Olympic |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2024. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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March 25, 1987 Location: Part of the Hills Parkway An unknown male committed suicide by connecting a vacuum hose to his car's exhaust. County will handle investigation.
Location: Sledgehammer Point Hwy #101 A non-commissioned fire control aid stopped his government vehicle to assist a visitor whose vehicle had a flat tire. The aid noticed the driver and his passenger appeared to be intoxicated. He radioed for assistance from a road patrol ranger who was in the vicinity. The visitors drove away (with flat tire). The patrol ranger pursued the vehicle for a distance. The vehicle finally stopped outside of the park because the axle had worn to a "nubbin" and could no longer be driven. The ranger drew his weapon and asked the individuals to get out of the car. The driver stated he had a bomb in the vehicle and would detonate it if he was forced to leave the vehicle. At this time additional rangers and Clallam County sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene and blocked off the highway. The passenger of the vehicle got out and was arrested. The driver still refused to exit. A trained police dog was brought to the scene and lead to the passenger side of the vehicle. The driver exited the vehicle immediately and was arrested. No bomb was found. The vehicle was stolen from the Tacoma area.
Location: Lake Quinault Motel During the evening of the 28th, a fire destroyed three rooms in the Lake Quinault Motel on the park's North Shore Road. On the following day, rangers returned to the fire scene and discovered evidence of an illegal methamphetamine laboratory. They then arrested the two men who'd been staying there, both of whom had been housed in a park bunkhouse until their car keys could be located. The two were apparently working with chemicals in their motel room when some spilled on an open flame, which then spread to the adjacent rooms. They were both charged with manufacturing illicit drugs, and have been released from jail pending a grand jury hearing.
Location: 12 miles south of Mora A barge owned by Seaspan Corporation went aground on the beach early on the morning of the 13th. The 2001 by 40' barge was carrying a load of generators, which in turn were filled with about 400 gallons of diesel fuel. So far, there is no indication of leakage. The barge has a 20" hole in its side. Seaspan will attempt to weld the hatches shut, then fill the barge with air and pull it off the beach.
Location: Klalaloch Beach S.H. and her family were on a birthday outing. They'd intended to go to Ruby Beach, but decided not to enter the area due to the number of logs crashing in the surf. They went instead to Klalaloch Beach, about 10 miles further south, where conditions were a little calmer. All accesses to the beach were posted with warning signs about the danger of wave-driven logs. S.H. was standing on a log on the drift line with her parents and four other girls when a large wave hit, floated the log, and knocked them all off. One of the logs hit S.H., crushing her. A ranger was called; he responded and gave her CPR. An ambulance was summoned from Forks, Washington, and the victim was transported to the hospital there, where she died.
Location: Parkwide C.P., a 32-year-old Seattle resident, told friends that he was going to hike in Olympic on April 24th. When he did not return, friends reported him overdue to the park. Despite an extensive search by park rangers and numerous city and county law enforcement agencies, neither C.P. nor his car were found. On May 1st, C.P. returned home and called the park to say he was back. He had not gone to the park, but had instead taken a ski trip into the Cascades. He'd fallen through a snowbridge and was only able to get out after two or three days - he was unclear as to how long he was stuck due to the cold and the "fuzziness" of his memory. He had hidden his car to provide more security for items he'd left inside it.
Location: Dosewallips River A car was found half submerged in the Dosewallips River on the morning of the 21st; park and Jefferson County authorities are currently looking for 35-year-old S.N.L. of Lacey, Washington, the driver of the vehicle. S.N.L. dropped his wife and friends off at a trailhead on Friday and was to have returned home thereafter. He has not been seen since. His wife was located on Sunday, and she reported that her husband had been drinking before dropping her off.
Location: Dosewallips River The body of S.N.L., 35, of Lacey, Washington, was found on the 1st, about 1 mile below where his car had gone off the road into the Dosewallips River on May 21st.
Location: Duckabush River Trail On Sunday, June 19th, VIP C.E., age 51, was kicked in the head by her horse while working on trail cleanup projects on the Duckabush River Trail. She had a park radio with her and was able to call for help. She was evacuated by helicopter from the 10 Mile Shelter on the trail. Her condition is not known at this time.
Location: The Staircase on the Skokomish River P.B., 55, of Lake Cushman, WA, was fishing with her grandson (age 3) and granddaughter (age 6), when the grandson caught a fish and fell into the 45 degree water. P.B. jumped in to save the boy and both were swept away. The granddaughter ran for assistance and met a party of 2 doctors and 2 nurses. One doctor went to notify NPS staff members stationed nearby. The other doctor pulled the boy from the river and began treatment for shock and hypothermia; the boy had been in the water approximately 3 minutes. NPS fire crew members recovered P.B. after she had been in the water about 5 minutes. She was not breathing and had no vital signs; CPR was initiated by the doctors at the scene with no results. P.B. was pronounced dead by the doctors at the scene.
Location: Duckabush River C.E., age 51, sustained a concussion after being kicked in the head by her horse during a trail cleanup project on the Duckabush River Trail. C.E. was released from the hospital the evening of June 19th and is currently back at work.
Location: Elwah Early on the morning of the 16th, a fire destroyed an entrance station kiosk at Elwah. Damage is estimated at $15,000. A cash register with no money in it was also destroyed, but the safe within held up well. County fire department investigators have determined that a window to the kiosk was broken, and that flammable liquid was poured in and ignited. There are no suspects so far. The park will erect a temporary kiosk, which should be operating by Thursday or Friday.
Location: Bogachiel Peak R.M., 44, of Bainbridge Island, WA, was hiking with her three children, ages 10, 14 and 17, when she slipped and fell into a crevasse on Bogachiel Peak and became wedged between some rocks and snow. Her children were unable to extricate her, and reported the incident to rangers at the Lunch Lake Ranger Station at about 5 p.m. They were able to make it back to the scene of the incident at 7:15 p.m. R.M., who had been lightly dressed, was semi-conscious and unreactive to stimuli. It took 70 minutes to extricate her, and she stopped breathing before she was finally freed. CPR was begun and continued during a medevac flight, but R.M. never regained pulse or respiration. Her core body temperature was 68 degrees when she reached the hospital. Hypothermia has been ruled as the probable cause of death.
Location: Ruby Beach The body of 13 year old C.J., of La Push, Washington was found by park visitors on Ruby Beach Saturday morning. Investigation by rangers and the FBI reveal that C.J. and other juveniles had been drinking the previous evening on the Hoh Indian Reservation adjacent to Ruby Beach. At some point during the evening C.J. and another juvenile engaged in a fight and C.J. was left on the beach by himself. The conclusion at this...
Just before Christmas a barge containing crude bunker oil was struck by a tug boat near Grays Harbor, Washington, approximately 50 miles north of the Oregon border. The collision resulted in the release of what was initially estimated as 70,000 gallons of crude oil. On December 30, oil began to come ashore along the Olympic Peninsula. The entire 60 mile coastline of Olympic has been affected to varying degrees. It currently appears that approximately 230,000 gallons of oil were released in the spill. NPS staff are working with the State of Washington and the U.S. Coast Guard on cleanup efforts. The bulk of the spill appears to be moving north into Canadian waters along Vancouver Island.
Officials estimate that about 230,000 gallons of bunker oil spilled into the ocean following the December 22nd collision of a tug and the barge it was towing. The oil has come ashore as far south as Newport, Oregon, but the worst damage has been to wilderness beaches in Olympic and to the west coast of Vancouver Island, including parts of Canada's Pacific Rim National Park. About 5,000 birds are known to have died along the Washington coast, the most from any oil spill in state history. Bird cleaning operations will continue for at least two more weeks. (Associated Press).
J.D. and K.E., both of Sequim, Washington, were last seen around 1 p.m. on the afternoon of 3rd sitting in a car parked along the Dosewallips River. The vehicle contained innertubes. The vehicle was again found at that location on the next day with a dog inside. A preliminary search led to the recovery of an innertube downstream from this point and the discovery of a vehicle thought to belong to one of the two men. Because of the steep terrain along the river, searchers are unable to effectively walk along the banks; a helicopter is being utilized to search the area, however, and divers are working in the river. (Paul Crawford, OLYM, via CompuServe message from RAD/PNRO).
On the 21st, M.R., 28, of Del Ray Beach, Florida, was attempting to enter the westbound lane of Highway 101 near Soleduck when she was hit by an empty, eastbound log truck. The truck hit her rental vehicle broadside, causing it to spin twice before coming to a stop. The log truck traveled 160 feet before stopping. M.R. was the sole occupant of the vehicle. She was taken to the hospital in Forks, but was pronounced dead on arrival. The driver of the truck was not injured. Indications are that M.R. did not see the truck before she pulled onto the highway. (Chuck Janda, CR, GLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO).
W.V., 20, of Buffalo, New York, was registered at the Lochaerie Resort at Lake Quinault and was due to check out on the 29th. When he failed to do so, the resort removed his belongings from his room; when he failed to claim them by late afternoon, the resort reported his absence to rangers. A search was begun, and rangers were able to follow a trail of his clothing to the lake. They also found wine bottles along the way, and learned that W.V. had been drinking heavily the night before in several area bars. Rangers also have reason to believe that W.V. had consumed an unknown quantity of drugs. The park's dive team was to search the lake for him. (Chuck Janda, CR, GLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO).
On June 30th, park divers found the body of 20-year-old W.V. in 25 feet of water in Lake Quinault, not far from the beach where his clothes were found on the 29th. There were indications that he had been drinking heavily prior to leaving his room on that date. (Chuck Janda, CR, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO).
On July 30th, a helicopter piloted by C.B., a disk jockey on Seattle radio station KUBE, crashed in Scout Lake and sank in 80 feet of water. Both C.B. and his brother, R.B., were able to get out and swim to shore. The accident apparently occurred when one of the helicopter's skids hit the surface of the lake. C.B. later claimed that he wasn't in the helicopter, but it is registered to him and C.B. gave his name and number to several people who assisted him on the shore. The NPS, FAA and NTSB are conducting a joint investigation of the incident. C.B. will be required to remove the helicopter from the lake. (Telephone report from. Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO).
At 6 a.m. on August 3rd, seven park rangers and two DEA agents served a search warrant for drugs at a trailer in the Lake Quinault area of the park. Among the items subsequently seized were 62 sensimilla plants, valued at $62,000, a 36.06 rifle and a pickup truck. Two suspects were arrested, and were arraigned last Friday in Seattle. One of the two has admitted to selling the marijuana for $120 per ounce. (CompuServe message from Bill Frazier, RAD/PNRO).
W.L., 67, of Forks, Washington, was driving along Highway 101 on the 8th when her vehicle went off the road several miles from Lake Crescent and struck a tree. She was not wearing seatbelts, and apparently died on impact. (Chuck Janda, OLYM, via CompuServe message from RAD/PNRO).
At 6 a.m. on August 22nd, a fire broke out in a shorted fan motor in the bar of the Kalaloch Lodge. Rangers responded and were able to extinguish the fire with three fire extinguishers. Estimated damage to the building was put at $1,000. No injuries were reported, nor is there any estimate as to how long that section of the lodge may be out of operation. The lodge is not a government structure. (Chuck Janda, CR, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO).
A fire of suspicious origin gutted an inholders house in the Lake Quinault area just before midnight on the 22nd. The owners, Mark and Salina O'Neil, were in Alaska at the time, but a stepbrother had been in the building until 6 p.m. that evening. Public utilities to the building had been turned off due to lack of payment. The state fire marshall's office will investigate. Damage is estimated at from $35,000 to $40,000. (Chuck Janda, CR, OLYM, via CompuServe report from Mark Forbes, RAD/PMRO).
On August 3, 1989, seven park rangers and two DEA agents served a search warrant for drugs at a trailer on a private inholding in the Lake Quinault area of the park. Among the items subsequently seized were 62 sensimilla plants, valued at $62,000, a 30.06 rifle and a pickup truck. On January 4th, the defendant entered a plea of guilty to "manufacturing a controlled substance" in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington. She was sentenced to serve ten months in a correctional institution and three years supervised probation upon release. The defendant's property and vehicle have been seized and civil forfeiture is pending court action. (CompuServe message from Capt. Bill Frazier, LES, RAD/PNRO, 2 p.m. EST, 1/11/90).
At 5:30 a.m. on the 6th, D.T. of Ketchikan, Alaska, was driving eastbound on Highway 101 near Sledgehammer Point on Lake Crescent when he crossed the centerline and hit an empty westbound logging truck head on. The truck cab rolled over, and the trailer landed on top of D.T.'s vehicle, killing him. The truck driver received minor injuries. Portions of Highway 101 were closed for over six hours in order to extract the victim and remove the vehicles. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. (Chuck Janda, CR, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 5:30 EST, 3/6/90).
Early on the afternoon of May 30th, seasonal ranger Michelle Dunham, 30, went for a three-mile hike from the trailhead along the Elwah Road to Happy Lakes. When it was discovered that she had not returned by midnight, her supervisors were notified and a hasty search was begun. Her tracks were found about 2:40 a.m., but were lost in the rain and snow. Later that morning, the park brought in a helicopter and about 25 ground searchers, and ordered additional searchers and dogs. Dunham was found at 4 p.m. and was reported to be in good condition. She had lost the trail on her return from Happy Lake due to snow. (Chuck Janda, CR, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 6/1).
On the morning of June 10th, a couple appeared at Forks Hospital in Washington with their four-week-old female baby. They told hospital staff that they had been camped at Kalaloch campground in Olympic, that they had found something wrong with the baby when they woke up at 6 a.m., and that they had therefore packed up and driven to the hospital. Doctors pronounced the baby dead on arrival, and said that she was apparently a SIDS victim. There was no trauma to the body. The couple then left the hospital with the baby. A BOL was put out which led to their being stopped at the Canadian. U.S. border at Blaine, Washington. At the park's request, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office took custody of the body and transported it to a hospital in Bellingham. An autopsy has been scheduled. (Report from Bill Frazier, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 6/12).
On June 23rd, a fire of unknown origin completely destroyed the park's entrance station at Soleduck. A second fire burned the outside wall of park headquarters, but was extinguished before it could cause any significant damage. An investigation is underway. Arson is suspected. (Telephone report from Maureen Finnerty, Superintendent, OLYM, to Walt Dabney, RAD/WASO, 6/23).
On July 17th, 15-year-old T.B. and his older brother and a friend were hiking about a mile from the Graves Creek campground when the log they were walking upon gave way. T.B.'s brother was able to jump off, but he went down the hill head first. When the other boys reached him, he had a weak pulse, but was not breathing. One boy began CPR while the other went for help. Rangers soon arrived, continued CPR and requested an Army MAST helicopter. Because of the steep terrain and near box canyon-like location of the incident, the Army had to use a 250-foot long line in order to evacuate T.B.. Military medical personnel worked on the victim while enroute to Madigan Army Hospital near Tacoma. They were able to maintain a pulse until reaching the hospital, but needed to continue CPR. Doctors at the hospital pronounced T.B. dead shortly after arriving at Madigan. (Chuck. Janda, CR, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRD, 7/17).
On July 4th, two men were arrest by four park rangers and a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer in Olympic NF for theft of government property. Based on information that a theft was likely to occur, the park provided the Forest Service with a VARDA electronic detection device which transmits a signal over the park's radio system. At approximately 6:30 p.m. on the 4th, a signal was transmitted which indicated that there'd been an intrusion at the target site. The rangers and officer responded and placed two men under arrest. A small amount of heroin was recovered incident to the arrest. This information was given to the Clallam County drug task force, which resulted in eight additional felony arrests and the acquisition of information on future shipments of narcotics from Mexico by a major drug trafficker. These arrests were the result of a cooperative effort by Olympic rangers and USFS officers under the authority provided by MOU's between Interior and Agriculture and Olympic NP and Olympic NF. (CompuServe message from RAD/PNRO, 7/24).
Y-S.M., 24, a Korean national, was swimming in eight feet of water on Lake Crescent when he went underwater for three or four minutes. He was quickly recovered, revived by CPR and medevaced to a hospital in Seattle where he is in critical condition. Doctors say that he is suffering from severe cerebral hypoxia, and that it is uncertain as to whether he will live. (Telephone report from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 8/6).
On August 6th, rangers, U.S. Park Police officers and Grays Harbor County Drug Task Force officers executed a search warrant on a residence near Lake Quinault and arrested G.E.P., 46. G.E.P. was arraigned in U.S. District Court on the 7th on the charge of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; numerous other charges are pending. During entry to the house, G.E.P. threatened rangers with a loaded, semi- automatic pistol. He surrendered the weapon only after repeated orders to drop it. Seized during the raid were significant quantities of marijuana, hash oil, methamphetamine, LSD and several unidentified substances. Marijuana was found under cultivation in a building adjacent to the house, and a trailer on the grounds was apparently used to manufacture methamphetamine or "crank." A complete methamphetamine lab was discovered packaged in the attic. Officers also found several thousand rounds of ammunition and 22 firearms in the house, including rifles, a shotgun and semi-automatic pistols. Most were loaded and had rounds in their climbers. One weapon, an M-1 carbine, had been illegally modified. The raid was the crimination of a one-month undercover operation conducted at the park's request by the Park Police narcotics unit based in Washington, D.C. In addition to G.E.P., the officers were able to develop information for arrest warrants on 11 other individuals in the Lake Quinault and Amanda Park areas. (OLYM press release, forwarded via CompuServe by Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 8/8).
On the evening of August 30th, a 22-foot-long motor home crossed the center line of U.S. Highway 101 near Lake Crescent and struck a 1989 Dodge Aspen. The passenger in the Aspen, C.D. of Bismark, North Dakota, was killed; the driver, N.W. of Cupertino, California, suffered serious head injuries and is currently in critical condition and on a life support system. No one in the motor home was hurt. Park rangers are investigating the accident. Heavy rains were falling at the time, and are thought to be a contributing factor. (Telephone report from Reed Jarvis, RAD/PNRO, 8/31).
The high winds and heavy rains which hammered the Pacific Northwest over the past month caused major damage to park trails and roads. Rainfall on the western side of the park exceeded 52 inches in November. The hardest hit areas were the Quinault, Queets and Hon River Valleys. All three areas were closed because of washed out roads, landslides, and severed utilities. During the storm which occurred on Thanksgiving weekend, over 3000 cubic yards of rock slid onto and forced the closure of Highway 101 at Lake Crescent. The highway was reopened two days later as a result of around- the-clock efforts by park and state crews. Extensive repair work to the road is continuing. Facilities in the park also suffered. The roof of Hurricane Ridge ledge and the water and electric systems at Hon were badly damaged and will have to be replaced. It is not yet known when the closed areas of the park will be reopened. (SEAdog message from Loretta Hansen, OLYM, 11/29).
On August 6th, rangers arrested G.P., 46, a park inholder who lived near Lake Quinault, on a number of charges pertaining to drug and weapons possession. On November 3rd, G.P. pled guilty in U.S. District Court to counts of possession with intent to distribute hashish, possession with intent to distribute LSD, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamines, and possession of an unregistered firearm. In conjunction with his plea, G.P. agreed not to contest the forfeiture of his property. G.P. was subsequently sentenced to five years and eight months in prison and five years supervised probation upon release. He is prohibited from possession of a firearm, must participate in a drug rehabilitation program, and must submit to a search of his property upon request. G.P.'s arrest marked the (culmination of an intensive undercover operation which was conducted in July and August by rangers, U.S. Park Police drug unit officers, and members of the Grays Harbor drug task force. (SEAdog message from Bill Frazier, LES, OLYM, 12/4).
On the morning of December 1st, a visitor who stopped at an overlook just north of the Kalaloch Campground noticed an Army-type mummy bag lying at the bottom of the bluff. The visitor reported the discovery to ranger Neil Smith at the Kalaloch Ranger Station. Smith went to the scene and discovered that there was a body in the bag. The body was found within the Highway 101 right- of-way, which the state has jurisdiction over, so Smith protected the scene until a Jefferson County deputy arrived and the body was removed. A check was then made of recent missing person reports, and it was soon determined that the victim was R.R. of Hoquiam, Washington, who was reported missing by her live-in boyfriend on Thanksgiving Day. An initial examination indicated that she had received a severe head wound and may have been sexually assaulted. Evidence indicates that the death occurred somewhere else, and that R.R.'s body was later dropped off at the Kalaloch site. A search warrant was served at the boyfriend's house; he is a prime suspect in the case. (Howard Yanish, CR, OLYM, via telefax from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 12/17).
Tony August, 63, a resident of Lake Quinault and former seasonal laborer for the park, was killed on December 30th when the backhoe he was on rolled over while he was working along the lakeshore. No further information on the incident is available. (Telephone report from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 12/30).
