Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Major Storms Lead To Numerous Rescues
A series of severe fall storms rolled across the Sierra Nevada during the five-day period from October 16th to the 20th, bringing up to four feet of snow and temperatures in the teens at higher elevations and stranding dozens of unprepared backpackers.
An incident management team was established to oversee the park's response and moved from one incident to another over the five days. In so doing, the parks worked closely with other agencies, including the Inyo and Fresno County Sheriff's offices, the Forest Service and several volunteer SAR groups.
Here's a summary of some of the responses:
- J. SAR — The parks received a report of a lone, overdue hiker in the Evolution/LeConte area of Kings Canyon. The hiker was experienced but poorly equipped. The weather was severe at the outset of the operation — air searches were not possible and ground crews were hampered by whiteout conditions. On Thursday, a weather window opened, permitting a helicopter to search high probability areas. The hiker was found at a backcountry cabin that he had forcibly entered. Another hiker had joined him at a rock overhang cave in Upper LeConte Canyon for two days, then the pair moved to the cabin. They spent two days there constructing makeshift snowshoes with the intent of hiking out of the backcountry. Both were in good health.
- S. SAR — At the same time as the J. SAR, a report was received of a group of four overdue hikers — two men and two women — who were on a multi-day trail and cross country trip to Mount Whitney in Sequoia NP. They were reported to be moderately experienced and fairly well equipped. Ground teams began the search, with aircraft again grounded due to bad weather. The foursome was found at Sky Blue Lake by a helicopter on Thursday morning. They had hunkered down at this location when the first storm hit and spent five days in a tent there, semi-buried in snow drifts, unable to move and vociferously discussing their predicament. All were in good health.
- R. SAR — While the above two groups were being evacuated and debriefed, a report came in of an older couple who were out on a ten-day backpack and were overdue in the area south of Mount Whitney in Sequoia NP. An air search was started while more detailed plans were being developed. Investigation revealed that the individuals were moderately experienced and fairly well equipped and in good physical condition for their age. During the search for the couple, another lone camper/hiker was seen waving for assistance in the adjacent Inyo NF. He was picked up by the helicopter and evacuated. The air search then resumed. An observer in the helicopter spotted a tarp laid out in a meadow; when it landed, the couple came out of their tent and asked to be evacuated. They were flown out as darkness fell Thursday evening. Both were in good health.
- R.M. SAR — During the Richard SAR, a report came in of a hiker who was overdue from a hike through the Baxter Pass area of Kings Canyon NP. His truck was found at the trailhead. Searchers determined that R.M., who'd worked many years as a seasonal trail worker and mason at Saguaro NP, was in excellent physical condition and was a very experienced backpacker and climber with a good deal of mountaineering experience in all seasons. He reportedly was always well equipped when hiking. The search area was very large, as he'd failed to obtain a permit or inform others of his route. Tracks leading back to and over Baxter Pass toward the trailhead were spotted from the air just before noon. A ground crew worked its way up to the pass form the trailhead and contacted R.M. around 2 p.m. on Friday. He was in good health and hiked out with searchers.
As of the time of the report, the park had rescued/evacuated ten
people. As of late Friday, no other hikers or campers were known to be
in need of assistance. The incidents were managed under ICS, with Kern
subdistrict ranger Bud Walsh as IC, assisted by plans chief Debbie
Brenchley, operations chief Erika Jostad, logistics chief Jason Bauwens,
and air ops chief John Ziegler.[Submitted by Gregg Fauth, Acting Chief
Ranger]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Visitor and Resource Protection
Jerry Case Named Regs Program Manager
Jerry Case, currently chief ranger at Pinnacles National Monument, has been selected as the new regulations program manager with the Visitor and Resource Protection in the Washington Office.
Jerry started his NPS career in 1974 as a seasonal ranger at Glen Canyon NRA. He has held field ranger positions at Isle Royale, Everglades, Gulf Islands, North Cascades, and Glacier Bay, and was the chief ranger at Kaloko-Honokohau prior to his assignment at Pinnacles.
"Jerry will be a tremendous asset to the team," said Karen Taylor-Goodrich, Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection. "Jerry did an excellent job working with the national work group to rewrite NPS boating regulations, and has served on the Pacific West Ranger Advisory and Interpretive Ranger Advisory Committees. We welcome him to Washington."
Jerry is an avid runner and triathlete and has competed in four "Ironman" distance races and numerous marathons. He is excited about the prospect of living and working in Washington, and is looking forward to the challenges of the position, where he can apply several decades of diverse field experience in assisting parks with regulatory issues.
He will begin his new position in early December.
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.