crew of the helicopter spotted his body below a large cliff band in a steep, rocky area above Mirror Lake. The coroner found that he'd died of multiple blunt force injuries, but the cause of death was undetermined. Source: Sady Swanson, Fort Collins Coloradoan.
A summary of recent openings, closures and other changes in the status of parks and their facilities, Rocky Mountain NP — Potential park visitors are being advised that they should be prepared for major road work and nightly closures for a five-month period. Major road construction is scheduled to take place from May to September on US 36, located inside the park. The work will be on a section of the highway from just west of Bear Lake Road junction to east of Deer Ridge Junction. A three-mile section of the road will close nightly from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Sunday evenings through Friday mornings, meaning that the road is currently set to remain open on Friday and Saturday evenings. Source: Breanna Sneeringer, Out There Colorado.
This week's update consists of a random sampling of reports on park reopenings extracted from various news source: Rocky Mountain NP — The park has begun implementation of a "timed entry" system in order to spread out crowds by giving people a specific time slot when they're allowed to enter the park. For information on the status of other parks in the system, go to the Service's "Active Alerts In Parks" webpage and use the search engine to find information on a particular site. Sources: Krista Langlois, National Geographic; KTVH News; KOMO News.
On Sunday, July 12th, rangers were notified that a 55-year-old man from Estes Park had taken a 75-foot tumbling fall below the summit of McHenry Peak on the west face at an elevation of 12,900 feet. The man was traveling from the summit to Stone Man Pass when he fell and sustained numerous serious injuries. Rangers reached him early the following morning and provided advanced medical care. Due to his location and injuries, the park's SAR team sought assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate him via a hoist operation. Rocky Mountain Rescue assisted with the helicopter hoist operations. The man was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to a Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance and then flown to St. Anthony Hospital. Source: Estes Park News.
A 26-year-old man died last Thursday morning on Longs Peak. A climbing group witnessed an unroped climber in another group fall while on Broadway Ledge near Fields Chimney on the east face of Longs Peak. He fell between 600 and 800 feet. As the only fourteener in the park, Longs Peak is a popular but dangerous destination for both experienced and novice climbers. At least 69 people have died on Longs Peak in the past century. This death is the third on the peak in three years. In 2018, J."J."Y., 60, died instantly after a 200-foot tumbling fall. In May 2019, the body of R.A. was recovered after the 30-year-old went missing in October 2018 while trying to summit the peak. Source: Kevin Lytle, Fort Collins Coloradoan.
The 70-year-old man was hiking in the Emerald Lake area of the park with a handgun in his backpack on July 27th. When he set the pack on a rock, the gun fired. The round struck him in his leg, but did not exit his body. Bystanders rushed to help the man, giving him first aid. Search and rescue team members then provided advanced medical care and carried him out on a wheeled litter. He was taken in an ambulance to a trailhead and airlifted to the Medical Center of the Rockies. Source: Maddie Capron, Sacramento Bee.
A search is in progress for S."S."G., 24, who was last heard from on August 28th, a day before he was believed to be attempting the Glacier Gorge Traverse — a roughly 19-mile route over 11 peak summits that includes a section of fifth-class climbing and other difficult terrain. A friend of S.G. reported him missing on Thursday, and park rangers found his vehicle parked at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. S.G.'s brother describes him as adventurous with a love for the outdoors. He adds that S.G. has plenty of experience in the backcountry and survival training. Crews were focusing last Friday on the upper Glacier Gorge area near McHenrys Peak and Arrowhead. They are concerned that more than ten days have passed since he disappeared and that they aren't sure if S.G. was prepared for the winter blast that brought in eight to ten inches of snow to the area. High winds and snow are making the search difficult. An aerial search will be undertaken once the winds die down. Source: Ryan Osborne, The Denver Channel.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Rocky Mountain NP — On September 14th, a body believed to be that of S.G., 24, of Greenville, New York, was located by a search team in the Notch below McHenrys and Powell Peaks. S.G. is believed to have embarked on the Glacier Gorge Traverse around August 19th, a difficult 19-mile route which crosses 11 mountain summits. He was last in contact with family and friends on August 28th, and his vehicle was found at the Glacier Gorge trailhead on September 10th, the same day a friend reported him missing. The cause of death has yet to be determined. Source: KKTV News.