A park visitor reported finding a dead spotted owl nailed to a park sign about a mile from the visitor center in Port Angeles on the 14th. A threatening note was attached to the juvenile bird which implied that a "fire to ignite social unrest" had yet to be lit. The park is working closely with US Fish and Wildlife Service special agents and their lab technicians to gather further information. A significant reward is being offered by Fish and Wildlife for information on the incident. [Curt Sauer, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 1/16]
Two buildings - the Fairholm ranger station near Lake Crescent and the entrance station at Soleduck - were set on fire during the weekend. The ranger station burned to the ground, but the entrance station was not entirely destroyed. The fires are thought to be related to the controversy over the spotted owl. The state fire marshall, park rangers and FBI agents are investigating. [Telephone report from Mike Blankenship, RAD/PNRO, 2/2]
The Fairholm ranger station and the entrance station at Soleduck were completely destroyed by the arson fires on the night of February 1st. The total damage has been estimated at $62,000. Investigators believe that the fires were set between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. in the evening. The two buildings are only a mile apart. This is the second time that an arson fire has consumed the Soleduck entrance station. The first incident occurred on June 23, 1990, and attempts were also made at that time to set the headquarters building in Port Angeles on fire. A full investigation is underway. [Telephone report from Mike Blankenship, RAD/PNRO, 2/7]
Ranger Mike Butler arrested two men parked at an overlook on the Hurricane Ridge Parkway for possession of drug syringes on March 30th. A search of the vehicle conducted subsequent to the arrest led to the discovery of a variety of drugs, including cocaine and marijuana. One of the men agreed to cooperate with the local drug task force and the information he provided resulted in the execution of a search warrant in a motel room in the nearby community of Sequim. Rangers seized $6,000 in cash, about an ounce of cocaine wrapped in individual bundles, two .357 revolvers and a police scanner. [CompuServe message from Bill Frazier, OLYM, 4/2]
On May 4th, ranger Clay Butler responded to a call for help from the relatives of a man whose kayak had overturned and who was caught in a rip current during stormy conditions near the beach at Kalaloch. When Butler arrived at the scene, the man was several hundred yards off shore and drifting out to sea. Butler organized a group of park visitors and another ranger into a shore support group, then jumped into the surf and swam a torpedo buoy with a rope attached through extremely cold and turbulentwaters to the victim. The kayaker was severely hypothermic by the time Butler reached him, and Butler had to help him hold onto the lifeline. After several perilous minutes, the man was pulled through the surf to the beach. He was treated for hypothermia and recovered completely. On May 31st, Butler received the West Olympic Peninsula Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award for the rescue and for his support of county deputies on several occasions. [CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 6/3]
S.W., 31, of Olympia, Washington, was attempting to cross the Soleduck River just above Soleduck Falls at about 6:45 p.m. on the 3rd when she fell into the river and was swept over the falls into a deep pool approximately 60 to 80 feet below. Although injured to an unknown extent, she was able to reach the rocks which form the wall of a steep canyon at the base of the falls and hold herself there while others went for help. Rangers were notified of the accident about a half hour later and arrived at the scene with rescue equipment within 35 minutes. They immediately lowered a rope to S.W. to give her something to grasp until they could rappel into the canyon to reach her. S.W. held onto the rope and was attempting to wrap it around her body when she lost her balance, was swept downstream and drowned. Rangers and county search and rescue team members searched the river for her throughout the night and located her body around 9:00 a.m. the following morning. [Cat Hawkins, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 6/4]
On the morning of July 22nd, the 610-foot Chinese vessel, Tuo Hai, collided with a 365-foot Japanese fish-processing vessel, the Tenyo Maru, approximately 20 miles off Cape Flattery. The Tenyo Maru subsequently sank. The freighter suffered little damage and continued on its voyage. One of her crew of 85 is missing and two have been evacuated to local hospitals. The Tenyo Maru was carrying 273,214 gallons of fuel oil and 91,071 gallons of diesel oil. As of 9:45 a.m. PDT yesterday morning, oil was bubbling to the surface and a four by nine mile oil slick had formed. The slick was moving southwest in a calm sea and was reported to have turned to mousse (brown, frothy, coagulated oil). Storms were expected yesterday and today, however, and they may move the oil toward the shore of the Olympic Peninsula. The park has about 60 miles of wilderness beach along the peninsula. The park has put its existing oil plan into effect and is working with the Coast Guard on a preliminary contingency plan. [Telephone report from Reed Jarvis, RAD/PNRO, 7/23]
As of the latest report, received on Tuesday evening, analysts were predicting that the spill from the Tenyo Maru would move to the southeast and approach within ten to fifteen miles of the Washington coastline by Wednesday. The oil was then expected to head to the south and move down the coast. Oil spill cleanup operations are underway. Several Interior agencies which have areas that could be affected by the spill, including the NPS, Fish and Wildlife Service, and BIA, have been notified and are beginning preparatory activities. [Telefax from NOAA, 7/24; report from John Donahue, OEA/WASO, 7/24]
About 30,000 gallons of oil from the Tenyo Maru was reported to be drifting in a southeasterly direction toward the Washington coastline yesterday, but bad weather has made accurate tracking of the slick impossible. Oil slick trajectory projections indicate that the oil will come ashore soon. The park's staff and the Department's regional environmental officer (REO) are monitoring the situation. Cooperation between federal and state agencies has been characterized as excellent. [Report from John Donahue, OEA/WASO, 7/25]
Oil from the Tenyo Maru began washing up on the Washington shoreline yesterday. More than 170 oiled seabirds, mostly common murres found in offshore oil, were being treated Saturday at a bird cleaning station near Neah Bay, and globs of oil had come ashore on Tatoosh Island off Cape Flattery and at Cape Alava. Although oil has not yet reached the coastal beaches between the two points, which are partly in the park and partly in the Ozette and Makah reservations, it's expected that it will come ashore soon. Present estimates are that approximately 100,000 gallons of oil has leaked or will leak from the ship. There may be no way to stop the remaining oil from seeping from the ship, since it is under 500 feet of water. The Seattlebased Global Diving and Salvage Company had skimmed 4,200 gallons of mixed oil and water by Friday night. [Hal Spencer, Associated Press, 7/28]
Although skimmers reportedly collected about 21,000 gallons of an oil/water mixture from the Tenyo Maru over the weekend, portions of the estimated 100,000 gallons which have leaked from the ship have been coming up along the coast. Patches of oil are now reported along approximately 15 miles of the park's 60 miles of beach. Park beaches are closed from Sand Point north to the Ozette Indian Reservation. About 60 NPS personnel are presently involved in responserelated activities. Just over 100 oiled birds have been collected from park beaches, and reports of oiled otters are beginning to come in. A total of 360 oiled birds have been collected 90 have died, 270 have survived. Three bald eagles have been oiled, and three grey whales have been seen swimming in the slick. As of last night, the southern edge of the slick reportedly extended almost to Destruction Island, a bird sanctuary about 15 miles offshore. It was moving southeast toward the shore and was being pushed by winds of around 20 mph. [Briefing by John Donahue, OEA/WASO, 7/29; Associated Press, 7/29]
Oil from the sunken Tenyo Maru continued to come ashore in the park and elsewhere along 55 miles of coastline yesterday. A light sheen of oil reportedly coated the shore from Cape Flattery, Washington's most northwestern point, to Hoh Head, about 40 miles south. Four park beaches were coated with clumps of diesel and bunker oil and contaminated vegetation. More than 650 oilsoaked birds had been found by yesterday morning; more than 150 of them were dead. Only a small percentage of the fouled birds are expected to survive. Canadian Coast Guard officials are reporting oil about five miles southwest of Cape Beale on Vancouver Island. Cape Beale is about 40 miles north of Cape Flattery. Nearly 300 sea otters, a threatened species, live along the coast, largely in offshore sea kelp which is now covered with oil. Rescuers are standing by with cages and nets to capture the mammals when and where possible. Park spokesman Bob Appling has warned that the oil could eventually spread to Oregon, about 125 miles south of the sunken ship. The Canadian Coast Guard said that a threeman submarine will be sent down to the wreck today to see if the flow of oil can be plugged. A memorandum of agreement has been signed with the Coast Guard on recovery of response costs incurred by the park. [ICS 209 from incident overhead team, Associated Press and United Press stories, briefing by John Donahue, OEA/WASO, 7/30]
As of yesterday, oil was continuing to arrive on park beaches in scattered patches and in consistencies ranging from a light sheen to tar balls. The southern portions of Shi Shi beach and the northern side of Point of the Arches were reported to be the most heavily oiled shore areas. Tar-like oil is on beaches between Duck Point and the Ozette River. Cleanup efforts were underway north of Cape Alava. Rialto Beach had very small amounts of oil, and Yellow Banks had not been patrolled. The main body of oil was said to be moving rather rapidly towards the Grays Harbor area and was still about 10 miles offshore. The oil was described as being comprised of "large patches of oil connected by (a) rainbow sheen with numerous tar balls intermixed." Ribbons of oil which separated from the main slick were still appearing all along the coastline. A total of 950 birds had been brought to the cleaning station at Neah Bay by Tuesday night; of these, about 350 were dead. Many more birds are expected over the next several days. The NPS is operating a helicopter for bird pickup and transport to Neah Bay, and a second treatment center for bird cleanup is being established at La Push to handle birds coming in on the southern beaches. Treated birds are being taken to St. Edward State Park on the northeast shore of Lake Washington for final cleanup. Volunteers wishing to assist with bird washing should call 1-800-222-4737. Several oiled sea otters have been seen in the Cape Alava area, but have so far eluded capture. The following areas in the park are now closed to the public the shoreline from Sand Point north to the Makah Reservation, the Cape Alava trail and Ozette Campground. [Cat Hoffman, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, via telefax from RAD/PNRO, 7/31]
The main oil slick has been moving in a southerly direction at a rate of about ten miles per day, but has broken up over the last two days and spread over a wide area. The southern end of the spill was located yesterday about ten miles off the coast of Ocean City; large areas of sheen were reported off Cape Alava, Destruction Island, and the northern end of Norwegian Memorial. Helicopters were having difficulty locating and guiding skimmers to patches of oil on the ocean surface because of fog. The skimmers have recovered about 35,000 gallons of mixed fuel oil and water so far, but only about ten percent of that amount is oil. It's estimated that twothirds of the Tenyo Maru's fuel oil is still on board the ship. The Canadian sub will be checking the hull shortly. The oil has not spread to any beaches beyond those previously reported. Cleanup crews have completed work over a six mile area from Watts Point to Cape Flattery and along the shores of the Sooes River. Work at Shi Shi Beach and Cape Alava is continuing. A total of 1,260 birds 630 of them dead had been brought to the Neah Bay cleanup station by 8:00 pm on Wednesday, but the number brought in yesterday decreased noticeably. The La Push bird treatment center is now in operation. Although at least two oiled otters were seen in the first days of the spill, relocation and capture of otters has been unsuccessful. A whale was found beached in Makah Bay on Wednesday, and marine mammal experts were to examine it yesterday. The Ozette Campground has been reopened, but the shoreline from Sand Point north to the Makah Reservation and the Cape Alava trail are still closed to the public. A total of 220 people 74 of them from the NPS are now working on spillrelated operations. [Telefax from Cat Hoffman, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/1; report from John Donahue, OEA/NPS, 8/1]
Overflights conducted on Friday, August 2nd, revealed that oil was continuing to dissipate from all areas along the Washington coast. A small amount of oil continues to leak from the sunken ship, but the flow rate is diminishing. The slick near the site of the wreck reportedly consisted of tendrils of oil dispersed over a wide area. Two small patches of tar balls remain at the southernmost edge of the spill one located about nine miles offshore from Grays Harbor, the other about four miles off Cape Shoalwater. A remotelyoperated submarine sent down to the wreck by the Canadian Coast Guard has shown the Tenyo Maru sitting upright in heavy layers of silt on the ocean bottom with oil "oozing like molasses" from a porthole at a rate of ten barrels per day. Five skimmers are now in operation off the Washington coast. Skimmers working along the southern end of the spill reported no recoverable offshore oil yesterday. A 1900-foot oil boom has been deployed in the vicinity of the wreck to concentrate oil and facilitate skimming efforts there. It's estimated that from 40 to 60 percent of the park's beaches have now been oiled, with concentrations ranging from heavy to very light. At Rialto Beach, an estimated 50 to 70 percent of the debris on the drift line mostly kelp and other marine algae is oiled. Cleanup crews worked the area from Rialto Beach to Hole in the Wall yesterday, and cleanup operations continued at the following beaches Hobuck, Waatch Point, Archawat, Tatoosh Island, Sooes, Strawberry Point, and Cape Alava. A total of 1,884 bags of oily waste have been collected to date. As of yesterday morning, just over 2,200 birds about 1,400 of them dead had been brought in to the cleaning facility at Saint Edwards State Park. Efforts to capture and relocate otters remain unsuccessful, but no oiled otters have been reported recently. The beached whale reported in Makah Bay several days ago turned out to be a fuel bladder. Biologists from the Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Department of Wildlife (DW), and a local zoo and aquarium continue to conduct boat surveys of the coastal areas between Cape Alava and Destruction Island. Park and DW biologists are conducting damage assessment studies to measure the impacts of the spill on bird and intertidal populations. All areas in the park are now open except for the coastline from the Ozette Indian Reservation to the Makah Indian Reservation. [Telefax from Cat Hoffman, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/4]
The Canadian Coast Guard plans to send a remote-controlled underwater robot down to the Tenyo Maru late this week to siphon the remaining oil from the ship. The robot is expected to arrive from Houston on Thursday and could be sent down to the wreck as early as Friday. It will use its two pincer-like arms to force a six-inch-diameter tube into a porthole on the sunken tanker. No further information is available on the spill this morning. [Associated Press, 8/6]
The oil slick is now about four and a half miles long and is moving to the northwest. As of last night, about 36,000 gallons of oil and water had been skimmed from the area, but operations were slowing down due to the type of oil being encountered. A boom designed for open water has been partially deployed around the area where the new oil is surfacing. A considerable amount of oil still remains on park beaches at Shi Shi, Ozette, Cape Alava and Rialto. Tar balls are now showing up in varying amounts on Third Beach, Taylor Point and Kalaloch. Although Kalaloch appears to be clean, oil is reported to lie just beneath the surface of the sand. Predictions still call for tar balls to show up on beaches as far south as northern Oregon, and some tar balls and dead birds have already been reported at Cape Disappointment. The cleanup contractor has been working at Rialto Beach, Cedar Creek, Ozette River, Cape Alava and Shi Shi. The Makah and Shi Shi beaches apparently got reoiled during yesterday's high tide, just after they'd been cleaned. A juvenile sea otter was found dead on the 5th; although it was lightly oiled, the cause of death has not been determined. Two river otters were also found dead; again, no cause of death has been ascertained. The total count of birds turned in to the Neah Bay and La Push primary care centers as of the 5th was 2,887. Of these, 2,156 were dead, and many of the remaining birds have since died. Bird experts estimate that from 20,000 to 30,000 birds have died offshore to date. The Coast Guard has set up a beach assessment team consisting of one member each from the park, the Coast Guard and NOAA. The team will establish priorities for the clean up of park beaches and direct those operations. Howard Yanish and Ruth Scott will serve alternately as the park's representatives on this team. All areas in the park are now open except for the coastline from the Ozette Indian Reservation to the Makah Indian Reservation. Despite the oil, there were large numbers of visitors on park beaches over the weekend all of whom were apparently getting oil on themselves or their belongings. The cleanup contractor had two decontamination stations operating at Rialto Beach. One was for the cleanup crews, the other was for park visitors. About 90 visitors took advantage of the station on Sunday, mostly to clean their shoes, and another 80 visitors had their shoes wrapped in plastic by the decontamination crew to avoid contact with the oil while walking on the beach. Park personnel spent much of the day answering questions from the public regarding the spill. [Telefax and SEAdog messages from Roger Hoffman, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/6]
The cleanup operation is bracing for stormy weather. Gale warnings for winds in excess of 35 knots and high seas have temporarily halted all cleanup efforts. Even though the wreck is leaking oil at about the same rate as in past days, little can be done to contain the new oil under current conditions. All skimmers and booms have been brought into port to wait out the weather, which is expected to continue at least through tomorrow. The earliest that submarine operations can resume will be on Friday. High seas are expected to bring considerable amounts of oil onshore from kelp beds. The LaPush bird center has been closed, and operations are moving further south to Long Beach. The Neah Bay center is still functioning. Some of the recovered dead birds are being cleaned, tagged and dropped into the ocean along an offshore transect in an attempt to learn more about the movements of dead birds in the currents. This effort also may show the proportion of birds that wash up on the coast and the proportion that sink unnoticed. About 7,000 bags of oil and oiled debris, each weighing around 60 pounds, have been gathered from park beaches to date. These bags do not include dead birds. Of the 3,000 or so dead birds recovered so far, approximately twothirds have been from park beaches. [Telefax from Roger Hoffman, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/8]
A storm centered off the Washington coast prevented overflights to survey the oil slick Friday and Saturday, but aircraft were scheduled to resume overflight operations yesterday. Skimming operations were curtailed during the storm. Two tugs have been contracted to assist in anchoring a heavy boom offshore around the wreck site for skimming operations over the next few days. The small Scorpio submarine (also known as a remotelyoperated vehicle or ROV) brought to the site by the Canadian Coast Guard was to be sent down to the Tenyo Maru yesterday to attempt to pump oil from the wreck. No additional oil has been found on beaches between Neah Bay and Toleak Point, but crews report a scattering of tarballs above the high tide line at South Hobuck Beach. Oil appears to have diminished at some previously impacted areas. Heavy surf from the recent storm has apparently "cleaned" some areas, and buried onshore oil at other locations so that it is not visible. Most of the cleanup booms were torn and pushed under rocks during the storm. Some bags of oiled debris were washed off the shoreline at Petroleum Creek and Yellow Banks. A total of 3,440 birds had been brought to care centers as of Thursday evening. Only a third are expected to live. Park biologists and crews will be on the beaches through the current low tide series to continue sampling transects for postoil assessments. All areas in the park are open except for the coastline from the Ozette Indian Reservation to the Makah Indian Reservation. [Telefax from Cat Hoffman, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/10]
Oil continues to leak from the Tenyo Maru. The streak currently extends north for approximately one mile, then turns to the westnorthwest. Blossoms of oil from the ship are also reported to be converging and forming silvery ribbons of sheen. Several skimmers remain in operation in the area; they have been joined by two sea tugs pulling a newlydesigned boom which has greatly enhanced skimming operations. About 90% of the oil entering the boom is captured and funneled to the skimmers. Weather prevented attempts to deploy the Canadian ROV submersible on Sunday, but efforts were to be made again yesterday and pumping will begin as soon as possible once the piping is in place. Crews have now removed 34,411 bags of oily residue from park beaches. Crews worked at Cape Alava, Ozette River, Tatoosh Island and Coastie Head during the weekend, and helicopters continued to remove previously bagged debris from the beaches. A crew will be dispatched again to Second Beach, since several areas along the beach have received new tar balls. An assessment team made a preliminary check of the park's shoreline on Sunday and reported that 65% of the beaches have been cleaned satisfactorily. The bird recovery count as of the 12th was 3,610 recovered, 770 alive, 2,840 dead. A total of 122 personnel from the following agencies and organizations are currently involved in cleanup operations the NPS, Coast Guard, NOAA, Forest Service, BIA, the Makah Tribe, Global Diving and Salvage, and Clean Sound. [Telefax from Cat Hoffman, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/12]
Patches of oil were seen yesterday about five miles southeast of the wreck site. Leakage from the Tenyo Maru continues at the same rate. Skimming with the new boom will continue while a hose/suction operation is set up. The ROV submersible began installing a clamping device on one of the ship's portholes; the device will be used to hold the suction hose in place. Pumping operations may begin today. Beach cleanup activities continue, and there is a report that new oil has come ashore at Anderson Head. The total bird count is now 4,222; of these, 3,437 were found dead. The interagency beach assessment team is continuing preliminary shoreline surveys. Another seven and a half miles remain to be completed. The shoreline from the Ozette Indian Reservation to the Makah Indian Reservation remains closed to the public. All other park areas are open. [Telefax from Michael Smithson, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/13]
Two cars in the Fairholm campground were broken into around 5:00 a.m. on the morning of August 14th. The thief or thieves took $250 in cash and a VISA card from one car and $20 from the second car. Entry apparently was made through the wing windows on at least one of the cars. It's not known if the breakins are local in nature or whether car clouter(s) are moving through the area. [SEAdog message from Mike Blankenship, RAD/PNRO, 8/14]
Negligible amounts of oil were recovered by skimmers on Wednesday; leakage from the sunken ship continues at the same rate. One skimmer came across three areas of heavy slick with a black granular consistency. A threeinch suction hose has been lowered to the wreck, and the Canadian Coast Guard is attempting to employ the ROV submersible to place it through a porthole and into the remaining oil. Fog prevented cleanup crews from working in most park areas, but slingloading operations took place at Coastie Head and 775, 60pound bags of oil and oiled debris were removed. [Telefax from Michael Smithson, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/13]
A suction hose was successfully placed through a porthole in the Tenyo Maru and into the interdeck area last week, and oil is being pumped to the surface. The amount of oil leaking from the wreck has consequently decreased dramatically. The ship had 17 fuel oil four lubricant oil, two bilge and two fishoil tanks, though, and its unclear how many of these are leaking into the interdeck area and can therefore be pumped out. Pumping operations will continue as long as oil continues to emerge. Crews are now surveying a third of the park's beaches each day on a rotating basis. Over 3,500 bags of oil and oiled debris had been removed by late last week. [Telefax from Michael Smithson, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/16]
Pumping operations from the wreck are continuing. As of Wednesday, 50,400 gallons of oil had been pumped from the ship, and just over 35,000 gallons of oil/water mixture had been skimmed. Crews are now working at Cape Alava and south of the Ozette River. The beach will be assessed after cleanup is completed, but will remain closed until that time. The area may open before the Labor Day weekend. A final assessment of other areas of park and tribal beaches is also underway. [Telefax from Cat Hoffman, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/22]
Oil continues to leak from the Tenyo Maru, but at a greatly reduced rate. Pumping operations using the Canadian submersible were halted several days ago when the recovery rate slowed to less than ten gallons per day. It's not known how many of the ship's 25 tanks still contain oil. Helicopters are still being employed to monitor the site and track any further oil releases. Cleanup operations are continuing on several Makah and Ozette Reservation beaches, but all park beaches are now open to the public. [Telefax from Cat Hoffman, Information Officer, Tenyo Maru ICS Team, 8/31]
On July 22nd, two visitors told Quinault rangers that they had found what they thought were marijuana plants growing near a horse camp in the park. Rangers subsequently found eight plants in what appeared to be a cultivated garden. The garden was placed under surveillance for several days, but no one appeared. The plants were removed on August 15th. [SEAdog message from Bill Frazier, OLYM, 8/25]
Just after 1:00 a.m. on September 29th, a Port Angeles police officer driving by the park's visitor center saw smoke issuing from the building and found the center panel of an outdoor plexiglass display on fire. The Port Angeles fire department and park personnel responded to the fire and were able to catch and suppress it just as the flames were starting to burn the visitor center's exterior wall. Part of a phone in an outdoor booth on Hurricane Ridge in Olympic was found melted that night. A device used to light crack cocaine may have been used to torch both the plexiglass panel and the phone. A log cabin in a county park was also set afire that same night and burned to the ground. Rangers are investigating the incidents in conjunction with the state fire marshall's office, the Port Angeles police department and county authorities. [SEAdog message from Mike Blankenship, RAD/PNRO, 10/1 and 10/4]
On October 7th, the Captain J. Fiddler, a 100-foot fishing vessel, sank about 75 miles off the Washington coast and about five miles from the site where the Tenyo Maru went down. The four crew members were rescued by the Canadian Coast Guard. An oil sheen two to three miles long and 75 yards wide was seen drifting to the southwest, but it is believed that the spill will break up before coming ashore. The United States Coast Guard will monitor the area. According to crew members, they were "hauling fish over the stern and somehow the stern submerged." [Bill Frazier, Acting CR, OLYM, via CompuServe message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 10/8]
At about 1:30 a.m. on the morning of October 14th, R.H.S., 57, of Kagel Canyon, California, was sleeping in his vehicle in the Queets area of the park when he was awakened by people knocking on the vehicle's window. When he unlocked the passenger door, a person entered the vehicle, placed a pillow over his face and a firearm against his chest, and shot him. R.H.S. later reported that he remained in the vehicle for about 12 hours until he was able to summon a passing motorist by blowing the vehicle's horn. He was transported to the hospital in Aberdeen, where he was admitted and treated for a small caliber bullet wound which passed through his body and exited out his lower back. R.H.S. is now in stable condition. During an interview, R.H.S. stated that he was in the Queets area waiting for two women; he thought they were the ones knocking on the window and therefore opened the door. R.H.S. also said that the assault was connected to the occult and that his assailants were attempting to steal a book he was writing on the subject. The incident is being investigated by rangers and deputies from Grays Harbor. [Kym Ulin, OLYM, via telefax from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 10/21]
S.B., 22, and a friend hiked from four miles from the Soleduck trailhead into the Seven Lakes Basin on the 20th. They split up at Deer Lake at mid-day. S.B. decided to hike out via the Hoh River trail, a total distance of about 23 miles; his companion chose to return to the Soleduck trailhead, where he picked up their car and drove to the Hoh trailhead to await S.B.'s arrival later that day. S.B.'s companion waited for him throughout that day and early the next day, then notified rangers of his failure to appear. A search was begun employing a total of 50 personnel, including park rangers and rescue team members from Olympic Mountain Rescue, Tacoma Mountain Rescue, and Clallam County Rescue. Five search dogs and air searchers were also employed. Four rangers remained at Deer Lake through Tuesday night, and the full search was to resume yesterday morning. Up to a foot of snow has fallen in the area since the two began their hike on Monday, thereby complicating search efforts. S.B. was wearing light clothing and hiking boots and carried only small amounts of food and water. [SEAdog messages from Cat Hoffman, OLYM, and Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 1/21]
On the afternoon of January 16th, ranger Bob Lineback overheard a mayday message from a person stuck in a four-wheel-drive vehicle on a snow-covered cliff at the 6,000-foot elevation of an unidentified mountain, but was unable to get a better location. Dispatch put out an announcement to all persons in vehicles with CB radios to turn to channel 9. Radio techs Daryl Keeney and Craig Houghtaling, who were on Ellis Mountain, heard the calls and talked to the distressed party. After several conversations, they were able to determine that the person was near Big Bear, California. Dispatch contacted one of the person's relatives in a nearby California town via a phone number which he supplied, and help was dispatched. [Kym Ulin, OLYM, via SEAdog message from Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 1/20]
The search for S.B. continues, but no sign of him has yet been found. Tuesday's efforts focused on the Soleduck, Deer Lake, Canyon Creek and upper Bogachiel areas; on Wednesday, ground teams, dogs and helicopter observers continued to look for S.B. throughout the search zone. Six rangers and rescue team members camped at three different locations in the search area Wednesday night. The terrain of the area is rugged, ranging from dense forests to steep alpine slopes. The snowpack ranges from four to five feet in depth, and over 14 inches of new snow fell throughout Tuesday and Wednesday. Additional snow was expected overnight on Wednesday. Thursday's search was to focus on the Deer Lake area, the South Fork of the Bogachiel River, the Hoh drainage, and lower elevation areas of the Soleduck. High winds, strong wind shear, poor visibility, a rising freezing level, and a high avalanche hazard were forecast. S.B. and his companion, G.F., 22, are both German nationals who have been attending Oregon State University on an exchange program. [SEAdog message from Cat Hoffman, OLYM, 1/23]
The search for S.B. was suspended on Sunday evening when the incident command team and park officials determined that the risk to searchers from avalanche and other environmental hazards far outweighed the probability that S.B. was still alive. Since the search began early last week, a zone along S.B.'s intended travel route from the Soleduck trailhead to the Hoh trailhead was thoroughly searched by ground and helicopter. Weather during this period included snow, high winds, heavy rains and avalanches and significantly affected search capabilities. They also minimized the probability of S.B.'s survival, as he was lightly dressed in jeans, sweater and a windbreaker, had no gloves or hat, carried little food, and had no equipment for overnight camping. When weather and snow conditions in the search area improve, searchers will attempt to find his body. S.B.'s parents met with park officials on Sunday morning. Although grief-stricken, they nevertheless expressed gratitude to all participants in the search. S.B., their only child, was a Fulbright scholar and a master's student in physics. [SEAdog message from Cat Hoffman, OLYM, 1/26]
On January 28th, a Seattle woman, L.A.G., was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the right temple in a Kalaloch Lodge cabin. The 34-year-old woman had checked into the lodge the previous afternoon. Her body was found on the bed of her cabin around 1:30 p.m. the following day. A large caliber revolver was found in her lap. The case is currently under investigation. [SEAdog message from Cat Hoffman, OLYM, 1/29]