On Tuesday, February 9th, park rangers were notified that a 21-year-old Texas woman had suffered serious injuries near Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. The woman slid down a snow-covered slope about 70 to 100 feet into a talus slope on the south side of Emerald Lake. The park's SAR team provided initial medical care upon arriving on scene. They then used a rescue toboggan to take the woman from Emerald Lake to the Bear Lake Trailhead, where she was transported by ambulance to Estes Park Health and then taken to a nearby trauma center. Some parts of Rocky Mountain National Park are under temporary closure to protect nesting raptors: Loch Vale area, Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sundance, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, The Book, and Twin Owls, and Rock One. Last summer, park instituted a time reservation system to protect visitors from the pandemic. That system ended in October and park officials recently said they plan to stay away from that in the 2021 summer. Source: NewCountry99.1/com.
On June 28, 45-year-old woman slipped on wet rocks in the St. Vrain River, fell in, and was swept 100 feet down river under log debris. She was able to pull herself onto the logs, and was assisted from the river by Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue team members. She declined an ambulance and it is unknown if she sustained injuries. Source: The Herald-Sun
On July 15, A.H. took a fall of 200 feet off the south face of Lady Washington. Her family said they were alerted via a satellite communication device that there was an emergency. NPS personnel were aided by Mesa Verde Interagency Helitak crew, who were able to extract her body via a long line operation. Investigation is ongoing. Sources: CBS Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park
On July 26, a hiker fell 20 feet while rock scrambling near Balanced Rock. She was able to call for help from her own phone. NPS personnel responded and felt her injuries needed additional support, so she was hoisted via winch and cable from a Colorado National Guard helicopter, transferred to a Med Evac air ambulance, and flown to Medical Center of the Rockies for treatment. Source: Daily Camera
On August 19, a cold front hit the park, dropping many inches of rain and snow and creating icy conditions on Trail Ridge and Fall River Roads. The roads were closed, then able to open the next day. Source: Coloradoan
On September 18, a fire broke out at the Glacier Creek Stables near Sprague Lake. NPS and interagency firefighters responded immediately and were able to contain the fire by pulling the building down to smother the hay that was burning inside. No people or horses were harmed in the incident. The cause is still under investigation. Source: Sky-Hi News
In August 2020, a hiker discovered skeletal remains in the Skeleton Gulch area near avalanche debris. Rangers conducted an initial investigation at the scene, but could not complete it due to personnel needs due to the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome Fires, followed shortly thereafter by early snow. In the summer of 2021, rangers were able to further search the scene and found skis, poles, and boots, along with personal items. The victim is suspected to be R.M., a 27-year-old German visitor who disappeared on February 13, 1982, while on a two- to three-night ski mountaineering trip over Thunder Pass. R.M. was reported overdue, and searchers were able to find a food cache and a snow cave with R.M.'s sleeping bag and other gear, but a snow storm hampered finding tracks or other clues. The search included the Skeleton Gulch area. The FBI Evidence Response Team assisted the NPS with recovery of the remains and the Grand County Coroner's office attempted to confirm identification through dental records, but the results were inconclusive. The German government has assisted with repatriation, family notification, and dental record analysis. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park
On November 16, high winds blew a tree onto a nearby powerline, causing it to arc and start a wildfire near Kruger Rock in Estes Park. High winds and steep terrain allowed the fire to grow quickly and many evacuations were put in place within an hour of ignition. The Twin Sisters area of the park was closed. The fire was 100% contained at 147 acres by November 20. Source: The Norman Transcript
On December 8, a Colorado State Patrol officer pulled a vehicle over for a traffic stop on Highway 34 in Loveland. When the officer returned to his vehicle, the driver took off. The officer gave short pursuit before pulling back. An NPS law enforcement ranger observed the vehicle in the park and pulled them over near the Fall River Entrance of the park. After contacting the vehicle, the ranger was shot by the driver. The ranger then shot the driver. The ranger and driver were rushed to the hospital and an uninjured passenger was taken into custody. The ranger was protected by a ballistic vest and was said to not have suffered serious injuries. It was the first recorded gunfire incident with an officer in the park. The Fall River Entrance was closed for the investigation, which is being led by the FBI and supported by Estes Park Police, Larimer County Sheriff's Office, Colorado State Patrol troopers, and Colorado State Park officers. Source: CBS Denver