A man sexually assaulted a 30-year-old woman on the Hurricane Ridge Parkway late on the evening of January 31st, then drove off with his victim. Late that same night, a state trooper stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation. The trooper determined that an assault had taken place, and that it had occurred in the park. He arrested the suspect on state charges, then contacted the park. Investigating rangers subsequently interviewed the suspect and elicited a full confession. The suspect revealed that he had physically and sexually assaulted the woman, then had attempted to strangle her. He only relented when she began screaming. When stopped by the trooper, the suspect said that he was taking the victim to the Deer Park area in Olympic to "hold her down until she calmed down." The investigators believe, however, that his true intention was to kill her and drop her body there. [Mike Butler, OLYM, via SEAdog message from Mike Blankenship, RAD/PNRO, 2/7]
A park visitor found the body of G.W.S., 44, of Fox Island, Washington, among driftwood on Rialto Beach near Mora on the afternoon of April 1st. G.W.S. died of a gunshot wound, apparently self-inflicted. A shotgun and notes written to family and friends were found nearby and in his vehicle in the Rialto Beach parking area. The case is under investigation. [SEAdog message from Cat Hoffman, OLYM, 4/2]
At about 11:00 p.m. on the night of July 15th, D.H., 14, notified park rangers that his father, R.H., 51, had failed to return to their camp at Deer Lake that evening. Earlier that day, the father and son had hiked to the lake in the park's Soleduck area; after they'd set up camp, R.H. went out for a short hike prior to dinner while his son stayed in the camp. When his father had not returned by 11:00 p.m., D.H. contacted the rangers. A search was begun the following day which employed 21 searchers, two dog teams and a helicopter, but no signs of R.H. were found. Eleven searchers and two dogs remained in the area overnight. A total of about 45 searchers, five dog teams and two helicopters were preparing to renew the search on the morning of Friday, July 17th, when R.H. reappeared in Forks, Washington. R.H. said that he became lost after he took an unmarked trail that branched off above Deer Lake. After almost 24 hours spent bushwacking through the Bogachiel drainage, he found the Bogachiel trail late Thursday afternoon and contacted a camper later that evening. The two hiked to the Bogachiel trailhead, then drove to Forks and notified the police. R.H. and D.H. were reunited at park headquarters. [Lisa Perina, OLYM, 7/17]
On Saturday, October 3rd, approximately 50 members of Earth First demonstrated at Olympic Hot Springs in opposition to the Glines Canyon Dam on the Elwha River. Five of the demonstrators were arrested for trespassing and other violations. Additional rangers were called in to assist; as of Saturday night, there were 18 rangers keeping order at the site. No other incidents have since been reported. [Bob Marriott, RAD/WASO, 10/5]
On Saturday, November 7th, J.H., 40, and her daughter, S.W., 14, of La Push, Washington, became lost in dense woods in the park near the Quileute Indian Reservation. The pair had entered the woods near Third Beach trailhead that morning and had been searching for mushrooms. After several hours, they became disoriented and were unable to find their way out before nightfall. Up to 145 searchers from several agencies and communities combed the area throughout that evening and night. Efforts were impeded by persistent rain showers and by rugged terrain comprised of swamps, thorny ravines and impenetrable thickets. J.H. and S.W. were found by park and county searchers around 9 a.m. on Sunday near the headwaters of Lonesome Creek, about a mile from the nearest road. They were wet, cold and tired, but uninjured. They had spent the night huddled near the base of a tree, then had begun walking again in the morning. [Cat Hoffman, OLYM, 11/8]
On April 15th, ranger Steve Klump discovered a vehicle parked in one of the sites at Sunshine Point campground with the body of a 31-year-old man from Tacoma inside. A vacuum hose had been connected to the vehicle's exhaust pipe and fed up through the hatchback lid; the lid had then been sealed with duct tape. The victim had died some time early that morning. Three notes to family members were found which indicated that the victim may have been despondent over financial matters. [Mike Blankenship, RAD/PNRO, 4/16]
A visitor advised the park of a person lying at the tree line on Lisa Jones Hill north of the Ridge visitor center at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 9th. The responding ranger found a woman lying face up in the snow; upon checking her, he found that she was dead and that rigor mortis had set in. The woman was subsequently identified as C.H., 31, of Seattle, Washington. A five-page note was found with her in which C.H. stated the following: She'd come to the park on vacation. She had visited Ruby Beach, during which time she'd hurt her back, then had come to Ridge around 8 or 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. She'd left her car, walked north, and fallen down a ten-foot-high snow slope. Although the hill was gradual and not very high, she said that she was unable to climb back up it, partly because of her injury, partly because she was an asthmatic, and partly because she'd hurt her head in the fall. Subsequent investigation led to the discovery of a cassette tape in which C.H. indicated her intent to kill herself. Her death has been ruled a suicide. [Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 5/10; Mike Butler, OLYM, 5/11]
A major search is underway for a 38-year-old woman who disappeared while day-hiking with her male companion along the Graves Creek trail in the Quinault subdistrict on May 25th. The two were hiking in increasingly steep terrain late in the afternoon when the male got ahead of her. He waited for her to catch-up; when she failed to appear, he back-tracked, but was unable to locate her on either the main trail or adjoining game trails. He then returned to the ranger station and reported her missing at 10 p.m. Hasty teams, including the park's SAR dog team, immediately searched the area, but were unable to find her. A full-scale search was begun the following morning. Total resources committed to the search by 5 p.m. included 51 ground searchers, 18 overhead personnel, four SAR dog teams and a helicopter. No new clues were found. Another 32 searchers, four search dogs, and three divers were deployed yesterday. [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 5/26]
The search for 39-year-old S.M., which has been underway since she was reported missing on May 25th, is being scaled down because of the lack of clues. On May 26th and 27th, over 100 searchers, a helicopter and seven dog teams looked for S.M. in the Quinault subdistrict. Because of the number of searchers and the limitations imposed by terrain and water, it's believed that S.M. would have been found by now if she was in the area and on land. The search was accordingly scaled back to about 20 searchers, a helicopter and four dog teams on the 29th, and was to be further reduced to nine searchers and a criminal investigator later in the weekend. Search efforts are focusing on the margins of the Quinault River, which is running high and fast and is filled with numerous log jams. [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 5/29]
Two women were rescued from the Skokomish River in the Staircase subdistrict on the evening of May 28th. H.S. and M.C. put in near the Staircase campground bridge and planned to raft the two miles of the river from that point to the causeway bridge at the headwaters of Lake Cushman. Their boyfriends were to pick them up at the lake, but the two women failed to arrive at the appointed time. Just after 8 p.m., a ranger on patrol heard cries for help at a point between the two bridges and found H.S. and M.C. in the river. A rescue team consisting of five rangers and several members from the local fire district were able to get the two safely out of the river and up to the road by 11 p.m. The two had been in the water for nearly 20 minutes before being rescued and were suffering from hypothermia; H.S. also suffered a probable broken leg either when the raft flipped or when she was trying to untangle herself from it. The women were taken to a hospital and it appears that both will fully recover from the incident. Rivers at Olympic are currently flowing fast and cold due to snow melt-off and recent rains. [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 5/29]
Employees of Kalaloch Lodge discovered concession employee D.M., 25, of Callisville, Montana, semi-conscious in his quarters around 4:30 p.m. on June 2nd. D.M. had attempted suicide by consuming excessive amounts of over-the-counter sleeping pills and beer. He was immediately taken by ambulance to Forks Hospital for treatment, and is being held there for observation. D.M. is considered emotionally unstable and has been threatening suicide since he began working at the lodge two months ago. Fellow employees say that he'd been walking around the lodge saying good-bye to everyone and telling them that he was going to kill himself. Rangers found a handgun, shotgun, rifle and ammunition in his quarters. [Kym Ulin, OLYM, 6/3]
On June 18th, P.H., approximately 34 years old, and two climbing partners ascended Mt. Olympus in the morning, then headed back down the mountain late in the afternoon. The three had climbed one route, but decided to glissade down a different route - one which had not been thoroughly scouted. Around 4:30 p.m., P.H. fell into a crevasse. His climbing partners attempted to make visual and voice contact, but were unable to do so. The two went to the Snow Dome research facility on the Upper Blue Glacier and contacted the one researcher at the site at 7 p.m. The trio then made their way back to the site and again tried to contact P.H.. Due to the exhausted condition of the two climbers and lack of all necessary equipment, the researcher determined that it would be unsafe to enter the crevasse and attempt a rescue, so all three returned to Snow Dome. The researcher hiked out the following morning to notify the park and arrived at the Hoh ranger station around 6 p.m. A MAST helicopter from Ft. Lewis flew to the scene in an effort to insert a hasty team. Because of the onset of darkness, the depth of the crevasse, and the lack of any signs of life, however, a decision was made to instead assemble a recovery team and insert them on the morning of the 20th. A team consisting of Olympic Mountain Rescue and NPS personnel found P.H.'s body around noon. He had fallen about 30 feet and suffered major head injuries which apparently caused his death. The body recovery was completed and all team members were released from the search around 3 p.m. [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 6/21]
During the morning of June 20th, the park received a report of an overdue hiker on Hurricane Ridge. J.H., 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was reported to be six days overdue from a camping trip in the Olympics, but no further information was available on his itinerary. His rental vehicle was found in the Hurricane Ridge parking lot; in it were his backpack, sleeping bag and ground pad. Five hasty teams and a helicopter were dispatched to the area. No further clues were found that afternoon, and a major mobilization, including 35 searchers and two search dogs, was to begin yesterday morning. [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 6/21]
The park received a report of an overdue hiker in the Quinault Subdistrict on June 20th. B.R., 40, from Portal, Arizona, was reported nearly 24 hours overdue from a solo day hike up to Sixteen Mile shelter. Hikers reported seeing her along the trail earlier in the day, and later noticed tracks headed into the Kitma Peak area. B.R. is described as an experienced hiker, but only had a day pack with minimal gear and lacked both map and compass. Seven searchers were deployed on hasty teams to search trail areas that day, and a helicopter, three dog teams and a total of six hasty teams were to be committed yesterday morning. [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 6/21]
The search for J.H., 30, of Philadelphia, continues. The park deployed 51 personnel, a helicopter and two search dog teams on Monday. They searched Hurricane Ridge trails, vista overlooks and exposed hazard areas, but found no clues as to J.H. whereabouts. Due to poor weather (freezing temperatures and rain and snow squalls), search efforts on Tuesday were more limited, but the incident commander hoped to escalate them again yesterday if conditions improved as forecast. [Bill Pierce, OLYM, 6/23]
B.R., 40, of Portal, Arizona, was found along the Queets River early on the afternoon of June 22nd. She was cold and hungry, but otherwise in good condition. B.R. had left the North Fork campground on the morning of the 19th with the intention of making a loop hike in the valley, but took a wrong trail that afternoon and was unable to return to her camp. She had only her lunch and a candy bar with her and was dressed in jeans, a shirt, and a parka. B.R. spent three cold nights in the woods, and ended up traveling down the Tshletshy Creek to the Queets River, then down the river until searchers found her - a total of about 15 miles of very rugged country. She was ecstatic to see the searchers. [Bill Pierce, OLYM, 6/23]
The search for J.H., 30, of Philadelphia, continues. It's now been almost 12 days since he parked his car near Hurricane Ridge and went for a hike, and searchers are in their sixth day of looking for him. About 120 people, three dog teams and a helicopter looked for him yesterday, but found no clues. Survivability charts indicate that it is unlikely that he is still alive. The incident commander reports that the search effort will be scaled back today unless additional information is acquired indicating J.H.'s whereabouts. A limited search will then continue through the weekend. [Bill Pierce, CR, OLYM, 6/24]
The body of J.H. was found below Mount Angelus at 10 a.m. on June 26th. J.H. died from severe trauma sustained in a 200-foot fall off the face of the mountain. Searchers had little luck in their attempts to find him until they made contact with a local lawyer who'd seen him while hiking on the mountain on June 13th. The lawyer and his children met J.H. on the top of Mount Angelus at 6:30 p.m. that day. They'd taken photos of each other and exchanged addresses in order to forward the photos once they were developed. J.H. then descended the mountain on the correct route, but apparently missed a turn, went too far down slope, then lost his footing and fell. Based on this new information, which included the photo showing J.H. clothing and indicating his sole pattern, the search area was shifted to the face of the mountain late on Friday. His body was spotted from a helicopter shortly after the search resumed on Saturday. [Bill Pierce, CR, OLYM, 6/26]
Shortly after midnight on July 2nd, the park received notification that 62- year-old J.B. was missing. J.B. had gone for a short walk from the Staircase campground with her dog the previous evening while her family went on a longer hike. When the family returned, J.B. was still not back and failed to reappear. Park hasty teams were not able to find her or any significant clues as to her whereabouts. Forty searchers from the park, Forest Service and Mason County SAR, a park search dog team, two bloodhound dog teams from Northwest Search and a helicopter began looking for J.B. at first light the next day. About three and a half hours later, a search team found J.B. in good health in the Dry Creek area about three miles from the campground. They learned that J.B.'s dog had run off, and that she had gotten turned around while trying to locate it. The dog is still missing; attempts to locate it were confined to calls on the way out of the search area. [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 7/2]
Park staff were notified of an injured hiker at the Cat Walk in the Soleduck area of the park late on the afternoon of July 8th. The reporting party, who was a physician, said that his partner, also a physician, had fallen and suffered a severely separated shoulder. Attempts to reduce the separation in the field were unsuccessful. Due to the location of the injured party, a helicopter evacuation was initiated. Park EMTs flew in and treated and evacuated the victim. The separation was reduced that evening at a local hospital. The physician who was injured is the pediatrician who cares for the children of many of the people on the park rescue team. [Larry Nickey, OLYM, 7/12]
On the evening of July 28th, eight campsites in the Kalaloch campground were hit by a thief or thieves. Coolers which had been left out in plain view were taken from every site, and two mountain bikes valued at $1,350 were stolen. There are no suspects at this time. [Kym Ulin, OLYM, 8/9]
On Friday, August 6th, a young male cougar was killed by rangers near Kalaloch Lodge after the animal became an unacceptable public hazard. The cougar had frequented the area around the lodge and Kalaloch and South Beach campgrounds during the last week of July; it had hung around in full view of rangers and the public, chased lodge employees' pets, and showed little apparent fear (although no overt aggression) toward people. The animal was monitored very closely by rangers during this period in hopes that it would move on without a need for more active intervention, as other young cougars in the park have shown similar tendencies for brief periods before relocating. The cat then disappeared for a week and a half. At 6:30 a.m. on August 6th, it reappeared at Kalaloch Lodge and chased a cat, then attacked and attempted to carry off a young dog several hours later. Rangers also learned that certain lodge employees had been feeding the cougar meat. Attempts to drive the animal out of the area with rocks and firecrackers were unsuccessful, so local hunters were brought in. They found and killed the animal at 5:30 that afternoon. During the process, the cougar killed one of the hunters' chase dogs. A post mortem indicated that the cat was a healthy young male between 18 months and three years old and that it weighed 91 pounds. Remains of a domestic house cat were found in its stomach and were identified as those of a missing cat which belonged to a lodge employee. The concentration of inadequately controlled pets owned by concessioners and employees at this location is considered to be the prime reason why the cat was attracted to the area and had to be destroyed. Translocation elsewhere was no longer a prudent option because of the cougar's attraction to pets and lack of fear of people. Appropriate actions are now being taken locally to correct the situation and prevent or lower the likelihood of such incidents in the future. [Bruce Moorhead, Wildlife Biologist, OLYM, 8/10]
A ranger and several park visitors heard numerous shots in the Staircase area of the park around 5 p.m. on August 14th. Investigation revealed that the shots had not come from bear hunters on adjacent Forest Service land, as was first thought likely. Upon return to the park, the investigating ranger discovered that G.L., 24, of Eppingen, West Germany, had sustained a small gunshot wound to the head. Rangers found entry and exit wounds on the left side of G.L.'s forehead. First aid was administered and the Staircase area was closed to all incoming and exiting traffic until a thorough search of the area was completed. Several other rangers stationed in the area responded, swept the area, and located several freshly spent .40 caliber casings and empty 12 gauge shotgun shells - but no suspects. A nearby sign was also found to have recently been shot. Leibhart was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Olympia, where a small suspected shotgun pellet was removed from the wound. G.L. had been in the country less than 24 hours when he was shot. The Staircase area was reopened around 9 p.m. The incident is still under investigation. [Kym Ulin, OLYM, 8/23]
Around noon on August 15th, ranger Matt Spelsberg received a report of a visitor in anaphylactic shock from a bee sting about a half mile up the Rapid Stoop trail in the park's Staircase area. He found R.S., 29, of Long Beach, California, semi-conscious and breathing shallowly. Spelsberg administered epinephrine, benadryl and oxygen until an ambulance arrived. Paramedics transported him to a local hospital. R.S. had never experienced such a reaction to a bee sting, and was not prepared for the reaction he experienced. Doctors said that R.S. would likely have died if Spelsberg had not administered medication in such a timely manner, [Kym Ulin, OLYM, 8/23]
Visitors reported seeing a mountain lion on the beach at the south end of the Kalaloch campground on two separate occasions on the morning of September 1st. One of the visitors reported that she had her dog with her, that the dog had been off leash, and that the lion seemed to be stalking it. Both visitors reported that the lion had been within 100 feet of them, and that it seemed to have an injured leg. A lion of similar size had been seen and pursued by rangers and wildlife agents about a week earlier, but had gotten away before it could be captured. That animal also seemed to be unafraid of humans. Wildlife agents employed dogs to drive the mountain lion out of a large area of beach logs at the south end of the campground; when the animal appeared to be trying to leave the beach through the campground, rangers cleared campers away from the beach and requested that they stay with their vehicles until the lion was subdued. The mountain lion was finally hit with a dart and immobilized around 8 p.m. A veterinarian determined that it was a young female between one and two years old, that it weighed only 45 pounds, and that it was in very poor physical condition. He also found a .22 slug in the cat's right femur socket and therefore decided to euthanize it. This is the second cougar from Kalaloch to be destroyed in the last month. [Howard Yanish, OLYM, 9/7]
On September 13th, the Clallam County sheriff's office advised the park that M.H., 30, S.H., 26, and J.N., 22, had failed to return as planned from a backpacking trip somewhere on the North Peninsula. Their vehicle was located that afternoon at Barnes Point, and a search was begun for the trio. Fourteen searchers looked for clues along the trails leading from Barnes Point, a helicopter searched the high country and areas around Lake Crescent, and an investigation team interviewed the family and other hikers in an effort to determine where the party might have gone. The weather has been good and is expected to remain mild; all three hikers are in good condition and well equipped. An incident team is managing the search. [Bill Pierce, CR, OLYM, 9/14]
On October 29th, plea agreements were reached with P.W. and S.B. of Forks, Washington, for the shooting of the Mora ranger station and the endangerment of a seasonal ranger naturalist who was in the building at the time. The incident occurred on September 1st and caused extensive damage to the station, both inside and out, and destroyed a nearby pay telephone and street light. The ranger was not hurt. The two men pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and vandalism; a charge of possessing a weapon in a national park was dismissed. Each was sentenced to six months in jail (suspended) and 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, about $500 in restitution to the park, and another $350 to the local phone company. The two would not have been apprehended if ranger Bob Lineback hadn't immediately set up a road block on the main road to the Mora area after he heard the shots fired. [Kym Hunter, OLYM, 11/1]
Heavy rains which fell in the Quinault area late last week have caused significant damage to park roads and trails. The Graves Creek road is closed at the Quinault River bridge until several large trees (80 to 100 feet long and five feet in diameter) can be removed. The Bunch Creek bridge on Quinault South Shore Road has been partially washed out. Several large trees upstream of the bridge washed under it and became pinned there, causing a log jam and forcing water over the bridge and road to a depth of three feet. The road's width at the bridge has been reduced to about one lane. A large tree fell on and damaged the Rapids Loop trail bridge, closing it to the public. Slides and washouts have also damaged the trail itself. Park personnel are in the process of inspecting other facilities to determine the extent of damage to them. [Jack Galloway, OLYM, 12/17]
Last August, rangers stopped a suspicious vehicle in the Kalaloch area of the park for a traffic violation. Drugs were found in the vehicle, and it was learned that the rangers had intervened in an on-going drug transaction. Information from the suspect provided information that revealed the identity of drug traffickers and the times and locations of drug deliveries that were made in the Kalaloch area. Park investigators, in cooperation with county authorities, began surveillance operations at those locations and times. During the 20-hour-long operation, eleven drug transactions were observed, two arrests were made, and a small quantity of cocaine was seized. After sharing information with adjacent agencies, it was determined that each agency had intelligence on these traffickers; although some of which had been gathered as early as six years ago, no clear picture of the drug network had emerged. It was also determined that no one agency had the resources to adequately investigate the information by itself, so a joint task force was established which brought together the park, Customs, Clallam and Jefferson county drug task forces and prosecuting attorneys' offices, the Washington National Guard mobile response team, the Border Patrol, and the Postal Service. After months of effort, investigators were able to identify 37 potential drug dealers loosely organized into five separate groups. In December, the task force was able to recruit as a confidential informant a runner who had made 20 trips to Los Angeles to deliver currency (up to $150,000) and had returned with three to six kilos of pure cocaine. On January 8th, the informant picked up more money and headed for California. Task force members watched him, examined the transport vehicle, and determined that the money was hidden in the back seat. They followed the vehicle to southern California, where the informant turned the vehicle over to drug traffickers. A California drug task force kept tabs on the vehicle as it headed to a previously unknown drug storage house. Two days later, the informant picked the vehicle up and was again tracked as it returned to Washington. An examination of the vehicle by task force members showed that the money had been replaced by two packages which later proved to contain cocaine. It was returned to its original condition, and the load was brought to its destination. On January 15th, surveillance was begun at two known drug trafficking locations. The shipment arrived late in the morning; as soon as it was picked up, the Washington state patrol's SWAT team executed a search warrant on the premises. They seized 674 grams of uncut cocaine, $500 in cash, and four firearms. Two men were placed in custody, and two women were detained pending immigration status determination. About an hour later, surveillance teams at a second location informed officers that the primary suspects at that location were headed south toward the location of the earlier seizure. At 12:30, the two arrived at that location and were arrested; shortly thereafter, the SWAT team executed a second search warrant there and seized some minor drug paraphernalia and two more weapons. A warrant is currently out for a fifth drug trafficker, who reportedly returned to Mexico. All arrested parties are illegal aliens. NPS personnel took part in all phases of the planning and implementation of the investigative strategy and provided material and physical support for this operation. Park rangers and investigators planned and supervised the surveillance of the drug trafficking locations and businesses associated with the operation. They also assumed the role of coordinators, planners and cooperators in the SWAT team issuance of warrants. [Mike Butler, CI, OLYM, 1/18]
Just before midnight on January 30th, the park received a report that an adult and 13 children ranging in age from three to 14 years old were overdue from a hike up the North Fork trail to Wolf Bar and back. Friends and relatives had begun looking for them late that afternoon, but had not been available to find them. Rangers immediately began a search and soon found small footprints on a river bar about a mile from the trail head. They were joined by other rangers, SAR teams and dog units; a helicopter began flying the area at first light. The group was found that morning and flown out to an airfield about eight miles away. Although cold and hungry, all members of the group were in good shape. No details are yet available as to how the group became lost. [Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 1/31]
On December 13th, rangers received a report that several elk had been shot in the Bunch Field area and subsequently apprehended six men - all members of the Tulalip tribe - and recovered two bull elk and a buck deer that they had apparently killed. The men were cooperative and admitted that they had shot the deer; they said that they weren't aware that they were in the park, although they'd walked by a four by six foot park boundary sign on the Quinault Road. Follow-up investigation revealed that only four of the six had been hunting (the other two were juveniles), and that one of the men had killed two elk in the same area of the park on December 1st. Physical evidence will be shipped to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife lab in Ashland, Oregon, this week. A presentation to the U.S. attorney's office is scheduled for later this month. [Kym Hunter, OLYM, 2/4]
Late in January, rangers began a week-long search for a group of men who witnesses said were commercially harvesting ferns in the park. A vehicle associated with the group was located at the Third Beach parking area in the Mora Subdistrict on January 26th, and a stake-out of the area was begun. Four Chinese males with 22,700 fern fronds in their possession were apprehended. An interpreter had to be employed to communicate with the men, who said that they did not know they were in the park. A check of their permit for forested land adjacent to the park disclosed that it had expired in December. Further investigation led rangers to a storage building at the suspects' residence which contained several hundred bales of recently picked ferns. Initial estimates are that several acres of park land on the coastal strip of the park have been completely denuded of ferns. The ferns have a total value of several thousand dollars. It's believed that this group is only one of several illegally harvesting forest products from Olympic. [Kym Hunter, OLYM, 2/4]
On January 28th, W.B. and D.A. left a tavern near Forks, Washington, after being denied further drinks by the bartender, then headed towards Lake Crescent while on their way to Port Townsend. During the trip, D.A., who was the passenger, had to pull the wheel several times to keep W.B. from hitting on-coming vehicles; W.B. also passed a truck at a high rate of speed on a blind corner at the west end of the lake. At Maple Point, W.B. crossed the double line, went through a turnout, and struck a series of barrier logs on the opposite side of the road. Three passing motorists stopped and helped the two men get their vehicle back on the road. W.B. and D.A. drove to the next turnout on a flat tire, where the motorists changed a tire for them. The motorists later indicated that the two men were far too drunk to change the tire themselves, and said that the two men "freaked out" when rangers Matt Stoffolano and Mark Spier arrived on scene, feverishly attempting to hide the alcoholic beverages still in their vehicle. W.B. asked one of the motorists if he'd claim to be the driver of the vehicle, since W.B. was drunk and his driver's license had been revoked. When the rangers attempted to arrest W.B., he became agitated and struck Stoffolano in the face with his fist. During transport, W.B. was able to remove his seatbelt, slip his handcuffs under his legs, and cause over $500 in damage to the patrol vehicle. W.B. was extremely confrontational and abusive during both transport and booking at the jail in Port Angeles. He kicked the blood alcohol testing machine, knocking over the testing solution and slamming the machine against the wall. W.B.'s criminal history revealed 19 previous arrests, two of which were assaults on officers, and numerous other violent acts against persons. He's being held on a $3,000 warrant from a nearby county. Park charges are pending. [Kym Hunter, OLYM, 2/10]
Early on the afternoon of February 14th, park dispatch received a report of two suspicious people on private land along a road at Lake Crescent. The reporting party stated that they appeared to be in the process of burglarizing an unoccupied residence and that at least one of them had a rifle; the caller also provided an excellent description of their vehicle. Rangers responded and located the vehicle eastbound on Highway 101. A high speed pursuit ensued which lead rangers out of the park. During the course of the chase, the vehicle stopped once and the two men exited the vehicle with rifles. The pair eventually took a dead end road, abandoned their car, and headed into the woods near Lake Sutherland, a heavily developed residential/summer recreational lake two miles east of Lake Crescent. A total of 15 people, including rangers and county, state, tribal and fisheries officers, began an area search. A Coast Guard helicopter assisted briefly, but had to depart because of mechanical difficulties. Between four and five inches of rain fell during the 24-hour search, and temperatures hovered in the thirties. Both suspects were located on the afternoon of the 13th - one walking in the area in stolen clothes and posing as a local resident, the other huddled in front of a space heater in a basement of one of the residences. Both rifles were recovered. Investigation has tied these two men, ages 18 and 20, to a car theft which had occurred on the 10th and to at least five burglaries which occurred throughout the western and northern sides of the peninsula between the 10th and 12th. Eight additional rifles and over 600 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the stolen vehicle. During their interview, the pair stated that they were high on some "bad crank" and that they intended to get killed in a big shootout with police. Both have extensive juvenile records. The investigation is continuing. [Curt Sauer, Acting CR, OLYM, 2/14]