Rocky Mountain National Park — The suspect involved in the shooting of a law enforcement ranger in the park on December 8, 2021 has been charged with assault on a federal officer by use of a deadly weapon. The federal court has ordered the suspect remain in custody. The charges carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. The suspect was also charged in district court with vehicular eluding and aggravated vehicle theft, which took place outside the park before the shooting incident. The other passenger in the vehicle involved in the incident was held in Larimer County Jail on a previous outstanding arrest warrant. Source: The United States Attorney's Office: District of Colorado, AOL News/Fort Collins Coloradoan
On March 20, a somewhat famous bull elk who had several nicknames, including "Bruno," "Kahuna", and "Big Thirds." passed away due to natural causes. The bull was known for its distinctly large antlers and was widely photographed in the park. Some time between March 20-22, someone illegally removed the elk's head, which had a single antler attached. The other antler had already been shed naturally by the animal. The NPS is seeking any information the public may have about the incident. Source: Gear Junkie
The poached skull and antler from the highly-photographed elk sometimes known as "Kahuna" was left at an undisclosed location in the park after it was publicly announced that the NPS was investigating the poaching. Source: Sky-Hi News
On May 29, three climbers were caught in a rockfall and avalanche near the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mount Meeker. NPS staff responded, with support from the Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Flight for Life, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Front Range Rescue Dogs, MedEvac, and the Colorado National Guard. The rescue was hindered by "winter-like weather conditions." One climber was found deceased in the avalanche debris. One of the other climbers sustained "minor injuries," while the third was freed from the debris by a helicopter using a winch-operated cable and was flown to the Medical Center of the Rockies. Source: ABC News
On May 19, a 21-year-old visiting Adams Falls fell into the waterfall and was found deceased. The victim's body was recovered that evening. The cause of the fall has not been reported, but the NPS reminded the public to stay back from water sources and be careful around slippery rocks. Source: Miami Herald July 13, 2022 On June 28, a large rockslide occurred on the south side of Hallett Peak into Upper Chaos Canyon, a popular hiking and climbing area. No one was injured. The area was closed temporarily due to the possibility of more rockfall from forecasted rain. Several popular climbing routes, including those on the "Colossal Boulder," were likely damaged or buried in debris. Source: The Denver Post, Climbing July 13, 2022 On July 10, two separate falls took place on a snow couloir in the Ptarmigan Fingers area above Odessa Lake. A 61-year-old took a significant tumbling fall and bystanders were able to use a satellite communication device to contact park staff. Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance assisted the park's search and rescue team in locating the patient. Due to the location and severity of injuries, a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base was requested and utilized to extricate the patient via a winch operated cable hoist. The patient was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance, and flown to Medical Center of the Rockies. It was also determined during the incident that a 59-year-old patient also sustained serious injuries from a fall in the same area. The park's search and rescue team and backpackers from the general public supported the care of the patient overnight and that patient was transported by a Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance the following morning. It is estimated that over 45 people were involved in the two incidents. Other supporting agencies included the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group and Larimer County Search and Rescue. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park
In the July 13 Coalition Report, we erroneously reported that two separate falls took place on a snow couloir in the Ptarmigan Fingers area. The press release that had been put out by the park was unclear about the nature of the incident and more details have now been reported. On July 10, a married couple, 61 and 59 years of age, was climbing together in the easternmost chute of the Ptarmigan Fingers snow couloirs when both tumbled nearly 1,000 vertical feet down the couloir. Both wore helmets and crampons and carried ice axes. They had tried to self-arrest, but were unable to stop the fall. They both came to a stop about 100 feet from the bottom of the couloir. The 61-one-year old had a broken femur. The 59-year-old had nine broken ribs, fractured vertebrae, and a broken sternum. The 59-year-old helped the other climber with extra layers to insulate them from the snow, then "bushwhacked over talus and downed trees" to reach a camping party of two people about two miles away. The camping party went to the individual on the snow and helped insulate them further from the snow. One of the individuals in the camping party was able to reach their spouse, who was able to call the NPS to initiate a rescue. The other member of the camping party also triggered the SOS feature on a satellite device. The two protected the individual in the snow from rain and sleet and monitored the patient's condition. Two NPS staff arrived on scene and called in a Colorado National Guard Blackhawk helicopter, which loaded the individual into a litter and brought the individual to Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. While that rescue was happening, the 59-year-old started feeling significant pain from their injuries and began screaming for help. Another camping party at Odessa Lake heard the individual and was able to provide a tent and sleeping bag and aid. Other members of the park's search and rescue team arrived on scene and spent the night with the individual. A helicopter from Northern Colorado Med Evac was able to take the patient to the hospital the next morning. Source: The Colorado Sun September 7, 2022 On September 1, a small SUV with one occupant drove off Trail Ridge Road, east of Gore Range Overlook, coming to rest 500 feet down the steep slope. A visitor traveling on the road saw the car and reported it to authorities. The driver, a 54-year-old, was able to walk to the road with assistance from NPS staff and the Estes Valley Fire Protection District, and was transported out of the park by the Estes Park Health ambulance. The road was closed for two hours for the rescue of the driver, and then again the following day for four hours to extract the vehicle and debris. The incident is under investigation. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park
On September 23, a 25-year-old was hiking Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route, when they got lost in winter-like conditions. They reached out to a friend via cellphone, informing them about the deteriorating conditions and their lack of gear for the conditions. The friend relayed the information to the park, and the park was able to reach the individual via text message. The individual stated that they were going to attempt to move toward the Agnes Vaille Shelter, and no more communication was made thereafter. NPS staff began a search that afternoon from the Boulder Field to the Keyhole, and reached the Agnes Vaille Shelter, amid snow, ice, 35 mph winds, and sub-freezing temperatures. The individual was not found. The search continued into the night, and the following morning, a Northern Colorado Med Evac ambulance was able to support the search. Park visitors found the individual deceased, about 80 feet above the Ledges section, just past the Keyhole on the way to the summit. The individual's body was recovered by park staff and a Trans Aero helicopter on September 25. Source: Coloradoan
On October 31, a 29-year-old was sentenced to 23 and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted second degree murder of a federal officer and brandishing a firearm for an incident that occurred on December 8, 2021. The individual was driving a car when they were pulled over for speeding outside the park. The officer learned the car was stolen during the interaction and the individual was asked to get out of the car. Instead, they drove the car away, toward the park. The park was notified to be on the look out, and when the car arrived at the park's Fall River entrance, a ranger recognized the vehicle and began following them with emergency lights on. The driver attempted to evade the ranger by driving on the side of the road, eventually hitting several boulders and coming to a stop. The ranger approached and ordered the individuals inside to put their hands in the air. The driver began shooting at the ranger with a semiautomatic handgun, hitting the ranger in the chest multiple times. The ranger's ballistic vest prevented serious injury and the ranger returned fire. The driver eventually surrendered and was arrested. Source: The U.S. Attorney's Office: District of Colorado, Larry Frederick