Tar balls, probably from an oil spill in the Columbia River last winter, have been washing up on the park's beaches since February 26th. A contractor was brought in and began removing the oil at Second Beach on March 3rd, and cleanup operations have been underway ever since. The Coast Guard has opened a $5,000 cleanup account. Because of the age of the tar balls, it may be impossible to obtain samples with enough essential "fingerprint" criteria to determine the exact source of the spill. [Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 4/1]
On April 16th, the park's criminal investigators were informed that a drug transaction was going to take place in front of the Fairholm store in the Lake Crescent area of the park. After surveillance and arrest teams from the park and Clallam county drug task force were in the place, the informant and an undercover officer from the task force met with three suspects. During the meeting, one of the suspects said that the delivery location had changed to a point outside the park. Shortly after arriving at that location, they were joined by two men in a Ford Taurus who said they should follow them up a logging road to a remote location to receive the shipment. The undercover officer refused to go to that location, so one of the suspects went there and returned with four ounces of methamphetamine and six ounces of cocaine. The undercover officer then gave a signal, and the arrest teams moved in. Both vehicles attempted to escape, but were stopped after a short pursuit. The primary suspect fled on foot, however, and was still at large at the time of the report. Officers seized a loaded .357 revolver and an ounce of cocaine from the Taurus and a loaded .22 automatic pistol from the second vehicle. Four people were taken into custody, and both vehicles were seized. All members of the county drug task force are cross deputized as NPS rangers. Their appearance and experience permit them to perform tasks that uniformed rangers would be unable to undertake. It is common for drug dealers in the area to hide their drugs and money in the woods near remote roads. [Mike Butler, CI, OLYM, 4/17]
H.O., 62, of Port Angeles, was headed westbound on Highway 101 on the afternoon of June 4th when he lost control of his 1990 Lumina van, owned by Olympic Delivery Service, and went sideways into the oncoming lane. A Suzuki Samarai occupied by four people struck the Lumina in the driver's side door. H.O. was taken to Olympic Memorial Highway, where he died the following day from massive internal injuries; the four people in the Suzuki were treated and released. An autopsy on H.O. revealed that he was in the advanced stages of coronary artery disease, which, in the opinion of the pathologist, made him extremely susceptible to cardiac arrhythmias, which can cause blackouts. Other evidence indicates that such a medical event may have caused the accident. [Kym Hunter/Mike Butler, OLYM, 6/9]
On May 10th, park investigators began in investigation into a reported sexual assault of a minor child that had occurred the day before in the Ozette area of the park. They learned that a man had taken his 12-year-old stepdaughter on a camping trip to Lake Ozette, and that he had molested her during the course of the trip. During an interview with the man, he confessed to the assault. On May 25th, a grand jury from federal district court in Seattle indicted him on one count of abusive sexual contact under 18 USC 2244. [Bill Frazier, OLYM, 6/9]
Park employees discovered a pickup about 500 feet over a highway embankment about six miles up the Obstruction Point Road on the afternoon of June 30th. The lone male occupant of the vehicle was subsequently identified as Thomas Shipkey of Starkville, Mississippi. Evidence at the scene indicates that the accident probably occurred the previous day. [CRO, OLYM, 7/1]^,
On the night of July 6th, rangers in the Lake Crescent area of the park picked up a signal from an electronic surveillance device that they'd left on a large cache of illegally picked moss that they'd found along a park road. Upon arrival at the scene, they found a pickup truck along the road and eventually contacted three Spanish-speaking men who were attempting to leave the area in the truck. None of the three men were able to provide any identification. They were taken to the Forks police department, where an interpreter assisted in questioning them. Two of the males claimed to be juveniles; all were issued citations for traffic violations, removal of natural products, and commercial use of natural products. The pickup was seized as evidence along with two knives and 24 bags of moss with a wholesale value of $300 to $400 and a retail value of about $4,800. [Kym Hunter, OLYM, 7/11]
The Kalaloch Subdistrict hosted a dedication ceremony for the establishment of NOAA's Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary on July 16th. Attending were several dignitaries, including the governor of Washington and the Secretary of Commerce. The park worked closely with a number of organizations on event management, including NOAA agents, state police, the county sheriff's office, the Quinault tribe, ARA Services, and local communities. Rangers from Mount Rainier, Coulee Dam, Crater Lake, North Cascades and Fort Clatsop provided additional law enforcement support during the event. Contacts were made with members of Earth First!, the environmental group, who were discouraged from staging a planned demonstration. Protestors from an unknown local group placed a sign saying "Log O.N.P." outside the park boundary. Despite the presence of these two opposing factions, the event went over with no significant problems. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 7/21]
The park received a report on August 17th of a hiker with a severely broken leg a mile above Hoh Lake. Two volunteer park backcountry personnel were dispatched to hike into the area. Upon arrival, they found that E.C., 57, had suffered a severely closed angulated fracture of the tibia and fibula of the left leg and that he was beginning to show signs of shock. While hiking down the trail, E.C. had fallen off at a steep portion and landed on his leg. A helicopter medivac was requested at 7 p.m. Weather was deteriorating quickly, so a helicopter that had just completed the day's fire missions on the other side of the park was sent to Hoh Lake with a park EMT on board. Since weather was marginal and nightfall was coming on quickly by the time the helicopter arrived, the EMT was dropped off, ran uptrail a mile, stabilized the leg, then, with the help of volunteers on scene, carried E.C. quickly down to a helispot along the trail that was steep, rocky and slick from a recent rain shower. E.C. was flown out and taken to a hospital, where he underwent surgery to reset the leg. (Larry Nickey, Emergency Operations, OLYM, 8/17]
On September 2nd, eight law enforcement rangers joined a task force comprised of 85 local, state and federal officers in serving drug-related search and arrest warrants in the Forks, Washington, area. The task force had targeted 13 people who sold drugs to undercover officers in the Forks area over the past eight months. The raid marked the culmination of an extensive investigation by the county drug task force which began 18 months ago with information provided by the park's criminal investigator. The raid was carried out simultaneously at 3 a.m. by 12 teams assigned to serve search warrants on and arrest the 13 individuals. Officers arrested seven people and seized two pounds of drugs, $10,000 in cash and eight vehicles. Six others remain at large. The park provided assistance under an memorandum of understanding with the sheriff's department. [OLYM, 9/7]
On Sunday, October 4th, the park received notice that two hikers - A.G., 40, a structural firefighter from Seattle, and L.S., 41, of Renton - were overdue from a hike in the park. Both had come to Olympic on Friday night and were to have returned home Saturday afternoon; when A.G. failed to report to work on Sunday morning, the park was notified. A.G.'s supervisor reported that A.G. was a good cross-country hiker and was never late for work. His camping equipment was found at the campground at Olympic Hot Springs, and a hasty search of area trails was begun. On Monday morning, 30 searchers, three dog teams and a helicopter joined the search effort. The bodies of the two hikers were found at the base of a cliff not far from the trailhead shortly thereafter. Investigators believe that the two were hiking at night, that one fell off the 200-foot cliff, and that the other was killed while attempting a rescue. [Larry Nickey, Emergency Operations, OLYM, 10/6]
Following the magnitude 8.2 earthquake off northern Japan on October 4th, parks in Hawaii and Alaska made emergency preparations for a possible tsunami. Olympic was also called upon to take immediate emergency actions. NOAA predicted that the tsunami would be between two and 24 feet in height when it hit the Washington coast. Due to the difficulty in accurately predicting tsunami heights, all park beaches were temporarily closed as a precautionary measure, and Coast Guard and contract helicopters were employed to warn hikers along the 57 miles of park beaches. Several low-lying coastal communities were also evacuated. When the tsunami struck the coast, waves were less than a foot higher than normal. The alert, however, provided a test of the emergency notification system employed by the park and several communities. It took about 90 minutes to evacuate or individually warn people along a stretch of coast totalling about 100 miles. The only people disappointed by the small tsunami waves were several surfers who went down to the coast in the expectation of great surfing conditions. [Larry Nickey, Emergency Operations, OLYM, 10/7]
On May 10th, R.W., 35, of Port Angeles, Washington, sexually molested his 12-year-old stepdaughter while on camping trip in the Ozette area of the park. During the investigation, R.W. confessed to the act and subsequently entered a plea of guilty in federal court to a charge of abusive sexual contact with a minor child (18 USC 2243(a), 2244(a)(3), and 2244 (a)(7)). On November 9th, R.W. was sentenced to six months in jail, a $2,000 fine, and a year's supervised probation upon release from prison. [Bill Frazier, OLYM, 11/18]
On January 28th, R.L. and his 15-year-old son, W., went for a day hike in the park near Oil City. When they failed to return home that night, they were reported missing. Rangers began a ground search at 4 a.m. the next day, and a Coast Guard helicopter was brought in to assist. Due to low clouds, poor visibility and high winds, however, the helicopter crew was unable to locate the pair. The sound of the helicopter made them realize that a search was underway, though, and got them moving again. They were subsequently found by rangers on the Hoh Head trail. The L.s had been unable to get back across the headlands due to high tides, and spent the night in pouring rain at a sheltered spot near the trail. They had no flashlight, rain gear or extra food. Although hungry, cold and wet, both were okay. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 1/31]
The heavy rains which have fallen along the West Coast since the middle of last week have had significant impacts on at least three parks; additional reports are anticipated: * Olympic (Washington) - Heavy rains and extremely high winds that struck the area on the afternoon of March 9th caused power outages, building damage and road blockages throughout the park. Winds blew steadily at about 60 mph, with gusts in excess of 80 mph on the Olympic Peninsula. Some areas of the park had received over seven inches of rain in the 48 hours prior to this storm's arrival, which exacerbated run-off and slide problems. There were many downed trees and rock falls; almost all districts had roads blocked by fallen trees. Several visitor centers and visitor use areas were evacuated when trees began falling around them. The Staircase ranger station received a direct hit from a large tree that caused significant damage to the roof and to a nearby patrol vehicle. The Mora ranger station and a patrol vehicle were also hit by a tree, but only suffered minor damage. Some district areas which have low visitor used during the winter remain closed due to trees across roadways. All ranger stations were accessible and open at the time of the report, but visitor delays were expected as crews were still clearing trees. A damage assessment of front country areas is underway; assessments of backcountry areas will not take place until staff are available and snow melt makes it possible to hike into backcountry areas. [Brian Smith, YOSE; Bill Lester, CR, PINN; Carl Christensen, WRO; Larry Nickey, EOC, OLYM; 3/10-3/12]
A stolen vehicle was identified in Kalaloch campground early on the morning of March 9th. A check with local police revealed that the suspected thief had an extensive record and was reportedly armed and dangerous. Rangers, Hoh tribal officers, and Jefferson County deputies contacted the suspect at 10 a.m. He fled to the beach with the rangers and officers in pursuit, took cover behind a mass of beach logs, then shot himself twice in the mouth with a .22 caliber weapon. He was immediately taken by helicopter to a local hospital. [Lisa Perina, OLYM, 3/10]
A local Neah Bay family was having a picnic on the Makah Reservation on the boundary of the park's Shi Shi beach area on April 9th when two brothers from the group, ages ten and five, went off exploring and became separated. When the older boy could not find his brother, he returned and reported him missing. Adults from the group and area residents searched the area from 1 p.m until 9 p.m. before notifying the county sheriff's office. A multi-agency search was begun which has so far involved 13 rangers, an NBS biologist, two VIPs, and a ranger search dog from the park. As of yesterday, no sign of the boy had been found. The weather continues to be cool and rainy. [Larry Nickey, Emergency Operations, OLYM, 4/11]
After completing routine checks of vehicles at the Queets river trailhead on the afternoon of June 23rd, ranger Keith Flannery accompanied a visitor to the river's edge to identify a harlequin duck. Noting that the water level was appreciably higher than it had been that morning, Flannery decided to remain at the trail's river crossing to keep an eye on visitors as they crossed. Shortly thereafter, a 12-year-old boy attempting to cross was swept off his feet and sank from sight in a pool below the confluence of the Queets and Sam rivers. Flannery immediately removed his defensive equipment and entered the river, which had poor visibility due to glacial snowmelt. Several yards into the river, he spotted a hand a few inches below the river surface, swam to it, grabbed it, and pulled the boy to the surface. Flannery then hauled the boy to shore with the assistance of another visitor. After checking the boy's condition and receiving assurance from his father that they required no further assistance, they left the area - but not before thanking Flannery for saving the boy's life. [Curt Sauer, OLYM, 6/26]
A 32-year-old Seattle woman fell 300 feet from a point at the 6,800-foot elevation on Mount Deception just before 6 p.m. on July 2nd. The accident was reported to Royal Basin patrol ranger Bryan Bell about 90 minutes later; he hiked to the scene, arriving around 8:30 p.m., about the same time as park personnel who flew in by helicopter. The woman was unconscious and in serious condition with head injuries. The helicopter was forced to leave because of darkness. A MAST helicopter from Fort Lewis with a winch and night vision equipment attempted to fly to the site, but was first delayed by mechanical problems, then turned back by fog. The victim's blood pressure began dropping and she had difficulty breathing. Shortly after midnight, she went into respiratory arrest, then cardiac arrest. CPR was attempted for 40 minutes, but was eventually discontinued on the orders of the local emergency room physician. [Larry Lang, Backcountry Supervisor, OLYM, 7/3]
Early on the afternoon of July 15th, rangers received a report from three climbers that their climbing partner, 47-year-old A.J. of Olympia, had fallen about 2,000 feet while crossing a snow field along the Terrible Traverse on the east face of Mount Constance. A.J. was leading on the traverse, using his ice axe for an anchor and employing self-belaying techniques. He was about ten feet from completing the crossing when he slipped. A.J. immediately went into a self-arresting position with his axe, which initially slowed his descent down the snow chute; he then picked up speed, however, hit a scree patch, did several somersaults, and disappeared from view. Since terrain and conditions were too hazardous for a rescue effort, the climbers descended the mountain and sought assistance. A.J.'s was located by helicopter at the mountain's 5,500-foot elevation around 6 p.m. He had received major head and body injuries in his fall through several snow and rock fields and showed no signs of life. The climbers were neither roped in nor wearing crampons at the time of the accident. [CRO, OLYM]
Z.O., 48, died on July 18th after falling about 200 feet while climbing on Sawtooth Ridge on Mount Lincoln near Flapjack Lakes. One of her two companions hiked 12 miles to the Staircase ranger station to report the fatality, arriving at midnight. This accident marks the third climbing fatality in the park in 16 days. [Barb Maynes, OLYM]
On August 20th, human remains were found near Lake Crescent in the northern part of the park. A search was then begun for additional remains. Investigators and searchers from the park, state police, Forest Service and local SAR teams recovered several items of clothing, numerous bones, and portions of a skull containing two small holes. Investigators also recovered what appears to be a small caliber bullet. It was found on the ground directly below the skull. The bones and clothing will be sent to forensic labs for further analysis. Additional information will be released once those reports are received. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM]
On September 2nd, S.R., 31, and K.S., 30, headed out on a planned six-day-long, 50-mile hike through Enchanted Valley, over Anderson Pass, and along Six Ridge Trail, intending to return to Graves Creek on September 7th. They failed to return on schedule and were reported missing on September 8th. A search was begun which eventually involved helicopters, dogs, and over 70 people, including rangers and members of volunteer SAR organizations. A large rock "SOS" was spotted by the crew of one of the search helicopters on the 10th, and the two women were soon found. Both were in good condition. S.R. and K.S. became lost on a little-used section of the Six Ridge Trail on what was to have been the last day of their hike. After an unsuccessful effort to return to the trailhead via a cross-country route, the pair built the "SOS" in a snowfield at the head of Six Stream and proceeded to follow the drainage downstream toward Staircase, where they were found. [Barb Maynes, PAO, OLYM]
T.A., 22, of Seattle, Washington, sustained ankle, leg and other injuries when he fell about 20 feet while climbing rocks on the seastacks near the Chilean Memorial on the afternoon of November 4th. T.A. was one of the leaders of a private high school group which was on a coastal backpacking trip. His ankle was splinted and he was carried to the group's camping area, where he spent the night. Rangers were notified the following morning, but could not reach the area in the park's zodiac due to high coastal surf, with waves estimated at over 20 feet in height. The Coast Guard was contacted, but also felt that it would not be safe to attempt an approach to the rocky beach area. The incoming surf also cut off any land access, thereby making a litter carryout impossible. Since the Coast Guard's Dauphin helicopter was too large to land near in the area, a local contract Hughes 500 was called in to evacuate T.A.. He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for ligament damage and sundry bumps and bruises. [Larry Nickey, OLYM]
A two-vehicle accident on Highway 101 at Lake Crescent on the afternoon of November 5th killed one person and left another seriously injured. T.T. lost control of her Dodge Omni two miles west of the Storm King ranger station, hit a guard rail, crossed sideways into the opposite lane, and struck a pickup and trailer driven by Ronald Wray. Both T.T. and her passenger, C.W., were thrown from the Omni. T.T. died at the scene. C.D. was found ten feet below the road, partially in the lake; she was stabilized at Port Angeles Hospital, then flown to Harborview Hospital, where she's presently in a coma. Wray, who was wearing his seatbelt, was not injured. Investigating rangers believe that the women would have suffered only minor injuries if they'd been wearing their belts. The road surface was wet, and it was raining hard at the time of the accident. [Dan Mason, OLYM]
The strong storm which struck the Pacific coast from California to Washington on Tuesday produced very heavy rains and winds of near hurricane force, with gusts at some locations exceeding 100 mph. Reports on the storm's impacts have been received from several parks: * Olympic - Reports from the field indicate that several trees have fallen across roads and that there have been power outages in coastal areas. Three to four inches of rain fell over the 24-hour period ending late Wednesday morning - an amount, however, that is not uncommon in the park. Utility companies expect restoration of power some time today. Roads are being cleared by park and state highway crews. There is no known damage to facilities. [J.R. Tomasovic, IC, GOGA; Andy Ringgold, Superintendent, REDW; Curt Sauer, OLYM; Gary Candelaria, Superintendent, PINN; Superintendent, EUON]
The park received a report of two overdue hikers - a 30-year-old male and a 29-year-old female - in the Quinault area on Tuesday, April 16th. Information from the reporting party led rangers to the hikers' vehicle at the North Fork trailhead. The couple began their hike on Saturday, April 13th, and have a backcountry permit for a three-day hike on the Elip Loop trail. According to friends, the hikers have tents, sleeping bags, a cook stove, and rain gear. Searchers began looking for the pair on Tuesday, covering portions of the North Fork, Irely Lake, and Elip Loop trails. Tracks that might have been theirs were found by a helicopter crew in the late afternoon in the Kurtz Lake area, but snow storms forced them to abandon operations before searchers could be flown to the area. At the time of the report last Thursday (received today), search efforts were focusing on the suspected tracks and on other drainages. Efforts were being hampered by rain and six to ten inches of new snow. [CRO, OLYM]
While on road patrol in the Staircase area of the park on the morning of July 2nd, ranger Ron Wattnem saw three men carrying bags of moss from Deer Island to a nearby pickup truck. The men, all Mexican nationals, were found to have 29 bags of moss totalling 539 pounds in their possession. At current prices, the moss would bring about $160 from a local wholesaler. It will take between three and ten years for the moss to grow back. The truck was impounded, and citations totalling $900 were issued to the three for illegal commercial harvesting and possession of plant materials. [CRO, OLYM]
Late on the evening of July 7th, the park received a 911 call from D.B., who'd just hiked out from the Royal Basin area. D.B. reported that his climbing partner, Darren Kitchen, 24, an English national, had fallen from the Mt. Deception summit. Kitchen was within 300 feet of the summit when the rock or snow that he was standing on gave way. He slid about 300 feet and was unable to self-arrest with his ice axe before falling into a rock scree slope at a high rate of speed. D.B. was unable to climb down to Kitchen's location. He attempted to get a response from Kitchen for some time; when he failed to do so, he hiked out. It took him four-and-a-half hours to reach is vehicle and drive to a phone. Since no helicopter was available at the time and since Kitchen had very likely died in the fall, it was determined that a night rescue would not be attempted. Park personnel flew to the site the next morning and found Kitchen's body. He had succumbed from major trauma. [Larry Nickey, OLYM]
During a hike with friends and family in the Staircase area of the park on July 7th, E.B., 28, of Bremerton, Washington, decided to swim in the Skokomish River near Staircase Rapids. E.B. jumped in and was soon pinned on the bottom of the river by an undertow and debris. His hiking partners were unable to free him. A local volunteer firefighter who was hiking in the park came upon the scene some time later, jumped into the river, and pulled E.B. free. Ranger Vic Stanculescu was notified, responded, and began CPR when E.B. was pulled from the river. A military helicopter was requested to hoist E.B. out of the steep canyon where the incident occurred, as he weighed over 280 pounds and it was felt that he couldn't be carried out quickly and safely. Airlift Northwest, a local helicopter air ambulance, was also dispatched to the scene to provide advanced life support. Once on scene, the military helicopter attempted to lower a medic down to the river bank. As the helicopter was hovering over the site, the rotor downwash began knocking down debris and snags. The medic was placed on a rock in the middle of the river, then attempted to jump off it and gain the shore. He jumped off into what he thought was a shallow pool, but proved to be over 15 feet deep. The medic was still attached to the jungle penetrator used to lower him through the woods and also had about 60 pounds of gear on him. He therefore quickly sank to the bottom. After about 10 seconds underwater, he was able to release the penetrator and inflate his PFD, which brought him to the surface. Rescue teams retrieved him from the river. The medic had to spit out quite a bit of water, but was able to resume breathing. The helicopter had to be waved off, as the risk of injury to personnel on the ground from flying debris was deemed to be too high. In the meantime, the Airlift Northwest flight nurses were dropped off and hiked to the scene. They continued to work on E.B., but were unable to revive him. Olympic offers an additional SAR operational note: As the military continues to transition from Huey helicopters to Blackhawks nationwide, SAR personnel need to be aware of the increased rotor wash created by the Blackhawks, which has the potential to blow down snags and debris and/or blow personnel off of precarious locations. Attention needs to be paid to ensure that the hoist location is secure and that safety zones have been identified. [Emergency Operations Center, OLYM]
On July 22nd, a local cay care provider took three groups of children, ages five through twelve, on a walk along the park's Peabody Creek interpretive trail. A few members of the group stopped at one point to view the creek. While sitting with a child next to the stream, one of the day care teachers heard something falling, looked up, saw a large branch descending, and pushed the child out of the way. The branch, which weighed 20 pounds and was over 12 feet long, fell butt end first, struck the teacher, and knocked her down a six-foot embankment, where she fell face first onto rocks. Two of the children ran up the trail to the park's resource management building to report the accident; two other children headed in the other direction to advise other day care teachers. Park staff arrived on scene quickly, stabilized the victim, and transported her to the hospital. A surgeon at the hospital said that the teacher had suffered the worst facial injury he'd ever seen on a person who'd lived through an accident. She was in surgery for six hours, and is now able to see with blurred vision from the injured eye, which suggests that further vision may be restored. The surgeon credits quick action by park staff to stabilize the eye injury with improving chances for saving it. Many of the members of the group were children of park staff, which aided in keeping all parties calm, as they knew that "their rangers" were responding. Park staff spoke at length with the children on scene, commended them on how well they'd handled the emergency, and told them that their quick thinking was a major reason that the teacher might fully recover. Winds were calm at the time of the incident. It appears that the branch fell over 60 feet from a mature fir tree. [Larry Nickey, OLYM]
A search was begun on September 3rd when A.R., 40, of Bainbridge Island, Washington, failed to return from a three-day hike in the southeast section of the park. A.R., an experienced hiker, had planned an extensive backcountry trip, both on and off trail. His body was found on an extremely steep and rocky slope on the east side of Mount Cruiser on the third day of the search. He had apparently fallen about 200 feet to his death. More than 20 people from the park, Olympic NF and Olympic Mountain Rescue were involved in the search. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM]
Two people were arrested for possession of marijuana and weapons on the afternoon of October 5th. The marijuana was from a field which had been under surveillance for two weeks by rangers, investigators and county deputies. Seismic intrusion devices were also utilized. Two hundred plants with a street value of $140,000 were seized. A search warrant was subsequently issued and served on the property of the growers, leading to the seizure of additional marijuana and growing paraphernalia. Principals for the park were rangers Mike and Clay Butler. [Karin Messaros, OLYM]
The impacts of the severe storms which have been striking the West Coast since Christmas continue to be felt: o Olympic NP (Washington) - The series of storms that struck Washington dropped a foot of snow by December 28th and another three feet of snow fell on Clallam County on the northern Olympic Peninsula throughout that night. All roads were rendered impassable. The park contacted various agency representatives the next day to offer assistance. On the 30th, park road and protection personnel employed snow plows and loaders to retrieve four pieces of snow removal equipment on the Hurricane Ridge road. Two skiers who were stranded in the area were also contacted and transported out. Throughout the next few days, park personnel employed heavy snow removal equipment to assist the state, county and city of Port Angeles in removing snow from local roads. About ten miles of Highway 101 adjacent to Lake Crescent were closed for three days due to heavy drifting and avalanches. The early opening of this road to one way traffic and emergency passage was primarily due to the efforts of park staff and equipment. Other areas on the west side of the park were affected by high winds, heavy rain and swollen rivers. Rangers and maintenance personnel are assisting stranded campers, hikers and motorists. [Hal Grovert, Assistant Superintendent, YOSE; Russ Lesko, PIO, LAVO; Dana Sullivan, REDW; Roger Rudolph, Assistant Superintendent, OLYM; Bill Gleason, CR, SAJH]
On the evening of January 27th, the park received a call requesting assistance in halting a driver who was refusing to stop for a Gray's Harbor deputy and was heading for the park. The driver, subsequently identified as one M.P., had committed a minor traffic violation. A park investigator and a Jefferson County deputy spotted M.P.'s pickup just south of Klaloch and followed him north to the county line, where a Clallam County deputy took over the pursuit. Officers followed M.P. for about 50 miles to the Lake Crescent area of the park. Up to this point, M.P. was neither fleeing nor operating in a reckless manner; he just refused to stop. A check on him by Clallam County dispatch revealed, however, that M.P. was wanted on a felony rape warrant and should be considered armed. When M.P. entered the park at Lake Crescent, two rangers took over the pursuit through the park to a point just east of the park boundary, where state police had deployed a spike strip across the roadway to flatten the vehicle's tires. One tire on his vehicle was flattened, and he pulled off the road about a half mile after crossing the spike strip. Two deputies armed with shotguns got out of their vehicles and ordered M.P. out of the car. After a short period of time, the deputies heard a shot coming from the truck and immediately returned fire with one round of 00 buckshot each. When they checked the vehicle, they found M.P. unconscious and suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. Rangers provided medical aid until an ambulance arrived, at which time M.P. was pronounced dead by a deputy coroner. Investigation disclosed that the fatal wound had been inflicted by a black powder pistol and that neither of the rounds fired by the deputies had hit M.P. [Curt Sauer, OLYM, 2/5]
Rangers responded to a request for assistance from the Coast Guard station at La Push in the early morning hours of February 12th. A 44-foot rescue boat with a crew of four on a rescue mission had overturned at the mouth of the harbor just after midnight and a search was underway for the crew members. Surf, high winds, low visibility and a high tide made rescue efforts difficult, and several searchers from cooperating agencies were injured during the search effort. Coast Guard helicopters located a crew member who'd been able to swim free of the surf on a nearby island at 3:15 a.m. A second was found unconscious and unresponsive on the beach 45 minutes later. Rangers Cole and Romer provided CPR all the way to the hospital in Forks, but their efforts to revive him proved fruitless. The bodies of the two remaining crewmen were found in the water in coves on the island and recovered by technical rescue teams. [Mark O'Neill, DR, Mora/Ozette District, 2/12]
The park and surrounding area received more than 20 inches of rain at several reporting locations between Monday, March 17th, and Wednesday, March 19th. The rains had been preceded by large amounts of wet snow in the high country, and the combination of runoff and rain led to severe flooding throughout the area. Six major roads into the park were closed due to flooding and mud slides, and three sections of Highway 101 surrounding the peninsula were impassible to through traffic. Due to the on-going nature of the incident, the park has not yet been able to fully assess the damage, but it appears that at least two roads will require significant repair prior to re-opening and that all affected roads will require clean up. Quinault rangers are assisting a local community in the evacuation of residences caught by the flood. [Corkey McKeown, OLYM, 3/19]
A major search is underway for J.D., 73, of Sequim, Washington, who has been missing since he failed to return to his camp near Mount Baldy on the evening of Saturday, September 6th. A total of 99 ground searchers, four search dog teams, four helicopters and one airplane are searching the area, which is on the boundary between the park and a wilderness area in Olympic NF. J.D. is in excellent health and physical condition, but legally blind in one eye. He's known to be an avid hiker and has previously hiked long distances by himself in the Olympics. Rangers from the park and the national forest and members of seven volunteer SAR teams are engaged in the effort; over 2,250 hours of volunteer time had been recorded as of yesterday afternoon. The incident is being managed under an ICS unified command. Gary Gissell from the park and a county SAR coordinator are joint IC's. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 9/9]