On February 27, the Department of the Interior sued the Water Supply and Storage Company for the rupture of a culvert in June 2017 that damaged a large swathe of land in the Lady Creek flood plain. The culvert is supposed to hold back water in the Grand River Ditch System, diverting water east to the Front Range and Eastern Plains. When the culvert ruptured, it damaged more than two acres of forest, stream, riparian, and wetland areas through extensive erosion and deposition of rocks and sediment. It also damaged a hiking trail and took out 100% of the vegetation in the area. The DOI is asking for payment for the damages and that the Grand River Gulch be condemned and sold to pay for those damages. A similar incident occurred in 2003 and the company was required to pay $9 million in damages in 2008. Source: Denver Post
On March 13, the Estes Park Emergency Communications Center received a call from an unidentified source saying there was an active shooter inside a downtown business and multiple casualties. Gunshots were heard in the background. Estes Park Police responded, with backup support from the NPS, Larimer County Sheriff's Office, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Estes Valley Fire, and Estes Park Health EMS. Upon arrival, officers observed there was no evidence of an active shooter or casualties at the scene. Officers contacted the owner of the business, who verified the call was a hoax. "Swatting," in which a prank call is used to cause an emergency services response, is on the rise in the U.S. Source: Estes Park News
On April 27, an individual had been reported as missing in Parker, Colorado, and then was located on April 29 in Denver and reunited with family. Then, on May 1, the same individual was reported missing in Rocky Mountain. The individual had last been seen the day before in the Sandbeach Lake parking area near the Wild Basin Entrance Station. The individual was with family at the entrance station before they "willingly walked away." An individual matching the description of the missing person was reported to have been seen by NPS staff on April 30 travelling on foot near Copeland Lake walking west on the Wild Basin Road, and then again by a visitor the following day near the Wild Basin summer trailhead. Search efforts continued through May 3 by the park's Search and Rescue Team, as well as a dog team from Front Range Rescue Dogs. Search efforts were concentrated around the summer trailhead and up to Copeland Falls. As of May 5, active search efforts have been suspended and an investigation is ongoing. The park is asking the public for any information they can provide. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park
On May 21, a 37-year-old took a 30-foot fall while on rope on a "mixed route on Taylor Peak." NPS staff were assisted by Northern Colorado Med Evac's air ambulance to determine the individual's exact location. Due to the location and the individual's injuries, the park requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate the individual via a hoist operation. The individual was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows and transferred to a ground ambulance to Estes Park Health. Source: Estes Park News
On July 2, a 25-year-old hiker fell and was pulled underwater at West Creek Falls. The individual died in the accident and their body was recovered that evening. The following day, the victim's body was flow by Northern Colorado Interagency Helitack to the Upper Beaver Meadows area. They were then transferred to the Larimer County (CO) Coroner/Medical Examiner's Office, which will determine the cause of death. NPS staff were supported in the incident by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, Estes Park Health, Estes Park Police Department, and Estes Valley Crisis Advocates. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park
On July 16, a 26-year-old was free solo climbing (without ropes or equipment) on Ypsilon Mountain, on a route known as "Four Aces of Blitzen Ridge," when they took a 500-foot fall. Another individual climbing with the victim, who was uninjured, notified the NPS and the search and rescue team was able to rendezvous with them. A helicopter from the Colorado Air National Guard's Buckley Air Force Base extracted the uninjured member of the party. The following morning, a Search and Rescue team from the park hiked to Ypsilon Lake and assisted Northern Colorado Interagency Helitak in extracting the victim's body. The Larimer County (CO) Coroner's Office met the helicopter in the Upper Beaver Meadows area. They later determined the cause of the victim's death to be multiple blunt force injuries. Source: Sky-Hi News
On July 11, a party of two climbers set out from Chasm Lake to summit Longs Peak via the "Casual Route" on the East Face, also known as "the Diamond." At some point, the two climbers became "stranded" and could not complete their climb or self-rescue. They were also unprepared for cold temperatures that night. They were able to reach park staff, who kept in touch with them throughout the evening and started a rescue the following morning. NPS staff were able to reach the party and assist them in a descent of the North Face of Longs Peak. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park