On the afternoon of Friday, September 12th, a Bell 205-A helicopter which was participating in the search for J.D. crashed just outside of the park in Olympic NF, killing three of the helicopter's eight occupants and injuring the remaining five. One of the dead and all five of the injured are NPS employees or volunteers. Killed were Taryn Hoover, 31, a seasonal employee from Olympic NP, the pilot, Kevin Johnston, 35, from Eugene, Oregon, and Rita McMahon 52, of West Coast Search Dogs, from Aberdeen, Washington. Injured were seasonal employees Heidi Pederson, 32, and Cynthia Stern, 24, and park volunteers Christopher Cantway, 26, David Leeman, 26, and Robert Feldmann, 27. As of yesterday morning, Cantway and Leeman had been treated and released, but the other three were still hospitalized. All are expected to recover fully. An investigation of the accident was begun on Saturday by a team comprised of representatives from the NTSB, FAA, DOI Office of Aircraft Safety, and Bell, the manufacturer of the crashed helicopter. The crash occurred just after Johnston had picked up the other seven, all members of a search team combing the Mount Baldy area for J.D., 73, who has been missing since September 6th. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 9/12-14]
The park continues to deal with the impacts of the death of three people and the injury of five others in last Friday's helicopter crash. Services have not yet been scheduled for seasonal biotech Taryn Hoover, 31, who had worked in the park for the past four summers, mostly conducting field work on spotted owls and fisheries. Her family will be arriving in the park over the next several days. Further information will be transmitted when it becomes available. Pilot Kevin Johnston, 35, is survived by his wife, S., and 18-month-old daughter, K. The family has set up a memorial fund for K. Contributions can be sent to The K. Fund, Register Guard Federal Credit Union, 1065 High Street #7, Eugene, OR 97401. Particulars on the third victim, Rita McMahon, and on the status of the five injured employees will be available shortly. Critical incident stress debriefings (CISD) for the park's staff are being coordinated by district ranger Dan Mason. He is being assisted by two CISD trained psychologists and three other NPS employees trained in peer support. So far, there have been three organized debriefings for a total of about 60 people and a general information session attended by about 100 people. Mason and others have spoken one-on-one with a number of park employees, including the five survivors of the crash and family members of all the helicopter's occupants. Expressions of support and sympathy to park staff would be appreciated. Media interest in the accident continues to be very high. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 9/15]
Additional information has been received on the medical status of the five employees injured in last Friday's helicopter crash and on addresses for sending get well notes to them and condolences to the survivors of those who died in the accident. Christopher Cantway, a backcountry SCA and volunteer in his first year at the park, and David Leeman, a volunteer with the park's fire management office, were treated and released from the hospital shortly after the accident. Both are recovering from their injuries. Heidi Pedersen, who has been a member of the park's owl crew for the past three years, should be released from the hospital today and will spend at least the next few weeks with friends in Port Angeles. Cindy Stern, an SCA member of the owl crew last year and a park employee this past summer, suffered a broken back and other injuries and will probably be in the hospital for another couple of weeks. She is regaining feeling in her legs and should be able to walk again shortly. Robert Feldmann, a German national who worked as a volunteer campground host this summer, underwent oral surgery on Monday to repair a double fracture of his jaw. He also suffered lacerations to his buttocks, face and head and a fractured ankle. He will probably be released within two weeks and return to Germany. The three people who were killed were - Taryn Hoover, Kevin Peterson and Rita McMahon. The park also wishes to express its thanks for all the supportive notes sent to members of the park staff. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 9/16]
The correct name of the helicopter pilot who was killed in last week's accident is Kevin Johnston. His wife is Sherri Johnston. The last name was previously incorrectly reported as Peterson. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 9/17]
On November 2nd, a registration check was made on a vehicle which had been parked for an extended period of time at the coastal backcountry trailhead parking area in the Ozette Subdistrict. The registration came back to a J.B., who was reported missing from his residence in the Seattle area in October. J.B. was reportedly suicidal, had a history of drug problems, and had a handgun with him. A four-day search was conducted which included SAR and body location dogs. No clues were found. On December 31st, two visitors were hiking over a coastal headland and came upon a day pack and handgun which matched the description of items belonging to J.B. A search of the area on New Year's Day led to the discovery of his remains. [Dan Messaros, IC, SDR, Ozette Subdistrict, OLYM, 1/8]
While on patrol near the Sol Duc Road on April 27th, a ranger saw three men standing next to two vans with numerous light brown bags sitting on the ground around them. The ranger first checked for weapons and identification (the men had neither), then asked if there were any others with them. He was advised that there were another four men in the forest. When the ranger contacted them, he found that one was carrying a bag of moss. Six more bags of moss, each weighing 75 pounds, were found in the area. The men had another 50 unused bags in their possession. All had current Forest Service forest product permits for the adjoining national forest. The ranger accordingly showed them the park's boundary signs. Although the men spoke only Spanish, he pointed out that the signs are bilingual and that they explain in Spanish that it's illegal to take forest products from the park. They were cited for resource theft. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 4/28]
Rangers and crewmen from the Quillayute Coast Guard station responded to a request to rescue two stranded hikers at Taylor Point on May 24th. Two young teenaged girls had become trapped by the incoming tide and sought refuge on a cliff shelf about 20 feet above the ocean. Rangers in a Zodiac, supported by two USCG motor lifeboats, attempted to reach the pair, but high surf and surge made it impossible to do so. They were eventually plucked from the cliff face by a USCG helicopter from Port Angeles. Ranger Cody Cole, who was IC for the incident, had directed the park's technical rescue team into position for a high-angle rescue as a contingency in case the helicopter rescue effort failed. The girls suffered from minor hypothermia due to their exposure to repeated soakings from large wave splashes. Their hiking equipment was lost to ocean surges. Although experienced in coastal hiking and aware of the danger signs directing hikers to use the headland trail, the girls decided to try to beat the tide and walk the shoreline. [Mark O'Neill, DR, OLYM, 5/26]
Former NPS ranger G.G., 48, was sentenced on July 10th following his guilty plea on charges of theft of public money. G.G. was sentenced to eight months in prison and three years' supervised probation and was ordered to pay $17,500 in restitution. G.G. had been a ranger at Olympic for about ten years until he resigned last November, and for several years had coordinated the park's fee collection program. During the period from April 1 to October 18, 1997, G.G. stole approximately $17,500 from the NPS. The stolen money was taken from fees deposited in fee canisters by campers in the park. Investigators have not been able to determine an exact figure, and G.G. doesn't know how much he stole from the park. Bill Frazier was the lead investigator for the park; assistant United States attorney Steven Gonzalez prosecuted the case. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 7/15]
On July 28th, the park was notified that J.G., 59, and R.G., 50, both of Seattle, were two days overdue from a planned six-day hike through the Bailey Range. Family members reported that the two had planned to exit the backcountry on July 26th, but their backcountry permit indicated that July 28th was their planned return date. The families had last heard from the men via two cellular phone calls made early in their hike. A hasty search and helicopter overflights on the 29th were fruitless, so the search was enlarged on the 30th. Technicians from US West Cellular were able to determine the exact times and the locations at which the two cell calls had been made. J.G. and R.G. were spotted from the air around 11:30 a.m. and were picked up and flown to a local airport. During the debriefing, the men said that they'd inadvertently put down the 28th instead of the 26th on their permit. The incident attracted significant media attention, which peaked during a press conference held by the two men. They both expressed deep appreciation for the efforts of the park's staff. J.G., a free-lance writer, is planning on writing an article describing their hike and rescue. A total of 23 people were involved in the search. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 8/4]
On August 2nd, a Stihl chainsaw was reported missing from the Ozette ranger station. Investigators subsequently contacted C.D., 23, a former NPS employee, who confessed to the theft of the saw and numerous other items taken from the park. During a consent search and later warrant search, investigators recovered 87 items and groups of items with a cumulative value of $11,124. C.D. has been indicted by a federal grand jury. The case is now being processed by the U.S. attorney's office. [Mike Butler, CI, OLYM, 9/9]
On August 2nd, a Stihl chainsaw was reported missing from the Ozette ranger station. Investigators subsequently contacted C.D., 23, a former NPS employee, who confessed to the theft of the saw and numerous other items taken from the park. During a consent search and later warrant search, investigators recovered 87 items and groups of items with a cumulative value of $11,124. On October 15th, C.D. pled guilty to one count of receipt of government property in excess of $1,000, a violation of 18 USC 641. Sentencing is scheduled for December 4th. The maximum penalty for this felony violation is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. [Mike Butler, CI, OLYM, 10/19]
On August 2nd, a Stihl chainsaw was reported missing from the Ozette ranger station. Investigators subsequently contacted C.D., 23, a former NPS employee, who confessed to the theft of the saw and numerous other items taken from the park. During a consent search and later warrant search, investigators recovered 87 items and groups of items with a cumulative value of $11,124. C.D. was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury. On December 4th, C.D. was sentenced to four months of in-house electronic detention, with a provision that allows him to continue with his self- employment activities. The detention period will be followed by three years of supervised probation. C.D. was also ordered to pay a small assessment and the cost of the in-house detention. The court decided against a fine because of C.D.'s financial situation. [Mike Butler, CI, OLYM, 12/10]
On the evening of Saturday, May 29th, two men, ages 22 and 16, approached a woman sitting in her van near a rented cabin at the Kalaloch Lodge, located on the coastal strip of Olympic National Park. The 22-year-old knocked on the driver's window; while she was distracted, the 16-year-old entered the van via the unlocked passenger's door and struck her with his fist. He then unlocked the driver's door to allow the other man to enter. Although they continued the assault and tried to restrain her and drive away, she fought back and managed to open a door and fall out, sustaining only minor injuries. The two men fled the area with the stolen van and drove north on U.S. 101 toward Forks, Washington. Over the course of the next 20 miles, they struck a motorhome which was parked on the road shoulder, repeatedly rammed a second vehicle, causing it to rollover and injuring the driver, and rammed a third vehicle numerous times before finally disabling the van. During the latter ramming, they forced a state Department of Natural resources officer who was responding to the carjacking off the road. The men abandoned the van and fled into the woods. A search was begun by rangers and officers from numerous agencies. During the search, officers came upon a keg party with several minors participating, informed them of what had occurred, and told them to leave the area. While en route back home to Forks, these young people picked up two men who were hitchhiking. They realized that the two might be the men wanted for the carjacking and accordingly drove them to the Forks police department, where they were placed under arrest and are being detained on state charges. The U.S. attorney in Seattle has been contacted and federal charges are pending. Criminal investigator Clay Butler was the lead investigator on the entire incident. [Bill Frazier, Supervisory CI, OLYM, 6/2]
A search was begun late on August 13th for 18-year-old H.B. of the Netherlands, who has not been seen for almost a week. H.B. began a planned six-day backcountry hike into the upper Hoh Valley on the 9th; he was last seen on the 10th by several other hikers at Elk Lake, about 15 miles from the Hoh trailhead. H.B. was reported missing on August 13th by two backcountry hikers who came upon a campsite at Elk Lake that appeared to have been abandoned for at least two days. Rangers found a number of items owned by H.B. at the site, including his tent, sleeping bag, foam pad, backpack and other equipment. His passport and a plane ticket to the east coast for August 15th were also found in the tent. H.B. had been traveling and hiking in the Canada and United States since about July 20th. Thirty-six ground searchers are currently assigned to the search, including four search dog teams. A helicopter is providing aerial reconnaissance. Weather has been a factor in the search, with low clouds, temperatures in the 40s and 50s, and periodic heavy rain. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 8/16]
A search was begun late on August 13th for 18-year-old H.B. of the Netherlands, who had not been seen for almost a week. H.B.'s body was found on August 17th on a steep slope above Glacier Meadows in the upper Hoh Valley. The cause of death has not yet been determined. Approximately 35 ground searchers, four search dog teams and a helicopter took part in the search, which was conducted in extremely rugged and hazardous terrain. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 8/18]
A second search was begun on Tuesday, August 17th, as the H.B. search (above, 99-463) was entering its fourth day. K.W., 24, of Portland, Oregon, was reported overdue on Sunday night when she failed to return home from a planned two-day solo hike in the park's North Fork Quinault area. Fifteen searchers were assigned to this effort. K.W. was found when she walked into Kalaloch Lodge, a park concession facility located over 30 miles from her intended route. This summer's unusual and extensive remaining snow and associated heavy fog caused K.W. to become disoriented and lose the trail she was following. She was later able to use a compass and map to reorient herself and follow a creek downstream to the Queets River and out to U.S. Highway 101. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 8/18]
Investigators have determined the circumstances that likely led to the death of 18-year-old H.B. of the Netherlands. It appears that H.B. set up his camp at Elk Lake on the evening of August 10th. He then took a day hike to Glacier Meadows on the morning of the 11th. H.B. was known to hike to high points to get good pictures. He evidently climbed an 800-foot ridge with 75% slopes to do so and nearly reached the top when he lost his footing n the loose dirt and rocks, slid backwards onto a snow chute, and fell about 500 feet onto rocky scree. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 8/19]
Heavy rains on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula on December 15th caused flooding in several areas of the park. In the Mora Subdistrict, located on the coast, flooding led to the evacuation of several people from the LaPush reservation, which is located adjacent to the park. District ranger Mark O'Neill and ranger Cody Cole responded at the request of the Coast Guard and county sheriff's office. They employed the park's Zodiac to help move people from their residences in the flood area. Several people had attempted to walk through the waters, but were forced to turn back. Waters reportedly were more than two feet deep over LaPush Road, which is the only road access to the reservation. [Bill Frazier, Acting CR, OLYM, 12/17]
D.P. of Elma, Washington, was convicted recently in federal district court for shooting a black-tail deer in the park in December, 1998. He was sentenced to five months in jail and ordered to pay $2,000. D.P. was also placed on probation for a year and lost his hunting privileges and possession of weapon privileges in the state of Washington. No time limit was placed on the loss of either privilege. M.F., B. "B." F., and E. "A." M. were convicted for killing and taking a cow elk in the Quinault District in the same month. They were sentenced to jail time, ordered to pay $2,000 each, and placed on a year's probation. Hunting and possession of weapons privileges were also revoked. Criminal investigator Clay Butler coordinated the investigations. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 1/27]
The Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET) recently asked for help from special agent Clay Butler in conducting surveillance of an anticipated drug transaction in a wooded area. On May 20th, Butler saw one person place narcotics in the identified area and a second person retrieve the package. These observations resulted in the arrest of a Washington state prison corrections officer, the wife of a prison inmate, and the seizure of four ounces of heroin, a quantity of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. [Mike Butler, SA, OLYM, 5/21]
J.B., 22, of Forks, Washington, remains missing two days after his canoe tipped over on Lake Ozette in windy conditions and rough water. Bos and two companions, also from Forks, were canoeing on the lake on Monday afternoon when their canoe was swamped by wind-driven waves. The two other men were able to swim to shore; when J.B. did not appear, they hiked back to their car and drove to a nearby residence to report him missing. Rangers searched along the lake by boat and by walking and wading along the shore. An additional patrol boat was brought to Ozette from Lake Crescent late on Monday night to aid in the search. A team of five park divers joined them on Tuesday morning. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 5/30]
The body of 22-year-old J.B. of Forks, Washington, was found by members of the park's dive team on the morning of May 30th. It was found in the area where his canoe overturned due to wind and waves on the afternoon of the 29th. J.B. was not wearing a life jacket, and there were no life jackets or flotation devices in the canoe at the time of the accident. [Barb Maynes, PIO, OLYM, 5/30]
On the afternoon of August 5th, Clallam County deputy Wally Davis was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call at a residence just outside Port Angeles. The suspect, armed with a shotgun and handgun, remained inside the house. Over the next 25 hours, 100 officers from agencies throughout western Washington aided local officers in his apprehension. Seven rangers assisted, providing logistical coordination and perimeter security. The man finally emerged from a gas-filled crawl space in the building after officers fired the last of numerous barrages of gas devices. At the request of the county sheriff, special agent Mike Butler has been assigned as logistics section chief on the incident team planning the funeral, scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m. Several other park personnel are also assisting. Current estimates are that 2,000 to 2,500 officers and emergency service personnel will attend the services. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 8/7]
On the afternoon of August 24th, the Kalaloch Ranger Station received a phone call from a concession employee stating that there were two people - later identified as K.S., 13, and S.H., 37 - screaming for help in the ocean off the Kalaloch beach. Subdistrict ranger Keith Flanery immediately responded to verify the report and start organizing a rescue. Once on scene, Flanery called ranger Tristan Smith, asked her to bring the surf rescue gear, and told her to be prepared to swim. K.S. and S.H. were about 250 to 300 yards out in the ocean; the water temperature at the time was approximately 58 degrees and swells were running to four feet. K.S. had been in the water for an hour and was already hypothermic and struggling to stay afloat; S.H. had gone out to save her, but had been unable to get back to shore herself. A third person, B.H., was on the beach and was hypothermic and coughing up seawater. Flanery called for additional rescuers, kept the pair in the water in sight, and began EMS on the girl on the beach. When ranger Tristan Smith and maintenance employee Craig Smith arrived, they swam into the ocean and were assisted in the surf by rangers Jeri Riley and Carrie Boldosser. Park staff from the maintenance and resource education divisions provided needed assistance on the beach. Smith swam beyond the surf to the two victims and brought K.S. and S.H. to shore against an out-going riptide with the help of other rescuers. Riley and Flanery provided EMS to all three. K.S., who had no radial pulse by the time she reached the shore, was taken to Forks Hospital along with B.H. Every summer, rangers, maintenance employees, and resource educators participate in joint surf rescue training in preparation for such rescues. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 8/25]
Rangers began an investigation and search into the whereabouts of P.N. on Saturday, September 16th. P.N. was believed to be hiking somewhere in the northern section of the park, an area encompassing about 400,000 acres. He had failed to return home as planned and did not report for work on Saturday at his job as a DJ for KLSU in Seattle. A backcountry permit and other information turned up during the initial investigation. P.N. had entered the park on the 7th, intending to hike for six days and return on the 13th. His vehicle was found at the Boulder Creek trailhead on Saturday afternoon. The area was contained and hasty teams checked the Appleton Pass - Boulder Creek trail and campground area and the Olympic Hot Springs area. On Sunday, additional clues led searchers to focus on the Cat Basin and Cat Creek area. The tracks of a lone hiker and a recently abandoned campsite in lower Cat Creek were found late that afternoon. A SAR helicopter found an SOS in the snow on a ridge between Cat Creek and Schoeffel Creek around 4,000 feet a few hours later. The SOS, made of sticks, appeared to have been recently constructed. Rain, fog, clouds and darkness caused the air search to be suspended until the following morning. P.N. was spotted from the air, standing on a rock in Schoeffel Creek, just before 2 p.m. A radio was dropped so that instructions on the pending rescue could be relayed to him. A helicopter from Fort Lewis was summoned and hoisted P.N. out of the canyon. He was covered with bruises and minor cuts, had lost his tent, map and wrist watch, and had eaten much of his food. Media interest was intense, with three news helicopters documenting the search and rescue effort. P.N. made the mistake of hiking drainages rather than ridges after he became lost - a common error in the Olympics. [Dan Pontbriand, DR, Lake District, OLYM, 9/26]
On Saturday, January 27th, F.H., 82, became separated from his son and grandson while hiking up the Queets trail. He was lagging behind them and could not catch up, so turned around and headed for a river crossing near the trailhead with the objective of waiting there for his companions. F.H. missed the crossing point, though, then lost the trail. He became disoriented while searching for the trail that evening, so camped under a tree near the river and the crossing. He had a Holofill sleeping bag, a poncho, a bag of bread and some cookies with him. On Sunday, F.H. continued hiking up a creek he had crossed, traveling in very dense forest with many downed trees, tangles of brush, and swamps. Saturday night had been very cold; Sunday brought heavy rains. F.H. had forgotten he had a poncho and slept in the rain in the sleeping bag that night. On Monday, he again began his search for the trail, hiking up the creek, out of the park, and into a dense second growth forest. He stopped and lit a fire after a park helicopter flew over his location but failed to see him due to the thick canopy. A television crew spotted his smoke while filming area shots for a search story that was to appear that night. They were able to identify him by zooming in with their camera, then direct the search helicopter to his location. F.H. was in very good condition and was reunited with his family. Twenty-five searchers and four dog teams participated in the search along with the helicopter. Two of the dog teams alerted to a canteen left behind by F.H. and had pointed the searchers in the right direction. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 1/31]
On February 17th, the park received a report of an overdue 16-year-old snowboarder who had failed to return after the final run of the day at the Hurricane Ridge ski area. He was to have met his mother around 4:30 p.m.; she waited for him for an hour, then notified rangers. A hasty search of areas used by snowboarders was begun by rangers, ski patrol members, and Olympic Mountain Rescue personnel. Rangers Mike Danisiewicz and Rob Palmer and SCA Kyle Tallmadge found a set of tracks heading downhill away from the ski area and the normal snowboard areas just before 11 p.m. and began following the tracks. They made voice contact with the lost snowboarder about 30 minutes later. He was wet, cold and tired, but otherwise unhurt. He thought he was headed towards the road and the ski area, but had traveled nearly a mile in deep snow the wrong way and was in a deep ravine. He was without food, flashlight or survival gear. The temperature was 29 degrees when he was found and moderate snow was falling; up to another half foot of snow was expected. An additional 24 searchers, four dog teams, and a helicopter (weather permitting) were on standby for a continued early morning search if the snowboarder had not been found. [Emergency Operations Center, OLYM, 2/19]
Port Angeles officers came to Pioneer Visitor Center on the afternoon of March 19th to check on a report that several people who had just left a known local drug house were parked in the lot there. An officer saw A.T. of Port Angeles injecting a needle into his arm; he was arrested and charged with possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia. A second person was also arrested but later released. A.T. was arraigned before a magistrate on March 20th and pled guilty to both counts the next day. He was sentenced to a year's probation, directed to participate in mental health treatment and substance abuse programs, and fined $20 in court fees. [Curt Sauer, CR, OLYM, 4/5]
On September 25th, rangers arrested T.M., 51, of Florida for theft of property from three ranger stations within the park. T.M. was arrested along the Elwha River trail about three miles from the Whiskey Bend trailhead. He had in his possession about $1,200 worth of property stolen from ranger stations at Enchanted Valley, Hayes River and Elkhorn. The stolen articles included a tent, climbing ropes, outdoor clothing, food and other items. The three rangers stations, all located within the park's wilderness area, were burglarized over the course of the past two weeks. T.M. was charged with three counts of possession of stolen property and with providing false information to law enforcement rangers. The investigation continues. [Barb Maynes, OLYM, 9/26]
Four local kayakers with less than a year's boating experience decided to float an advanced section of the Elwha River a mile upstream from Lake Mills on October 6th. This highly technical section of river runs through a deep canyon with thousand-foot vertical walls of crumbling rock and numerous waterfalls and narrow squeezes. Even for advanced boaters, there is little margin for error. The foursome decided to try it due to the low river level. On the third drop, kayaker R.F. 27, broached his boat in a narrow squeeze. He sustained a hip injury and torn abdominal muscles as he was slung by the water's force against an underwater rock face. R.F. was held there by the force of the river for about 30 seconds until he was able to wrestle himself out of his kayak. He was pulled from the river by his companions, who positioned him on a narrow rock ledge a foot above the river. Two of them then scrambled out of the canyon, located a hiker with a cell phone, and called 911 to report the accident. Ranger Daniel Pontbriand and park VIP Dr. Sam Baker scrambled down the steep canyon walls to R.F.'s location. Baker, a retired orthopedic surgeon, examined R.F. and could not rule out the possibility of a fractured pelvis or trochanter. A Coast Guard helicopter was summoned to evaluate the site for a possible hoist extraction. The skillful pilots of the Dauphin helicopter determined that they could safely hover above R.F. while bucking up-canyon winds and maintaining a rotor clearance of about 75 feet on either side. A Coast Guard swimmer was lowered 150 feet to R.F.'s location, followed by a stokes litter. R.F. was then hoisted to safety. Had it not been for the skill of the Coast Guard pilots, flight mechanic and rescue swimmer, rangers would have been faced with a lengthy and hazardous litter raising. [Dee Renee Ericks, DR, OLYM, 10/13]
Rangers responded to a rollover motor vehicle accident on Highway 101 in the Lake Crescent District on October 21st. Although the driver and five occupants were uninjured, a check on the driver showed an active warrant out against him. He was placed in custody in one cruiser while his passengers were transported in a separate vehicle. While en route to the jail, the rangers came upon a second accident. The driver of a Mazda had lost control in a curve and hit a large RV head on. Three of the Mazda's occupants, including an eleven-year-old child, were killed on impact; the fourth, a five-year-old, suffered minor injuries. None of the four were wearing seatbelts. Neither of the occupants of the RV was injured. Speed and driving too fast for conditions were contributing factors in both accidents. [Dan Messaros, Acting DR, Lake Crescent District, OLYM, 11/4]
On October 10th, ranger Laurie Axelson was conducting a welfare check on a park in-holder at Lake Crescent when she was attacked by one of three dogs she encountered while approaching the residence, a 90-pound Belgian shepherd. The dog approached Axelson aggressively before the attack and bumped her, then grabbed her right thigh and shook her. She broke free, but the dog then bit her left hand - Axelson's shooting hand. She again broke free and fired a single round from her .45 caliber service weapon; although she missed, the shot caused the dogs to flee. Next door neighbors who were house-sitting arrived within a few minutes of the attack, secured the dogs, and assisted her. Two park maintenance employees heard Axelson's radio call for assistance, responded, and arrived within a few minutes of the attack. Backup rangers arrived shortly thereafter and transported Axelson to a hospital 20 minutes away, where she was treated and released later that evening. Axelson's injuries included puncture wounds to her thigh and a severe avulsion to her left hand. She is currently on light duty and is expected to make a full recovery. The offending dog was quarantined and subsequently destroyed. [Dan Pontbriand, DR, Lake District, OLYM, 11/4]
C.T., 21, was killed in a single-vehicle accident on the Hurricane Ridge road on January 26th. C.T. was ejected from the soft-top jeep and was pronounced dead at the scene; a subsequent autopsy revealed that she had died as a result of trauma to her neck. Witnesses who had talked to driver A.G., 25, just moments before the crash said that they had watched him drive away and that the jeep had been swerving and slaloming down the road before rolling off the roadway. They believed that he was showing off on the icy roadway. A.G., who refused a blood test, was arrested and arraigned in federal court on charges of negligent manslaughter on January 27th. The FBI will be continuing the investigation, at their request. The park will assist as needed. The county sheriff's office also assisted throughout the park's investigation of the accident. [Tim Simonds, ACR, OLYM, 1/29]
The body of a 17-year-old Tacoma boy was found by a research vessel in the Pacific Ocean a half mile off-shore from La Push on the morning of Thursday, August 8th. He had been the subject of an overnight search after his family reported him missing the previous night. The boy was last seen Wednesday afternoon when he left for a hike on a rocky headland north of Second Beach. When he failed to return from his hike by late afternoon, his family looked for several hours, then notified authorities around 9 p.m. The boy and his family had been camping on Second Beach, a popular park site. Personnel from the park, Coast Guard and Clallam County SAR searched for the boy through the night. The coroner determined that he'd drowned, but also found numerous traumatic injuries consistent with a climbing accident - his neck was broken and he had brain contusions, fractured ribs, a punctured lung and numerous bruises and abrasions on his body. It's highly probable that he was unconscious when he hit the water. [Barb Maynes/Mark O'Neill, OLYM]
On Tuesday, February 18, rangers joined agents and officers from DEA,
the Postal Inspection Service, the Forest Service, Grays Harbor SO, and
the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team in serving three search
warrants simultaneously at residences in the Lake Quinault area. Two of
the three residences are on North Shore Road within the park. R.M.
and S.C. were arrested on charges of conspiracy to
manufacture and distribute psilocybin and psilocyn, both controlled
substances, and manufacturing and aiding and abetting in the manufacture
of psilocyn. Psilocybin and psilocyn are the active chemicals found in
hallucinogenic mushrooms. Prosecutors allege that the men were involved
in a conspiracy to sell and distribute spores and instructions for
growing the mushrooms via an internet mail order business based in their
homes. Rangers and DEA and Postal Inspection Service agents have been
investigating this illegal operation for several years.
During the early morning hours of May 26th, the night watchman for
Kalaloch Lodge discovered that the planter box in front of the Kalaloch
Store was on fire and called 911. Clearwater FD was dispatched, but
local employees were able to extinguish the fire with an extinguisher
and garden hose before they arrived. Lodge employees accordingly called
the fire department (about 30 minutes away) and told them they could
return to station. Rangers were notified in the morning. It appears that
a cigarette was left in the planter box, which set it on fire. Rangers
have talked with lodge staff about turning around fire departments en
route to structural fires and proper notification of ranger
staff.
Heavy rains that have fallen in Washington and elsewhere in the Northwest over the past several days have caused some serious problems:
For details on the storm's impacts on the Northwest, click on "More
Information" below, which will take you to the lead story in yesterday's
Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Campers in the park's Heart o' the Hills campground reported a
possible plane crash just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday, August 3rd. Shortly
thereafter, a Cessna 182 was reported overdue at Seattle's Boeing Field.
A search was begun, but was hampered by darkness and poor weather. It
resumed yesterday morning. At 6:15 a.m., a 911 operator received a cell
phone call from one of the plane's passengers; not long after, the
Cessna's wreckage was spotted from the air in an area of dense forest
and steep terrain near the campground. A park rescue crew reached the
site of the accident at 9 a.m. and reported that two of the three
occupants of the plane had survived; the third died in the crash. Names
are being held pending notification of next of kin. Officials from the
NTSB, FAA and Cessna will be on scene today to investigate the crash.
Seven rangers from Olympic National Park and one law enforcement officer and dog from Olympic National Forest participated in a traffic operation on Highway 101 around Lake Crescent on July 8th. Just before midnight, rangers stopped a vehicle for a speeding violation. The Forest Service K-9 unit was called, and the dog, "Radar," hit on the engine compartment behind the driver's side headlight. A search resulted in the confiscation of approximately 137.5 grams of methamphetamines packaged in separate bags and contained in a Tupperware container behind the headlight assembly. The driver was arrested and charged in Tacoma, Washington with felony possession with intent to distribute. The driver is an undocumented alien and has waived his right to a detention hearing. He remains in custody pending trial. [Submitted by Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
B.G., a 39-year old Port Angeles resident who had been missing in the park since last Sunday night, was spotted by park rangers in a helicopter at about 2:20 yesterday afternoon, then rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter crew who hoisted him from the ground. Although he was apparently not seriously injured, he was transported to the Olympic Medical Center for evaluation and possible treatment. The search for B.G. began late Tuesday afternoon after he was reported missing by coworkers when he did not show up for work on Tuesday. B.G. told a friend that he was planning a day hike on Sunday, but did not give details about his destination or other plans. Rangers located his car at the Boulder Creek trailhead on Tuesday evening. The Boulder Creek trailhead is at the end of the Olympic Hot Springs road in the Elwha Valley, about ten miles southwest of Port Angeles. The critical clue in the search came when a park ranger contacted a hiker in the Sol Duc Valley who reported having seen B.G. on Sunday evening at Appleton Pass between the Elwha and Sol Duc Valleys. This information enabled rangers to focus the aerial search on a specific area and B.G. was found shortly thereafter along Boulder Creek about one mile upstream from Olympic Hot Springs. B.G. is an avid runner and has been training for a high elevation marathon by running trails in the park. It is believed that he was planning a one-day training run on Sunday. He is a reporter for the Peninsula Daily News in Port Angeles, Washington. Approximately 35 people were involved in the search, including nine volunteers from Clallam County Search and Rescue, a volunteer search dog team from Aberdeen and about 20 Olympic National Park staff members. A helicopter joined the search effort this afternoon; additional dog teams and ground searchers had also reported for duty. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
The roof on the Lake Crescent Lodge caught fire around 9 p.m. on Saturday, September 24th. The local fire department was dispatched, but the fire had been extinguished by concession employees using hose lines by the time they arrived. The damage was limited to a four foot by four foot section of roof, plus some water damage. All indications are that the roof caught fire due to sparks from the chimney. There were about 60 people dining at the lodge at the time of the fire. The building was evacuated; there were no injuries. [Mike Warren, NPS Fire and Aviation Management]
On December 5th, a park ranger on routine patrol made a welfare check on a suspicious vehicle on Camp David Jr. Road in the Lake District of Olympic National Park. The ranger saw that one of the two men in the pickup had attempted to hide a marijuana pipe, and the ensuing search of the truck led to the discovery of a loaded Glock 9mm within easy access behind the front passenger seat. Several other weapons, including a loaded shotgun, were found in the bed of the truck, along with a large quantity of other items. An NPS special agent responded and impounded the pickup on suspicion that the items in the vehicle were stolen. Clallam County Sheriff's Office later confirmed that the weapons and other property in the truck had been stolen from a local business owner earlier that morning or the previous evening. One of the men, a convicted felon, was taken into custody on a warrant. A warrant and charges are pending for possession of stolen property, ex-felon in possession of a firearm, and other charges. Clallam County will pursue the state Class A felony for burglary. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs]
Queets Road, closed since last March because of a major slide, was further damaged late last week after extensive heavy rain. Another landslide in the same area completely destroyed about 150 feet of the road and created a 200-foot vertical drop to the river. Last March, a large amount of rock, clay and other material broke loose from a point next to the road and slid about 100 feet down to the river. The roadbed was severely compromised and large cracks developed in the road surface, making the road unsafe for vehicle traffic. A site inspection by road engineers revealed that groundwater seepage on the hillside most likely caused the slide. The recent prolonged rains added to the groundwater seepage; a creek is now flowing from the base of the new slide. National Park Service employees have been developing an environmental assessment (EA) to analyze a proposal to reroute the road around the slide area. Initial public input was gathered this past summer to help define the issues and alternatives to be addressed in the EA. The EA will be released within the next several months for public review and comment and will consider the current repair challenge. All other park roads remain open, with the exception of the Deer Park and Obstruction Point roads, which are closed for the season, and the Dosewallips Road, which is closed outside the park boundary due to a washout. The 14-mile-long Queets Road is closed at the Matheny Creek bridge (milepost 8), leaving the last six miles of the road off limits to vehicle traffic. The Queets campground, ranger station, trailhead and two boat ramps above the slide are closed. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
The driver of a Ford pickup truck lost control of his vehicle on a curve on Hurricane Ridge Road in slippery conditions on the afternoon of January 14th. The truck left the road and hit two unoccupied vehicles and a 61-year-old woman who was on foot. The woman was taken to the hospital with a broken femur and internal injuries, but died while en route. The investigation continues. [Tim Simonds, Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of February 25th, park dispatch received a call from OnStar reporting a vehicle over a cliff on the Hurricane Ridge Road. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing tire tracks in the snow that ran off the roadway between a set of roadway tunnels. The witnesses established immediate voice contact with the vehicle occupants, but due to vegetation, terrain and distance could not see them. Olympic Mountain Rescue, the Clallam County Sheriff's search and rescue team and the ski patrol from Hurricane Ridge Ski Area assisted. Rescuers were able to descend 45- to 80-degree angle slopes to reach the occupants of a 1992 Jeep Cherokee. The vehicle had rolled down steep slopes approximately 450 feet and over two cliff faces before landing on its top wedged between two trees. The victims were able to extricate themselves from the Jeep. Aided by rescuers, they climbed fifth class snow covered rock and steep slopes back to the road. They received only minor cuts and bruises in the accident. [Kevin Hendricks]
A ranger and a ranger trainee were on patrol on the afternoon of April 8th when they spotted an unoccupied late model Isuzu Rodeo parked along the roadway near Lake Crescent. The rangers saw remnants of salal (Gaultheria shallon) foliage on the seats and floorboards of the vehicle and suspected that the people associated with the vehicle were illegally cutting salal , a green leafy shrub valued for its use in the floral industry. Later in the evening, rangers contacted two men at the vehicle. Both denied picking anything in the park, although they possessed all the implements commonly used by commercial salal harvesters (rubber bands, clippers, and a cutting device worn on the finger like a ring). Lake District rangers searched the woods in the immediate area, discovered three large bundles (186 pounds) of salal, and were able to link the bundles to the two men. The men were cited for "gathering/possessing undesignated natural products." After consultation with the assistant U.S. attorney, the men were detained and transported to Port Angeles to verify identification and check for possible violations of immigration laws. They were later released. Salal may be legally picked on adjacent private and USFS forest lands under permit, but is frequently harvested unlawfully inside the park. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
The body of a 57-year-old instructor from Olympic College in Bremerton was found by hikers in Sol Duc Valley on April 12th. The man was last seen on March 31st and a missing person's report had been filed on him on April 5th. His vehicle was found about a mile from the body. An investigation was conducted by the park and the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office and an autopsy was conducted by the Clallam County coroner. The coroner determined the cause of death to have been a self-inflicted injury and has ruled the death a suicide. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
On May 15th, an off-duty park employee was hiking the wilderness coast when he was alerted by other visitors to the presence of a seriously injured 19-year-old woman lying behind a beach log in a fetal position. The woman was suffering from dehydration, a broken leg, chest injuries, facial injuries and numerous abrasions and bruising. She informed the employee that she had fallen about 25 to 30 feet down a cliff three days earlier as she was attempting to climb up high for a view of the area. Despite very spotty cell phone coverage in the area, the employee was able to contact park dispatch. Due to the remoteness of the location and the difficulty in getting resources to that area in a timely manner, the US Coast Guard was contacted for assistance. A Coast Guard helicopter located the victim and evacuated her to Port Angeles, where she was evaluated at a local hospital and subsequently airlifted to the regional trauma center in Seattle. Since the woman was day-hiking away from her base camp with limited supplies when the accident occurred, she lay injured for nearly three days without food or water. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Specialist]
A search began Tuesday afternoon for an overdue hiker in the Staircase area near Hoodsport. G.G., 47, of Olympia, Washington, was last seen at the Staircase Ranger Station on Saturday, June 24th. G.G., who is deputy director of the state of Washington's Department of Retirement Systems, was reported missing on Sunday by a co-worker. Park rangers found his car still parked at the Staircase Ranger Station earlier on Tuesday. G.G. is described as being in good health, with limited overnight hiking skills. He was believed to be on a day hike. Fourteen ground searchers looked for G.G. on Tuesday afternoon, including rangers from Olympic National Park and personnel from Olympic Mountain Rescue and the Lake Cushman Fire Department. Two search dog teams - one each from Grays Harbor Search and Rescue and Pierce County Search and Rescue - also participated in the search. No clues were found. Searchers are asking anyone who may have seen G.G. since Saturday to contact Olympic National Park at 360-565-3120. G.G., stands 5'7", weighs 165 pounds, has salt-and-pepper hair, is clean-shaven, wears glasses, and was last seen wearing khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt of green or blue colors. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
More than 40 people continued the search Wednesday for missing hiker G.G. He was last seen by a ranger on Saturday, June 24th, when he parked his car at the Staircase Ranger Station. The Staircase area, located approximately 19 miles northwest of Hoodsport near Lake Cushman, provides access to four trailheads. Wednesday's search included personnel from the park and Olympic Mountain Rescue, as well as four search dogs and their handlers from Pierce County Search and Rescue and Grays Harbor Search and Rescue. A helicopter and an Washington State Patrol airplane were also utilized. The plane, recently outfitted with infrared sensors, can detect heat signatures on the ground. The search area covered between 30 and 35 square miles, but no sign of G.G. was found. G.G. is described as being in good health and works out regularly. He moved to Olympia about a year ago, so he has limited overnight hiking experience in this area. He was believed to be on a day hike. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
The search for G.G., 47, of Olympia, Washington, entered its seventh day on Monday. No sign of him has yet been found and no clues have been discovered regarding his travel direction. Over the course of that day: Two search dog teams from Pierce County Search and Rescue extended their search within the high probability zone, covering several areas not previously visited by search dogs. A contracted Jet Ranger helicopter from Northwest Helicopters continued the search by air. Almost 40 ground searchers continued off-trail searches within the 30 to 35 square mile search area. Two kayakers again covered the waters of Bear Gulch. None of these efforts resulted in evidence or indication of G.G.'s whereabouts. Four to six swift water rescue experts from Thurston County SAR were to join the search on Tuesday. These teams were to employ a special underwater camera in whitewater sections within the North Fork Skokomish River, enabling a search of areas that have been inaccessible to snorkelers and river search teams in previous efforts. Park officials are encouraging anyone who may have hiked in this area and seen G.G. on the weekend before last to contact the park at 360-565-3120. G.G. is 5'7" tall, weighs 165 pounds, has graying hair, wears glasses, and was last seen wearing khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt of green or blue colors. [Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Incident Information Officer]
On Tuesday night, search managers decided to scale back efforts to find G.G., 47, who has been missing since June 24th. Efforts to determine his travel plans or find any clues as to his whereabouts have been entirely fruitless. "We've explored both the logical and the more remote scenarios of what Mr. G.G. may have done, decisions he may have made, and routes he may have chosen, but none of them produced results," said ranger Mike Danisiewicz, who headed the search effort. "No one knew of his plans, and we've found nothing to help determine where he might have gone. We've reached the limits of what we can do." Rangers found G.G.'s car in the Staircase parking lot on the morning of Tuesday, June 27th, and began a search that daily included 40 to 60 rescue workers in addition to planning and support personnel. The search area covered waters of the North Fork Skokomish River, headwaters of Lake Cushman, forested slopes, high elevation meadows, and peaks surrounding the river valley. Ground and search dog teams, a helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, kayakers, snorkelers, and river rescue personnel combed the 35 square mile search area for eight days. Despite excellent visibility, swiftwater rescue experts found no clues from an underwater camera search of whitewater reaches in the North Fork Skokomish River. Park and volunteer search and rescue personnel logged over 5,000 hours in ground searches of the area. Although the major search is now suspended, park rangers will continue a reduced search for G.G. over coming days. [Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Incident Information Officer]
Rangers rescued an injured hiker from the Upper Lena Lake area of the park this past weekend. On Saturday, July 8th, E.M., 51, of Port Orchard, Washington, hiked to Upper Lena Lake on a day trip. Heading back to the trailhead at the end of the day, E.M. fell along the steep trail, sustaining a probable fracture to his right ankle. Other hikers left the area to contact emergency dispatchers (911), who notified park rangers of the incident. Two rangers hiked into the area, reaching E.M. around 11:30 p.m. Saturday night and keeping him stabilized during the night. Several more rangers assisted with the carryout on Sunday. Using a wheeled litter, rangers were able to transport E.M. over six miles and a 1500 foot drop in elevation along the steep trail. Volunteers from the Mason County chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen assisted over the last mile and a half. [Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Public Affairs Specialist]
A 20-year-old Port Angeles man died on the afternoon of July 25th after an apparent drowning in the Devil's Punchbowl on the north shore of Lake Crescent. Jesse Thanem was reported missing by a friend at approximately 12:45 p.m. The two had been swimming together for about ten minutes when Thanem disappeared. Following a quick search, Thanem's friend called 911. Several park rangers and divers responded and quickly found Thanem's body in about 55 feet of water. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and Thanem was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 1:25 p.m. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Over the course of this past summer, rangers from Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks conducted a successful investigation into a rash of auto burglaries that occurred in May and June at trailheads in the two parks. The investigation culminated with the arrests of two local residents on identity theft and stolen property charges. Rangers identified 27 victims in the spring car clouts - 21 at Olympic and another six at Mount Rainier. A surveillance operation was begun at Olympic, but was unsuccessful. Investigators discovered, however, that credit cards stolen from visitors had been used in several stores in the Aberdeen and Olympia area. They traced a receipt from a Wal-Mart store to a purchase made by M.P. of Aberdeen, who was already a suspect in previous burglary and larceny cases at Olympic. Based on this and other evidence, an arrest and search warrant was issued for M.P. by the Aberdeen Police Department. In early July, Olympic rangers assisted Aberdeen officers with the execution of the warrant at M.P.'s residence. A number of stolen items (backpacks, tents, clothing, men's wallets, etc.) were found in M.P.'s room. Rangers cataloged and removed over 150 items from the home as evidence. During the search, an entrance receipt for Mount Rainier was seized. Mount Rainier rangers then retrieved and reviewed entrance station video footage which placed M.P. and a female companion, identified as A.C., at the park on the date of the larcenies. They were also able to obtain bank surveillance photos showing A.C. attempting to cash stolen checks at two separate banks. Rangers believe that A.C. assisted M.P. and used stolen checks and credit cards after the thefts. During a subsequent search of A.C.'s residence, a stolen phone card was recovered as well as a notebook containing serial numbers for a laptop which had been reported stolen at Mount Rainier. M.P. has been charged with identity theft and possession of stolen property in state court; A.C. has been charged with identity theft. During interviews with M.P., rangers obtained written statements admitting to the crimes. Rangers from the two parks are jointly managing the case. Federal charges against M.P. and A.C. are pending. Click on "More Information" for a related news story. [Barb Maynes, Public Information Officer] HYPERLINK "http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2006/08/09/local_news/06news.txt"
On the morning of Friday, October 13th, longtime park maintenance employee Daniel R. Green died from severe head injuries sustained in an October 5th fall from a dump truck. Although no one witnessed his fall, other park employees were in the area and had seen and talked with him only minutes before finding him lying unconscious on the ground next to the truck's cab. First aid and emergency medical care were provided on scene by park staff. He was then airlifted to the regional trauma center in Seattle, where he remained until his death. An engineering equipment operator, Dan had worked for 26 years at the park. He was loved and admired by his coworkers, friends and family, and will be remembered for his big heart, his ready smile and his sense of humor. An NPS serious accident investigation team will arrive in the park early this week. Critical incident stress team peer counselors are already working with park staff and Dan's family. Flags in all NPS areas in Pacific West Region will fly at half staff through sunset on the day of interment in his memory. Information about services, memorials and how to send condolences to Dan's family will be made available as soon as possible. [Barb Maynes, Public Information Officer]
Like much of the rest of the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park has received significant rainfall over recent days. Flooding in many areas has led to numerous road closures. Park staff will conduct damage assessments when conditions allow and will work to reopen roads as soon as it is safe to do so. The following roads are currently closed because of storm impacts. Hurricane Ridge Road - Closed due to rocks on the road. Elwha Valley - The Olympic Hot Springs Road is closed at the Elwha entrance station due to flooding. Hoh Road - Closed at milepost 3 (outside the park boundary). Quinault North Shore Road - Finley Creek Bridge has been damaged and is closed. The road is closed east of Finley Creek. Quinault South Shore Road - Closed outside the park boundary. Quinault Graves Creek Road - Closed. Quinault North Fork Road - Closed. Ozette - The Ozette area is inaccessible due to flooding outside the park boundary on the Hoko-Ozette Road. Queets Road - Closed. Mora Campground - Closed due to flooding. Rialto Beach Road - Currently covered with water and closed. Dosewallips Road - Closed due to previous damage and unsafe conditions. Staircase Road - Same. Deer Park Road - Same. The Sol Duc Road, Kalaloch and Lake Crescent areas remain open, but travel is not recommended because of heavy rain, limited visibility and the risk of flooding and rock falls. For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Floodwaters stemming from this week's heavy rains have receded, allowing park staff to begin damage assessments. Several park roads, including the road to the Hoh Rain Forest, have not yet been fully assessed. "So far, conditions have prevented us from reaching all areas, but we are working as quickly as possible to reach all park roads and see what the damage is," said superintendent Bill Laitner. A summary of known damage follows:
For current road information, call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Submitted by Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Park crews continue to make progress in clearing roads and assessing damage from last week's heavy rains and floods. A road engineer from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) was in the park over the weekend to evaluate damage to park roads and explore options for making repairs and restoring vehicle access. A summary of known damage follows: Hoh Road - The road remains closed at its intersection with Highway 101 while Jefferson County and Olympic National Park continue to make damage assessments. Areas of significant damage have been found in both the county-owned and park-owned sections of road. Significant damage occurred at Twin Creek, where a 65-foot-long and 25-foot-deep section of road has been completely washed away. Options for restoring vehicle access are being explored with FHWA. Park crews are also evaluating damage to the utility systems (water, electric, phone) and planned on examining the remaining five-mile section of the road over this past weekend. Quinault North Shore Road - The east abutment of the Finley Creek Bridge was significantly damaged by floodwaters. Park crews are currently working to stabilize the compromised abutment to prevent further damage. The bridge remains closed to all traffic, as does the road east of the bridge. Quinault South Shore Road - The road has been cleared and is passable. Debris remains along the road shoulders and the road surface is rough, though, so caution is advised. North Fork Road - The road is closed because of erosion in the vicinity of the campground. Graves Creek Road - Crews were working late last week to remove fallen trees and gain access to the highway. Road damage was to be assessed over this past weeken. Dosewallips, Staircase and Queets Roads - These roads remain closed due to previous damage and unsafe conditions. Deer Park Road is closed for the season. Elwha, Lake Crescent, Sol Duc, Mora, Ozette and Kalaloch areas - All of these areas are open. For current road information, call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
A search was begun on the morning of Wednesday, November 8th, for two men overdue from a planned one-night backpacking trip to Upper Lena Lake in the southeast section of the park. N.T., 41, of Silverdale, Washington, and J.M., 38, of Bremerton, Washington, were scheduled to be at work on the morning of Monday, November 6th. They were reported overdue that afternoon. A helicopter flew over Upper Lena Lake later in the day and spotted a tent matching descriptions of N.T. and J.M.'s tent, but no sign was seen of the two men. On Thursday morning, crews hiked into the woods and began looking for the hikers, and several other searchers and a bloodhound were flown directly to Upper Lena Lake. The Upper Lena Lake Trail and the Putvin Primitive Trail to Lake of the Angels, along with the areas surrounding both lakes, were closed to all entry to protect clues and evidence that might prove helpful in the search. A two-person search team found the men around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. They were in good condition, but cold, hungry and tired. Approximately 50 searchers and support staff participated in the operation at its peak, including staff from both Olympic and Mount Rainier, crew members from the Washington Conservation Corps, volunteers from Olympic Mountain Rescue, three volunteer search dog teams, and a contracted helicopter. Mason County Fire District 17 provided their Jorsted Creek firehouse as a base of operations for the search and the Hama Hama Company provided land for a helicopter landing area. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Even as rain continues to fall, park staff are working to complete damage assessments and reopen damaged roads where possible. Staff and engineers from the Federal Highway Administration completed initial inspections over this past weekend. "Initial estimates have reached $3 million for repairing the damage we currently know about," said superintendent Bill Laitner. "As we assess park trails, and with the forecast calling for continued rain and high winds later this week, we will likely see the repair bill go higher." Here's what's known at this point: Hoh Road - The world-renowned Hoh Rain Forest remains inaccessible, with no clear timeline for its reopening. Three sites along the road within the park were severely damaged by floodwaters along several tributaries of the Hoh River. The most significant damage occurred at West Twin Creek, where a 75-foot-long and 25-foot-deep section of road was completely washed away. At Taft Creek, a 500-foot-long section of road was damaged; in some places, less than one traffic lane of road surface remain. A logjam has diverted another tributary, causing it to flow over the Hoh Road rather than under it. Additional damage occurred outside the park boundary and the road is still closed at Highway 101 while Jefferson County crews work to reopen the county's section of road. North Shore Quinault Road - High winds on Sunday left the North Shore Quinault Road littered with an estimated 50 old growth trees that closed the road and caused a power outage throughout the Quinault, Amanda Park and Kalaloch areas. A park maintenance crew left Port Angeles at 1 a.m. on Monday morning to lend assistance to the thinly stretched staff stationed at Quinault. Emergency access was restored by 9 a.m. that morning, allowing public utility district crews to begin repairs to downed and damaged wires. Park crews continued efforts to restore two traffic lanes from Highway 101 to Finley Creek Bridge yesterday. The bridge over Finley Creek was severely damaged last week; park crews hope to begin repairs on the bridge by sometime today. Quinault South Shore Road - The road has been cleared and is passable. Debris remains along the road shoulders and the road surface is rough; caution is advised. North Fork Road - The section of the road at Quinault was damaged by flooding and remains closed. The North Fork Campground access road has been completely washed out. The Graves Creek Road remains closed. Hurricane Ridge Road - The road is undamaged, but was closed yesterday as a crew began snow removal. About 15 inches of snow fell over the weekend; more is expected this week. Dosewallips, Staircase and Queets Roads - The roads remain closed due to previous damage and unsafe conditions. The Deer Park Road is closed for the season. For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