On July 17, a 51-year-old was found unresponsive by visitors one mile into the Mount Ida Trail. The visitors used a satellite device to contact emergency support and began CPR. Rangers also responded and administered lifesaving measures. Resuscitation efforts were not successful. The individual's body was extracted by litter and taken to the Grand County (CO) Coroner's Office to determine a cause of death. Other responders on the incident included Grand County Sheriff's Office, Grand County EMS, Grand Lake Fire, and Classic Air Medical. Source: KNCO, Rocky Mountain National Park
Recently, at Dream Lake, a bat got ensnared on a barbed fishing lure that had been abandoned by a previous angler, hanging in a tree. The bat was alive when NPS staff arrived but passed away shortly afterward. Barbed hooks are prohibited at the lake, where all fishing is catch-and-release. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park Facebook page
On August 11, a 64-year-old was climbing the Ledges on the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak when they took a 60-foot tumbling fall. A bystander provided critical care until NPS personnel arrived on scene. The park's Search and Rescue team provided advanced medical care. Due to the severity of injuries and ruggedness of the terrain, they requested extrication of the patient by a hoist operation by a Colorado Air National Guard helicopter. Rocky Mountain Rescue Group assisted in the hoist operation. The patient was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows and transferred to a Flight for Life air ambulance, which flew them to Medical Center of the Rockies. On August 12, a 21-year-old and a 25-year-old were descending the Flying Dutchman couloir between Longs Peak and Mount Meeker when they both fell about 300 feet. The 21-year-old died from injuries incurred in the fall. Bystanders utilized a cell phone and satellite device to request emergency support, and they provided initial care to the 25-year-old. NPS staff and an Estes Park Health paramedic provided advanced medical care upon arrival on scene. Due to the severity of the individual's injuries, they requested a hoist extrication from the Colorado Air National Guard helicopter. Rocky Mountain Rescue Group assisted in the hoist operation. The individual was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows and transferred to a Flight for Life air ambulance, which flew them to Medical Center of the Rockies. The 21-year-old's body recovery was delayed by weather until August 14, supported by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control helicopter. Their body was transferred to the Boulder County Coroner's Office for the determination of death. Source: Estes Park News, Rocky Mountain National Park
On September 28, a 49-year-old individual was reported overdue from a 28-mile run/hike that included both on-trail and off-trail travel near the East Inlet Trailhead. The individual started their itinerary on September 27 and was last heard from around noon that day. As of October 2, the search for the individual was ongoing, including ground and air crews from the NPS, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Grand County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Colorado Search and Rescue Association, the State of Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control's Multi-Mission Aircraft, Northern Colorado Interagency Helitack, and Trans Aero. The NPS is looking for any information the public can provide. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park (9/29, 10/1, 10/2)
The search for the missing 49-year-old attempting a 28-mile route in the East Inlet and North Inlet area on September 27 (see 10/4/23 Coalition Report) was suspended, as of October 10. Investigations are ongoing and the park's search and rescue team continues to review aerial photographs and drone footage. Search efforts included drones, heat sensing fixed-wing flights, dog teams, and ground crews. Source: Rocky Mountain National Park
On March 21, two backcountry skiers in the Ptarmigan Fingers area above Odessa Lake got caught in an avalanche while ascending a slope. One skier was able to exit quickly, while the other was carried downward approximately 600 feet. Neither was hurt in the incident. Source: Powder
On April 30, 2023, an individual "willingly walked away" from their family at the Wild Basin Entrance Station. They were seen by staff and visitors later that day and the following day in the Wild Basin area, but a multi-day search was unsuccessful (see 5/10/23 Coalition Report). On April 2, 2024, the individual was arrested and booked into Teller County Jail for charges of felony theft, felony charitable fraud, and two counts of official misconduct in their role as a former El Paso County (CO) Sheriff's Deputy. Court documents show that the suspect's then-spouse discovered that the suspect was married to another person shortly before they disappeared in 2023. Source: KOAA | |