High winds and rain on Wednesday brought down dozens of trees across park roads and at least one building, adding to the already lengthy to-do list for park crews trying to reopen park roads closed by last week's storms. Fallen trees blocked roads at Elwha, Heart o' the Hills, Lake Crescent, Sol Duc, Mora and Quinault. Park crews have already cleared and reopened several of these roads, leaving the Sol Duc, South Shore Quinault, North Shore Quinault and Hoh Roads still closed. The Sol Duc entrance station was hit and seriously damaged by a fallen tree, while numerous other trees fell across the road; crews are working to clear the trees and reopen the road. Members of the park fire crew and the Washington Conservation Corps are clearing trees from the South Shore Quinault Road, where the scene is described as a "mess." Another crew is on the North Shore Road, working to restore access for several private landowners who are blocked in by downed trees across the road. A member of the road crew from Lassen arrived yesterday to help Olympic crews stretched thin by recent storm damage. The section of the Hoh Road within the park remains closed while park staff and Federal Highways Administration engineers explore options for restoring emergency access across the 75-foot-long washout at West Twin Creek. "Our first priority is to restore utility service to the Hoh Visitor Center and Ranger Station area," said superintendent Bill Laitner. "We'd also like to retrieve several vehicles, including a visitor's rental car and personal vehicles owned by park employees, currently stranded above the washout." For more information about options under consideration for restoring emergency access on the Hoh Road, call the park at 360-565-3004. Olympic's trail system has not yet been assessed and conditions are unknown. Those planning hikes in the park should be flexible in their plans and come prepared for probable trail damage. All visitors are urged to use caution when traveling through the park and to come prepared for a variety of weather conditions. For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
The Finley Creek bridge along the Quinault North Shore Road, which was heavily damaged during the November 6th storm, reopened last Wednesday. With both the North Shore and South Shore Roads reopened, access has been restored to the entire Quinault Loop. The Hoh Road and visitor area remain closed because of extensive damage along that road. This temporary closure includes the campground, trails, road and other facilities. Park staff and Federal Highways Administration engineers continue to develop options for restoring emergency access across the 75-foot long washout at West Twin Creek. All park roads are now open with the exception of:
For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Submitted by Barb Maynes, Public Information Officer]
Recent heavy snows on the Olympic Peninsula have increased the workload for crews already stretched thin responding to flood and road washouts. Earlier this week, several vehicles belonging to park visitors were marooned in snow along the Whiskey Bend and Olympic Hot Spring roads in the Elwha Valley. Power lines are also down in the Elwha. Park rangers and roads and trails crews are working to clear numerous trees that fell across several park roads under the snow load. After his pickup became mired in the snow along the Olympic Hot Springs road, one visitor abandoned the truck only to learn that a tree later crushed the cab. With the current focus on clearing downed trees, power lines, and stuck vehicles - and a snow advisory in effect through Thursday afternoon - plowing of Hurricane Ridge Road was to resume at the end of the week. Ridge Road will not be open on Friday, but park crews hope to have the road cleared sometime on Saturday. As of Wednesday, the snow depth at Hurricane Ridge was 78 inches. Moderating temperatures over coming days are expected to produce an additional accumulation of wet snow and a very high avalanche danger. [Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Public Affairs Officer]
Thanks to a one-lane temporary bridge installed last week, administrative access has been restored to the Hoh Rain Forest, allowing crews to begin repairs to the road and utility lines above the bridge. Owners of several private vehicles trapped above the washout were finally able to remove then. The new bridge spans West Twin Creek, where a 75-foot long and 25-foot deep section of road and roadbed were completely washed away during the storm that struck the park on November 6th. "In early January, after a well-deserved holiday break, our maintenance crews will begin repairs to the extensive road damage above West Twin Creek," said superintendent Bill Laitner. "Barring additional damage from future storms, we hope to restore public access to the Hoh by late winter or early spring." Elsewhere around the park, some areas have reopened since the November storms, while others are still closed due to damage: Quinault - Both the North Shore and South Shore Quinault Roads are open. The Graves Creek and North Fork Roads remain closed because of storm damage. Additional trees fell during the last week's windstorm. Queets - The Queets Road remains closed at the Matheny Creek bridge because of two large slides that occurred in 2005. An environmental assessment has been released for public comment that analyzes the park's proposal to establish an alternate route in the Queets area. Coastal Areas - The Kalaloch, Mora and Ozette areas are all open. Sol Duc - The Sol Duc Road is blocked by hundreds of fallen trees and debris and is closed at its intersection with Highway 101. Crews will begin clearing this road in January. Lake Crescent - The area is open. Olympic Hot Springs Road - The section of the road in the Elwha Valley is open as far as the Glines Canyon Dam, but is closed beyond that because of snow. Whiskey Bend Road - The road is closed. Hurricane Ridge Road - The road was scheduled to reopen this past Friday and remain open through January 2nd. Heart o'the Hills Campground - The campground sustained significant damage from fallen trees during a windstorm on December 15th and will be closed until spring. Dosewallips and Staircase - These areas remain closed outside the park boundary due to damage and unsafe conditions. The Deer Park Road is closed for the season. For current road information, call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Specialist]
One by one, park roads and campgrounds are reopening for public use after the severe storm damage of last November and December. Park maintenance crews, with help from the Washington Conservation Corps, local county and public utility district crews and National Park Service employees temporarily reassigned from other parks, have succeeded in restoring access to many areas. The status of many park trails is still unknown; more information will be gathered this spring as the snow melts and crews are able to make damage assessments. An overview of park roads and conditions follows: Hoh Road - Extensive progress has been made on the Hoh Road, with a temporary one-lane bridge now crossing West Twin Creek. Before the November 6th storm, West Twin Creek flowed through two large culverts (or corrugated metal pipes) under the road. High water and storm debris plugged the culverts and led to a large (75 feet long and 25 feet deep) washout, now spanned by the new bridge. The temporary bridge will be in place until a permanent repair can be completed. Installation of a permanent two-lane bridge is proposed for later this year or next. The park is currently seeking initial public input on this proposal to help define the range of issues that should be considered in an environmental assessment scheduled for release this spring. Two other sections of the Hoh Road, at Taft Creek and Snyder Creek, were also seriously damaged. A new culvert was installed last week at Taft Creek and a Port Angeles contractor was recently awarded the contract to place a new oversized culvert at Snyder Creek. The new culvert will be installed in March. After the new culvert is in place, park crews will surface the road with gravel; paving will be completed later this year. Meanwhile, a crew from the Washington Conservation Corps has been clearing debris from the road shoulders and campground while public utility district crews are installing new electrical cable and transformers to restore power. New phone lines are also being installed. Once power is restored, park crews will reactivate the water system and clean buildings for use. The Hoh Road and campground are scheduled to reopen to the public by May 1st. More work awaits park maintenance crews on the Hoh River Trail, where 200 trees block the first five miles of the trail. Kalaloch, Mora, Ozette - The park's coastal areas, including the Kalaloch, Mora and Ozette campgrounds, are open. Quinault - Both the North Shore and South Shore Quinault Roads remain open and are in good condition. The North Fork Road and North Fork campground, which were severely damaged by heavy rain and flooding, have recently reopened. With North Fork open, crews have turned their attention to reopening the Graves Creek area, where a massive blowdown has blocked the road. Queets - The Queets Road is open as far as the Matheny Creek bridge and is closed beyond that point. An environmental assessment was released in December to examine the effects of a proposal to establish an alternate route to the upper Queets by this summer, using Washington Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service roads. Sol Duc - The Sol Duc Road is scheduled to reopen by March 1st. Crews have worked through much of January and February to clear the road of the hundreds of trees that blocked it after windstorms in late 2006. The Sol Duc campground will be open for primitive camping (vault toilets and no running water) on March 1st, with full services provided beginning on April 6th. Lake Crescent - The Lake Crescent area is open. The Spruce Railroad trail and Marymere Falls trail have both been cleared, although the lower falls viewing platform is closed. The Fairholme Campground is scheduled to open on April 6th. Elwha - The Olympic Hot Springs Road is open to the Glines Canyon Dam and is closed beyond that point due to slumping along the road, which will be repaired later this spring. The Whiskey Bend Road is closed due to washouts and is also scheduled for repairs this spring. The West Elwha, West Lake Mills, Griff Creek and Cascades Rock trails have all been cleared. The Elwha Campground is open, with Altair campground scheduled to open on May 25th. Olympic National Park Visitor Center/Heart o'the Hills - The Living Forest and Peabody Creek loop trails have been cleared. The Heart o'the Hills campground remains closed because of severe wind damage and fallen trees. A date has not yet been set for reopening this campground. Dosewallips - The Dosewallips Road remains closed due to a washout outside the park boundary. Staircase - The access road to Staircase (Forest Service Road 24) is closed outside the park boundary because of unstable rock and landslide hazards created by last summer's Bear Gulch 2 fire. The situation will be re-evaluated this spring by U.S. Forest Service road engineers. Visitors to the park are urged to call the park's hotline (360-565-3131) for updates on road conditions before visiting Olympic. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer] Park crews install a new culvert at Taft Creek along the Hoh Road. NPS photo by Jon Preston.
A.D., 21, of Olympia, Washington, died early on the morning of Friday, April 5th, at the Forks Community Hospital following a canoeing accident in Ozette Lake. A.D. suffered coldwater exposure after the canoe he and his partner were paddling capsized south of Eagle Point in Ozette Lake. A.D. was part of a party of four from Olympia using two canoes on a weekend camping trip on the shores of Ozette Lake. Hearing calls for help after A.D.'s canoe capsized, Ozette residents responded and transported the four canoeists to a local residence to await help. A.D. had been in the 46-degree water for over 15 minutes and became increasingly non-responsive. A Coast Guard helicopter diverted from a training mission in the Neah Bay area to respond to the emergency. As Coast Guard personnel provided emergency medical care, the helicopter transported A.D. to the Forks Airport, where he was met by ambulance and taken to the Forks Community Hospital. He was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. [Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Public Affairs Officer]
The park continues its recovery from the impacts of the storm that hammered much of the area last November. Yesterday, the Hoh Road reopened following a six-month-long storm damage closure. The road had been closed since November 6th, when heavy rain and floodwaters severely damaged it in three places. The most significant damage occurred at West Twin Creek, where a 65-foot-long and 25-foot-deep section of road completely washed away. A temporary one-lane bridge now spans the creek. Two other creeks also flooded, damaging nearly 1,000 feet of roadway. Visitors are being asked to use caution when traveling the road and visiting the Hoh area, as additional repair work will continue throughout the summer. In particular, the one-lane bridge over West Twin Creek will require motorists to yield to oncoming traffic until a traffic light is installed later this month. The Hoh campground is open and Hoh Visitor Center will open on Friday. It will be open Friday through Sunday, then open daily for the summer beginning on May 25th. Park trails, including the Hoh River trail, also sustained heavy damage during the fall and winter storms. All hikers should check for current trail information by calling the Wilderness Information Center at 360-565-3100. For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
D."O."R.O., 48, died on the afternoon of Monday, May 28th, after his canoe capsized, sending him into the water along with his companion, E.M., 42. The accident was reported to rangers at about 1:30 p.m. after a couple fishing in the area observed an overturned canoe near the south end of the Lake Mills reservoir in the Elwha Valley. Rangers responded and found E.M. onshore and D.R.O. unresponsive in the water. Accident investigators credit D.R.O. with saving E.M.'s life by helping her into the swamped canoe after it capsized. D.R.O. then declined to re-enter the canoe himself, fearing that it would sink under his additional weight. "This terrible accident underscores the risks associated with canoeing and water recreation," said superintendent Bill Laitner. "Afternoon winds can quickly transform a peaceful outing into a harrowing or even tragic experience, and cold water is a constant hazard for water enthusiasts." Although winds often remain relatively - and deceptively - calm at the north end of Lake Mills near the boat launch, winds frequently come up in the afternoons on the lake's south end. Winds of up to 25 miles per hour were blowing at the south end of the lake at the time of the accident, creating one-and-a-half to two-foot waves. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Park rangers recently contacted three people who were collecting unidentified plants along U.S. Highway 101 near Lake Crescent. The trio had cleared a large area of the plants, which weighed a total of approximately 117 pounds when collected and bagged by the rangers. The collectors told the rangers that they were gathering the plants - later identified as colt's foot (Petasites frigidus var. palmatus) - in order to make tea. They were cited for illegal collecting and released. Colt's foot is used medicinally by Native Americans as a tea and as a poultice, and is also used for culinary purposes (especially ash of the plant as a salt substitute). The leaves of related species are eaten, including an exotic species from Asia. While the park has experienced problems with unlawful collection of salal, moss, mushrooms, cedar bark and other natural products, the collection of colt's foot is a new phenomenon. [Barb Maynes, Public Information Officer]
The park's popular Heart O' the Hills campground will reopen this Friday after a six-month closure. The windstorm of last December 15th felled hundreds of trees in the campground, damaging signs, picnic tables and other campground amenities. "Reopening the Heart O'the Hills Campground marks an important step in our storm damage recovery," said superintendent Bill Laitner. "Our crews have worked hard all winter and spring to restore public access to the park - their work, and the contributions of volunteers, have enabled us to welcome visitors back for the summer season." While vehicle access has been restored to all park areas damaged by the storms of 2006, trails and trail bridges may still be damaged. Those planning to hike in the park are advised to check with the Wilderness Information Center for up-to-date condition reports. Current trail conditions are also available at the park's website, HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/olym" www.nps.gov/olym. In other park facility news, the Deer Park Road and campground are now opened for the summer season, along with the Hurricane Hill Road. The Obstruction Point Road is open as far as Waterhole; snow and weather conditions will determine an opening date for the full road. The Queets Road remains closed at the Matheny Creek bridge due to a landslide. Restored access to the upper Queets Valley is anticipated later this year via an alternative route. The Dosewallips Road is closed outside the park boundary due to a washout on Olympic National Forest land; the U.S. Forest Service and Federal Highways Administration plan to release an environmental impact statement later this year to examine options for the future of the Dosewallips Road. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
A search was begun on the Fourth of July for M.A., a 45-year-old visitor from the Boston area, who was reported to be two days overdue from a day hike in the Sol Duc area. The park was notified that morning by a friend of M.A.'s from the Seattle area. It's believed that M.A. camped at the Sol Duc campground on Monday night, then began a hike to Seven Lakes Basin or High Divide on Tuesday morning. M.A. is 5 feet 4 inches tall, has brown hair and blue eyes and a scar on the front of her neck, and may be wearing black or light blue hiking pants and carrying a red/orange backpack and an ice axe. Eight people began the ground search on Wednesday and were joined by additional searchers in the air. Yesterday, the operation expanded to 30 searchers, a helicopter and a dog team. M.A. is described as a strong, experienced hiker who is in good health. The park asks that anyone who may have seen M.A. at the campground or on the trail to contact park dispatch at 360-565-3115. [Kathy Steichen]
The search for 45-year old M.O. came to a successful conclusion on Saturday afternoon when M.O. called the park from the Lake Mills area, reporting that she was tired and hungry but was otherwise fine and did not need medical attention. M.O. set out to hike the 18.5-mile-long High Divide trail on Monday, July 2nd. After traversing the High Divide, which is still covered with heavy snow, M.O. lost the route near Heart Lake and spent most of the next three days traveling through thick vegetation, up and down the extremely rugged Cat Creek Basin and Mt. Fitzhenry. She had carried extra food with her and ate the last meal on Friday evening. On Saturday, she made her way to Lake Mills in the Elwha Valley. As she headed north along the shoreline, she thought she heard an airplane, but rather it was a motorboat that she successfully flagged down. The boat's operator took her to a boat ramp, where she called 911. Park staff drove her to park headquarters, where she was reunited with her family. M.O. began her hike on Monday; on Wednesday morning, friends in the Seattle area notified the park that she was overdue. The search for M.O. began on Wednesday and continued through Saturday. Staff and volunteers from Olympic National Park, Washington State Patrol, Thurston County Sheriff Swiftwater Rescue Team, Olympic Mountain Rescue, Grays Harbor Search and Rescue Dog Team, and Island County Search Dogs were involved in the effort. [Kathy Steichen, Public Affairs Officer]
On July 7th, the Lake Crescent ranger responded to a call for assistance from the Forks Police Department and Clallam County Sheriff Office regarding a driver who was traveling at speeds over 90 mph along Highway 101, weaving in and out of traffic and nearly hitting several cars head on. J.H. had eluded capture earlier in the day after being caught in the act of burglarizing a Forks church and attempting to steal a church van. He was later spotted in a stolen pickup truck, but escaped from a felony vehicle stop prior to entering the park. A ranger pursued J.H. for three miles around Lake Crescent until he missed a corner and hit a small Saturn head-on. Immediately after the collision J.H. attempted to flee the scene on foot, but the ranger was able to take him into custody after a brief struggle with the assistance of a Good Samaritan. The occupants of the Saturn, who were visiting the park from Illinois, were transported by ambulance to the hospital in Port Angeles and later released with only minor injuries. J.H. is currently being held in the Clallam County jail on charges of burglary, theft, taking a motor vehicle, evading, reckless driving, driving under the influence of methamphetamine, possession of meth, possession of paraphernalia, and possession of stolen items. [Jacilee Wray, Acting Public Information Officer]
Rangers, assisted by Forest Service law enforcement officers, conducted a traffic enforcement operation on US Highway 101 around Lake Crescent on Friday, August 24th. Rangers contacted a driver for a speeding violation and a Forest Service officer with a dog assisted. The dog detected drugs inside the vehicle, at which point the driver immediately fled up a steep slope. He was soon caught and taken into custody. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of more than a half pound of marijuana, a half pound of methamphetamine, a quarter pound of cocaine, a cutting agent, and $15,800 in cash. The 2007 Lincoln Navigator was also seized. The driver has a long history of violent criminal activity and has been a subject of interest in an ongoing Olympic Peninsula multi-agency drug investigation. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
On Tuesday, August 28th, investigators from an interagency narcotics enforcement team that included NPS personnel culminated an investigation of several years duration into a major drug trafficking organization operating along the northwest coast of Washington. Investigators from numerous local Olympic Peninsula agencies worked with agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the National Park Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration to make simultaneous arrests of the leaders and conspirators of this organization and execute search warrants of their residences. During these raids, the organization's top leaders were arrested, including five illegal Mexican nationals. Over two-and-a-half pounds of crystal methamphetamine, a half pound of cocaine, a half pound of marijuana, four firearms, and more than $26,000 in cash were seized. All arrestees were transported to Tacoma, Washington, for their initial hearing and were turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service. The U.S. Attorney is considering the charges to be filed against those arrested. Another member of the organization was arrested in a traffic enforcement operation in the park on August 24th (click on "More Information" for a copy of that report). Over a half pound of marijuana, a half pound of methamphetamine and a quarter pound of cocaine were seized in that arrest. The total amount of drugs and money taken off the street on the Olympic Peninsula as a result of this investigation comes to over $40,000 in cash and several pounds of methamphetamine and marijuana. The street value of the methamphetamine alone has been placed at over $108,000. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer] HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=3473"
Eleven months after the rain, wind and floods of last autumn, crews continue to make repairs to park roads and other facilities. This week, a contractor will begin installing a permanent bridge over West Twin Creek on the Hoh Road, while another contractor has been selected to remove stockpiled timber and storm debris elsewhere in the park. The Hoh Road was severely damaged by rain and floodwaters last November, with the most significant damage at West Twin Creek, where a 65-foot-long by 25-foot-deep section of road, along with two culverts, completely washed away. A temporary one-lane bridge was placed across the creek last winter, replacing the culverts and restoring fish access. "Not only will this bridge provide visitors with continued access into the Hoh Rain Forest, it replaces two aged culverts that blocked fish passage to the upper creek," said superintendent Bill Laitner. "I extend my thanks and appreciation to park staff and our partners for their creativity and hard work in restoring access to both humans and fish." Before beginning work on the bridge, workers will remove the damaged culverts that were washed downstream. After the bridge is installed, the temporary bridge will be removed and the area rehabilitated. The road is scheduled to remain open throughout the construction period, although several short closures may be required during placement of the bridge girders. The project is scheduled to be completed by early to mid-January. Meanwhile, a contractor will begin work later this month to remove timber and storm debris from the Elwha and Sol Duc areas. Visitors are urged to use caution as large trucks will be used to haul the timber and debris out of the park. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
A search began on Tuesday for a solo hiker who was reported missing on Sunday, September 16th. J.S., 60, had planned a seven-day trip through the Bailey Range, a well-known off-trail route through rugged and remote terrain. J.S. was described by friends and family members as a strong and safety-conscious hiker who plans and prepares carefully for his hikes. A map and description of J.S.'s itinerary, which he prepared before leaving home, provided searchers with important information about his planned route and camp sites. J.S. was last seen on Monday, September 10th, when he left the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort to begin his hike at the Sol Duc trailhead. He planned to traverse the Bailey Range and end his hike on Sunday, September 16th, at the North Fork Quinault trailhead. Searchers concentrated their efforts along J.S.'s intended route, with four observers searching from a helicopter and approximately 15 on the ground. The search ended happily around 12:30 on Wednesday afternoon when he was spotted by the crew of a helicopter near Bear Pass in the southern Bailey Range, about five miles north of Low Divide. The helicopter was able to land nearby. When searchers contacted J.S., they found that he was in relatively good condition, though sore and slightly injured from a minor fall. He was flown out of the park and was evaluated by ranger-EMTs. He declined further medical treatment. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
A search for an overdue fisherman in the Sol Duc Valley came to a happy conclusion on Friday when C.K. was found safe and well along the North Fork Sol Duc River. C.K., a lieutenant with East Jefferson Fire-Rescue, went fishing on Thursday afternoon with two friends along the river, which is located about 30 miles west of Port Angeles. The section of river they were fishing is remote and accessible only by trail. The three began their fishing/hiking trip at the North Fork Sol Duc trailhead, about a mile south of Salmon Cascades along the Sol Duc Road. They planned to fish and walk downstream along the river about three miles to the point where it meets Sol Duc Road. After walking down river for about a mile, C.K. and his fishing partners separated, with C.K. continuing downstream while the other two returned to the trailhead. When C.K. failed to meet his two companions that evening, a hasty search was begun and continued until dark. The search resumed early Friday morning, with many of C.K.'s co-workers working on their own time to assist park staff with the search. C.K. was located, tired but in good health, at approximately 12:45 p.m., just shy of his intended destination. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
The Finley Creek bridge along the Quinault North Shore Road, which was heavily damaged during the November 6th storm, reopened last Wednesday. With both the North Shore and South Shore Roads reopened, access has been restored to the entire Quinault Loop. The Hoh Road and visitor area remain closed because of extensive damage along that road. This temporary closure includes the campground, trails, road and other facilities. Park staff and Federal Highways Administration engineers continue to develop options for restoring emergency access across the 75-foot long washout at West Twin Creek. All park roads are now open with the exception of:
For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Submitted by Barb Maynes, Public Information Officer]
The storm that struck the Pacific Northwest early this week caused some problems in parks throughout the region, with the most serious occurring at Olympic. Here's a roundup: Olympic NP - High winds and heavy rains dropped trees throughout the park and caused a record-breaking rise in the Elwha River. The river reached a record high level on Monday when it peaked at 24.65 feet, 4.65 feet above flood stage. The previous high stage was recorded in November 1949, when the river peaked at 24.2 feet at the McDonald Bridge gage. The river rose 14 feet in the 24 hours that preceded its record-setting stage. At the river's peak stage, 32,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water was flowing past the McDonald Bridge gage; 24 hours earlier, the flow was only 658 cfs. The river level began dropping yesterday, and was predicted to drop below flood stage by late afternoon. On Tuesday, park crews began cutting their way through numerous downed trees in an effort to access park entrance roads, make damage assessments, and begin repairs to damage caused by the storm. Only Kalaloch was open yesterday, and the park was not recommending travel to that area. With Highway 101 closed at Lake Crescent and Highway 112 only recently reopened, staff have been challenged in reaching the park's west side destinations. Yesterday morning, maintenance and ranger staff were ferried across Lake Crescent by boat in order to reach the area. The summary of known damage follows: Elwha Dam - Shortly after the river hit its peak, floodwater began entering the Elwha Dam powerhouse. Bureau of Reclamation employees put Emergency Response Level 1 into effect, which is primarily a notification and preparation phase. All appropriate emergency contacts were notified. The next step would have been to evacuate the powerhouse, but this didn't happen because the waters began to drop. Assessments on Tuesday revealed only minor damage to one of the log booms at the dam, which can easily be repaired. At the height of the flood, the operators were holding back some water behind the Glines Canyon Dam further up river, while all ten spill gates were open at the Elwha Dam. Hurricane Ridge Road - Crews have cleared two rockslides from the road and are assessing possible damage to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. Wind speeds of up to 86 miles an hour were recorded on the ridge on Monday. The Heart O' the Hills campground remains closed due to earlier damage from a November 12th windstorm. Elwha - The Olympic Hot Springs Road is closed at the park boundary as crews continue to assess flood damage. Rangers report that many sites in the Altair campground have been washed away by the high flows. Lake Crescent - Highway 101 is closed around Lake Crescent between mileposts 222 and 232. The westbound lane of Highway 101 was severely damaged when a debris flow blocked a culvert and diverted water over the road about four miles west of Barnes Point. Sol Duc Road - A mudslide 5 feet deep and 60 feet wide is covering the Sol Duc Road about a half-mile south of Salmon Cascades. Damage beyond that point has not yet been assessed. Hoh Rain Forest - The Hoh Road is closed, with water flowing over the road at Snyder Creek within the park as well as outside the park boundary. Just over 14 inches of rain were recorded at the Hoh Visitor Center in the past 48 hours. Mora - The Mora area remains closed pending damage assessments. Quinault Rain Forest - Over seven inches of rain fell in the Quinault Valley between December 2nd and 3rd and high winds toppled many trees. The North Shore Quinault Road is closed by downed trees and electrical lines and crews are working today to reopen the road. The North Fork and Graves Creek Roads remain closed. Ozette - The Hoko-Ozette is closed with downed trees and power lines. Dosewallips, Staircase and Queets Roads - The roads remain closed due to previous damage and unsafe conditions. The Deer Park Road is closed for the season. Further information about park roads and facilities will be released once it is available. For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Chuck Young, Chief Ranger, MORA; Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer, OLYM; Dave Brennan, Chief Ranger, CRLA; Dennis Stanchfield, Maintenance, NOCA; Karen Newton, PWRO]
The park continues to recover from the severe storm that struck the region earlier this week. As park crews gain access to roads and facilities, additional damage has been discovered in some areas, while other roads have reopened. Phone and electrical service are still out in the park's western areas. A summary of known damage follows: Hurricane Ridge Road - A major slide near the Switchback Trail brought mud, debris and water over the road. Once the slide was cleared, workers were able to spot several areas of extensive damage to the road shoulder along the downhill lane. The road will remain closed this weekend to allow crews to fully assess the damage and begin repairs. The Heart O' the Hills campground is closed due to earlier damage from the November 12th windstorm. Quinault Valley - The North Shore and South Shore Quinault Roads are closed due to downed trees and electrical lines. Crews are continuing to cut their way through the trees to reopen the roads. There is no electrical or phone service at Quinault. The North Fork and Graves Creek Roads remain closed and have not been assessed yet. Hoh Road - The Hoh Road is closed at its intersection with Highway 101. One lane of the road was washed out within Jefferson County; minor damage has also occurred within the park. Elwha - The Olympic Hot Springs Road, the Whiskey Bend Road and Elwha campground have all reopened. Elwha Valley's Altair campground was not as severely damaged as initially thought; receding floodwaters have revealed many sites to be damaged by the flooding, but no sites or structures were lost. The Altair campground is closed throughout the winter season. Lake Crescent area - Highway 101 has reopened in the Lake Crescent area. Both the East Beach and Camp David Junior roads are open and cleared. Sol Duc Road - The Sol Duc Road remains closed due to a mudslide about a half-mile south of Salmon Cascades. Mora - The Mora area has reopened, including the Mora campground. Ozette - The Ozette area is closed with downed trees and power lines. Dosewallips, Staircase and Queets Roads - The roads remain closed due to previous damage and unsafe conditions. Deer Park Road - The road is closed for the season. Groups and individuals interested in volunteering to help the park with storm recovery are urged to check the park's website. Once damage assessments are complete, volunteer opportunities will be posted at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/olym" http://www.nps.gov/olym . For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Damage to Hurricane Ridge Road increased this week as the slope beneath the road continued to erode following last week's record-breaking storm. The road will remain closed this weekend as crews install Jersey barriers and traffic safety signs and continue monitoring the stability of the road and the slope beneath it. Initial assessments made last week revealed damage to the road shoulder; an inspection on Tuesday showed that the road itself is being undercut. The most heavily damaged site is located just above the Switchback Trailhead, about two miles below Hurricane Ridge. A total of three sites along the road have been reduced to one lane. The damage was initially caused by a major slide near the Switchback Trail that brought mud and debris onto the road. The slide caused water to overflow the road, leading to extensive erosion and slumping along the downhill edge. A road engineer from the Federal Highways Administration was to join park maintenance officials on Wednesday to inspect the three areas of slope failure and road damage and develop a strategy for repair. Other Olympic National Park roads are also closed due to storm damage. A summary follows: Sol Duc Valley - The Sol Duc Road remains closed due to a mudslide about a half-mile south of Salmon Cascades, along with downed trees. Hoh Road - The Hoh Road is closed at milepost 7.8 within Jefferson County (outside the park boundary), where one lane of the road was washed out. Minor damage has also occurred within the park. Queets - The Queets Road is closed due to water damage and downed trees. The park road crew is working this week to restore access to the Queets. Quinault Valley - The North Shore Road is open from the Highway 101 intersection to just past the Clark Spur Road. Beyond that point the road is closed to all traffic due to downed trees and other damage. The South Shore Quinault Road is closed at the park boundary; 400 feet of roadway were washed away by the December 3rd flooding and many trees are down. The Graves Creek Road is closed with severe damage at six locations, including areas where the road is completely gone. The North Fork Road is littered with downed trees and remains closed. Staircase - While the Staircase area is closed for the winter season, park crews have made an initial damage assessment. The Staircase access road outside the park boundary is covered with gravel and debris as a result of last week's storm and flooding. Within the park, both the Staircase Road and Staircase Campground sustained damage from flooding along the North Fork Skokomish River. Elwha, Lake Crescent, Mora and Ozette Areas - These areas remain open. Visitors are urged to use caution when traveling through the park, though, and to come prepared for a variety of weather conditions. They're also advised to be prepared for damaged trails and downed trees. Groups and individuals interested in volunteering to help the park with storm recovery are urged to check the park's website. Once damage assessments are complete, volunteer opportunities will be posted on the park's volunteer page at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/olym" http://www.nps.gov/olym. For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. An online photo gallery of storm damage is posted at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/current-closures.htm". [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
On the afternoon of Saturday, December 29th, R.K., 53, became disoriented while skiing in blizzard conditions near Hurricane Hill. He stopped and dug a snow cave, then called the park via cell phone to report his situation. Rangers were able to talk to him only briefly before the call was dropped, but were able to gather some information about his surroundings and probable location. A search was conducted for him the evening, primarily along Hurricane Hill Road, and two rescuers attempted to sky beyond the road's end. They had to turn back, though, due to the blizzard and hazardous avalanche conditions. Six rescuers skied to the hill on Sunday morning in three to four feet of deep powder snow, high winds and very poor visibility. They reached R.K. around 1 p.m. and found him to be in good condition. He was able to ski out with his rescuers. About a dozen park staff, ten volunteers from Bremerton-based Olympic Mountain Rescue, employees of the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club and personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles participated in the search and rescue effort. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Despite nearly two months of intensive work by park crews, damage from the record-breaking storm of December 3rd continues to restrict public access to many park areas. An overview of damage follows: Quinault Rain Forest - Portions of the North Shore and South Shore Roads remain open, but the Quinault Loop Road is inaccessible. To protect public safety and allow safe operation of heavy equipment, sections of the North Shore, South Shore, North Fork and Graves Creek Roads are closed to all public entry, including foot and bicycle access. Restoring access to the Quinault loop is one of the park's top priorities. Barring any future storms, plans are to reopen the loop road with temporary repairs by the end of March. The North Shore Road is currently open from Highway 101 approximately 11 miles to Clark Hill, giving area residents access to their homes. The road is closed to all public access east of the gate at Clark Hill to allow work crews and heavy equipment to make repairs. The South Shore Road is open from Highway 101 to the park boundary, but is closed to all public access beyond that point because of extensive damage. A 750-foot-long section of road washed out during the December 3rd flood and another 150-foot-long section of road is covered by rock and debris. Other damage includes bank erosion and numerous trees blown down across the road. Although long term repairs will be necessary to maintain access, park crews are planning to make emergency repairs in order to restore public access by the end of March. The North Fork Road was covered by hundreds, if not thousands, of trees during the windstorm. While park crews have succeeded in clearing about half of the road's length, more work is needed before the road can be opened. The campground sustained some flood damage and downed trees. The Graves Creek Road was severely damaged in three locations along its 6.3 mile length from floodwaters of the Quinault River. The road was also damaged at six other locations by heavy rain, runoff and downed trees. The park is developing alternatives to permanently repair the damaged roadway to provide more sustainable access along the South Shore Road and Graves Creek Road. Options may include the design and placement of engineered log jams and bank barbs along portions of the roadway to better protect the road while protecting and improving habitat for fish. Queets Valley - The Lower Queets Road is currently closed because of snow, but has been open as far as Matheny Creek. The road has been closed beyond that point since 2005 due to a landslide. Access to the Upper Queets Valley is expected to open by the end of March, although the campground will likely open later to allow crews time to repair storm damage. Hoh Rain Forest - The Hoh Road is closed outside the park boundary because of flood damage. There is currently two feet of snow at the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center. Weather and snow conditions permitting, the road is expected to open by the end of February. Coastal Destinations - The park's road-accessible coastal destinations (Kalaloch, Mora, Ozette) are open, including all roads, campgrounds and trailheads. Coastal trails and wilderness travel routes have not been fully assessed, so hikers should use caution and be prepared for washouts. Sol Duc Valley - The Sol Duc Road is closed because of snow and a mud and debris slide that crossed the road just above Salmon Cascades. Park crews anticipate opening the road by March 1st - in time for spring opening of the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. Lake Crescent - All roads in the Lake Crescent area are open, but visitors are urged to use caution when hiking as trails in the area have not yet been fully assessed. Elwha Valley - Roads in the Elwha Valley are in generally good condition, but may close in the event of snow or ice. The Elwha Campground is open. The Altair Campground sustained some damage from flooding during the December 3rd storm, but is scheduled to open over Memorial Day weekend for the summer season. Hurricane Ridge Road - Weather and road conditions permitting, Hurricane Ridge Road is open Friday through Sunday through March 30th, along with Presidents Day, February 18th. The road may close at any time because of heavy snow, high winds, high avalanche danger or a full parking lot. The road was damaged by rain and runoff during the December 3rd storm, leading to three sites that are now only one lane in width. These sites will be repaired during the two-year repaving project set to begin this spring. Dosewallips Road - The road remains closed because of a washout outside the park boundary. Staircase - Staircase Road is closed for the season. It sustained major damage during the December storm, both within and outside of the park boundary. Staff from Olympic National Park are working closely with Olympic National Forest personnel to develop a strategy for reopening the road by the summer season. Five riverside sites in the Staircase Campground were lost to floodwaters along the North Fork Skokomish River, but the campground is expected to open for the summer season. Park Trails - With over ten feet of snow at the park's higher elevations, little is known about many of the park's trail conditions. More information will be available once snow begins to melt later in the year. Hikers are urged to use caution and to be prepared for numerous downed trees as well as damaged or washed out trails, along with changeable winter weather conditions. When available, current trail condition reports are posted at the Olympic National Park website, HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/olym/". [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers and an NPS special agent checked out a report of a body found on the shoreline of Lake Crescent on February 22nd. The man's body was found with a fatal gunshot wound, evidence indicating an apparent suicide. Although the investigation was hampered by lack of identifying documents or an associated vehicle, the body was nonetheless identified within several hours through a collaborative effort by investigators and members of the public in the immediate area. Information found at the scene revealed that the weapon had been purchased recently at a store in Port Angeles, and the agent was able to obtain footage of the man purchasing the weapon. Autopsy information further confirmed his identity. A chilling aspect of the investigation is that the man had carried his shotgun undetected through the grounds of Olympic Park Institute, an educational facility with numerous children, educators and staff on site. [Mark O'Neill, Lake District Ranger]
A park dump truck laden with sand lost its brakes last Friday morning on the grade down Mount Angeles road heading into Port Angles. It crossed Park Avenue and Lauridsen Boulevard, passing school children waiting to cross the street, then turned onto its side at Night Street, skidding for a block before coming to a stop just short of the Eighth Street intersection. Witnesses praised driver Paul Duce for slowing the truck down as much as he could be dumping its load to reduce weight and lowering the blade of his snowplow onto the pavement. The blade appeared to catch the curb near Ninth Street, tipping the truck onto its side. Duce was treated and released from Olympic Medical Center; nobody else was hurt. According to news reports, at least a half dozen people told police that Duce should be given an award for his actions. Duce, a park employee since 1982 and a heavy equipment operator the past five-and-a-half years, spreads sand regularly on often-snowy Hurricane Ridge Road and removes rocks that have slipped to the pavement. He was on his way back from that duty when he discovered his brakes didn't work. He called 911 to tell Port Angeles police he couldn't stop the truck. When he saw cars waiting at the traffic light at Race and Eighth streets, he knew he'd have to tip the truck. Park spokesperson Barb Maynes quoted him as saying, "I wasn't going to run into the back of those people without doing something to try to stop." David Goldstein of Port Angeles was driving his car directly in front of Duce's truck. "I looked back in my mirror. It was rather unsettling to see sparks from his plow blade," Goldstein told police. "He probably saved my life. His quick thinking and actions probably saved my life and those of others." [Peninsula Daily News] HYPERLINK "http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080504/NEWS/805040302"
On the afternoon of July 4th, a backcountry ranger on patrol on the rugged east side of the park received a report that a 17-year-old boy had fallen approximately 100 feet while descending Mount Deception and had sustained serious head injuries. The ranger enlisted assistance from a nearby mountaineering group in order to reach the victim's position while a US Coast Guard rescue helicopter was launched from Air Station Port Angeles. The USCG helicopter located the boy just as the backcountry ranger was arriving at the scene of the accident, which was in a narrow chute on the south side of Mount Deception. The helicopter was forced to divert for additional fuel prior to attempting the hoist, so the ranger, one of the Good Samaritan mountaineers and the injured climber's partner treated and stabilized him. The Coast Guard helicopter returned a second time, but again had to abandon its rescue effort because the helicopter's hoist cable was not long enough to reach the victim, who was at the bottom of the chute. A Navy rescue helicopter from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station with longer hoist capability was dispatched to the park and reached the scene as darkness fell. Faced with the probability that the boy would not survive the night, the Navy continued operations until well after dark, performing a night hoist in the steep canyon. The boy was successfully hoisted aboard the helicopter just before 11 p.m. and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. At last report, he was in serious but stable condition. [Kevin Hendricks, Chief Ranger]
Andrew Palmer, an 18-year-old National Park Service firefighter based in Olympic National Park, was killed Friday while clearing trees in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in northern California. Director Bomar has ordered that all flags throughout the National Park System - except for those on the National Mall - be lowered to half staff and remain at half staff until the funeral. Employees should also wear black ribbons on their badges, if available, and may wear black mourning devices if in civilian clothes. Director Bomar issued the following statement on behalf of the 20,000 men and women of the National Park Service. "The collective hearts of the National Park Service go out to Andrew's family. While the loss of any member of the NPS team is a sad event, Andrew's life was only beginning. He was filled with the energy and passion of youth, and he sought to give back to our nation by protecting the land from the ravages of fire. He took on a difficult job, and served our nation well, in the finest tradition of the National Park Service. His courage and spirit will live on in all of us, and will inspire us to do all we can to preserve the special places in our nation." Olympic National Park staff have been deeply saddened by the tragedy. Superintendent Karen Gustin added her sentiments to the director's: "We mourn Andy's death and offer our support and deepest condolences to his family." Palmer's four-person engine crew was dispatched last Tuesday, July 22nd, to the Eagle Fire, part of the Iron Complex in Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Last Friday was their first day on the fire line. Palmer was fatally injured when he was struck by a falling tree. An accident investigation team is being assembled and will be co-led by National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service personnel. More information will be released as it becomes available. The rest of Palmer's crew returned to Olympic National Park earlier on Saturday. A critical incident stress management team is now in the park to provide support and assistance to the park's fire crew and staff. Condolences should be sent to Bob and Janet Palmer, 1536 Washington Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368. A fund will be established by the Wildland Firefighter Foundation in Andrew's name. The foundation is on-line at HYPERLINK "http://wffoundation.org/". Additional information on the funeral and on the date for flags to be returned to full staff will appear in future editions.
A memorial service celebrating the life of Andrew Palmer will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday in McCurdy Pavilion at Ford Worden State Park in Washington. Andy, 18, was fatally injured in a tree falling accident while on a fire assignment in Northern California. The Palmer family welcomes those who mourn Andy's loss to attend the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Andy's name. A scholarship fund has been created in Andy's memory to be shared by the Port Angeles and Port Townsend High Schools. Make your donations to the Port Townsend High School Scholarship Foundation, 538 Calhoun Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368. Donations may also be made to the National Wildland Firefighter Foundation HYPERLINK "http://wffoundation.org/" http://wffoundation.org/. Fort Worden is on the Olympic Peninsula in Port Townsend, Washington. The nearest large airport is Seatac. The Edmonds to Kingston ferry is the most direct ferry route to the area. Allow additional travel time due to road work on the peninsula and traffic congestion related to the service. All uniformed personnel are asked to meet at the McCurdy Pavilion at 8:45 a.m. Fire Service agencies bringing engines should plan to meet at Blue Heron Middle School, 3939 San Juan Ave in Port Townsend. The engine procession will depart the school at 8:30 a.m. An area inside the pavilion will be designated for the media. Media representatives planning to attend should arrive by 9:00 a.m. in order to check in and set up prior to the service. The Palmer family will not be available to talk to the media the day of the service. The service is scheduled to last approximately one hour with a reception following. Flags are to be flown at half staff through dusk on Monday and will be returned to full staff thereafter. [Patti Wold, IO, Western IMT]
A 41-year-old Auburn man was airlifted from the Bailey Range on Sunday, August 31st, after falling about 150 feet down a steep slope. T.L. sustained multiple injuries, but was able to walk, with assistance from rangers, to a helicopter. He was flown to Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles, then transported via ambulance to Olympic Memorial Hospital. Rangers were alerted to T.L.'s injury at approximately 11:20 a.m. on Sunday morning when the park's dispatch center was contacted by a personal locator beacon (PLB) service with the information that T.L.'s PLB had transmitted a 911 message. The 911 message included T.L.'s precise location, using GPS coordinates. Three rangers responded by helicopter and found T.L. just south of Eleven Bull Basin. Although he was still able to walk, the terrain was extremely steep and unstable and rangers used a technical rope rescue in order to bring him to the helicopter landing area. The helicopter met the injured man at approximately 7:10 p.m.; he reached the Fairchild International Airport at about 7:30 p.m. Personal locator beacons use satellite technology to transmit location and brief messages. More information can be found by going to HYPERLINK "http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/" and clicking on "Emergency Beacons." The Bailey Range is an extremely rugged area of the park's wilderness and is recommended only for very experienced and fit hikers who are comfortable with route-finding and traveling on steep, exposed slopes and loose rock. T.L. is described as being very experienced and fit; he fell after losing his balance on loose rocks. T.L. was in his second day of a planned five-day traverse of the trail-less Bailey Range. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Park staff coordinated the rescue of three young people off the summit shoulder of Mount Angeles on September 21st. After reaching the mountain's summit, they began their descent in fog, which obscured the route and caused them to become disoriented. They attempted to walk down the steep eastern shoulder, but eventually gave up. Just before darkness, one of them called 911, contacted park dispatch, and asked for help. Rangers were able to make voice contact, but were unable to lead them down due to darkness and steep terrain. Rangers and trail crew members hiked in with rescue equipment the next morning, but the effort failed because of fog and steep, unstable terrain. Five rangers them climbed above the trio via the southeast ridge and were able to reach them. With improving visibility, the rangers were able to climb within 125 feet of them, but could not close the final distance. Because of waning daylight, lack of adequate anchors, and steep and unstable rock, an air evacuation was ordered. A helicopter from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station arrived just before darkness and hoisted them out. All were wet and cold but otherwise okay. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
On September 2nd, a 65-year-old man from Montesano, Washington, fell 20 feet while traversing above the Elwha Snowfinger on the Bailey Traverse. The man complained of head and back pain, so members of his party of three activated their emergency SPOT beacon. The park had a light plane in the air doing wildfire reconnaissance at the time - it was diverted to the reported location and spotted the group of three on a steep hillside signaling for help. Assistant FMO Todd Rankin and ranger Mike Danisiewicz were flown close to the location by helicopter and Danisiewicz was able to scramble up the hillside to the injured man and begin an assessment. He determined that a hoist evacuation would be required due to the hazardous terrain and extent of the man's injuries. Whidbey Island Naval Air Station responded with a Blackhawk and flew the man to Seattle's Harbor View Hospital. He suffered no internal injuries, but required eight liters of fluid because of severe dehydration. [Colin Smith, Chief Ranger]
On September 28th, park dive team members recovered a weapon from the Bogachiel River near La Push, Washington. The Forks Police Department asked that the team search for the gun, as it was a critical piece of evidence in a homicide case that had occurred a few days previously. The weapon was found by park dive officer Mark O'Neill and diver Mike Kalahar in 22 feet of water after a search that lasted about two hours. The weapon was turned over to an investigator from Forks PD. A suspect has been charged in the case. [Mark O'Neill, Lake District Ranger]
A strong storm brought high winds and heavy rain and snow to the Washington coast and northwest interior of the state last week, knocking out power and causing road and area closures. A number of roads were soon closed on the west side of the park so that trees could be removed and damage could be assessed: Hoh Road - The Hoh Road was closed at the park boundary. Quinault Valley Roads - The North Shore Road was closed due to downed trees and electrical lines, and the Graves Creek and the North Fork Roads were closed while awaiting assessments. There was also no electrical service along the north shore of Lake Quinault. Lower Queets Road - The road was closed due to water on the roadway. Hurricane Ridge Road - The Hurricane Ridge Road was closed due to snow. Park crews worked on clearing two slides. As of yesterday, most of the roads had been cleared and reopened - Hoh, Sol Duc, North Shore and South Shore Quinault Roads, North Fork Road, Lower Queets Road. But the Graves Creek and Upper Queets Roads remained closed. It continues to be very wet and very snowy at higher elevations. There are 15-foot drifts in the Hurricane Ridge parking lot - nearly unheard of for this early in the season. For current road information, people should call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
A backcountry volunteer sustained a severe knee laceration while post-holing through a snow-covered boulder field on Saturday, June 26th. He suffered muscle and tendon damage and could not walk out on his own. Rangers from the Lake, Sol Duc, Elwha, Hoh, and Mora subdistricts responded. The ensuing rescue evolved into an arduous overnight carryout in sections of steep, difficult terrain. The injured volunteer was evacuated by ambulance the next morning and taken to the Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles for treatment. He is recovering nicely. [Colin Smith, Chief Ranger]
Rangers and members of the park's dive team responded to a request for assistance in recovering US Coast Guard personnel involved in a helicopter crash off shore of the Quileute Indian Reservation near La Push on July 7th. The Jayhawk helicopter broke into pieces and crashed into the ocean after striking power lines suspended between the shore and James Island at the mouth of the Quillayute River. Members of the dive team, supported by a USCG boat crew, recovered the body of the fourth and last member of the flight crew to be accounted for in the multi-agency search effort. [Mark O'Neill, Park Dive Officer] HYPERLINK "http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012308470_coptercrash09m.html"
Hiker R.B., 63, of Port Angeles died on Saturday afternoon after sustaining injuries in an encounter with a mountain goat. The incident remains under investigation. Park staff were on scene shortly after the initial report and provided emergency medical assistance. R.B. was transported by Coast Guard helicopter to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, where he was pronounced dead. Rangers responding to the incident were able to locate the goat, confirm its identity, and kill it. The goat will be transported to a veterinary pathologist for full analysis. The incident occurred on Klahhane Ridge, which is located near Hurricane Ridge, about 17 miles south of Port Angeles. [Colin Smith, Chief Ranger]
The park is continuing foot patrols on and near Klahhane Ridge following Saturday's incident in which a 63-year-old hiker died after sustaining injuries from a mountain goat. Rangers and wildlife biologists will be walking the Switchback Trail and Klahhane Ridge area daily through the fall, closely observing other goats for any signs of aggression towards people. Throughout the summer, rangers patrolled the Klahhane Ridge area four to five times each week. During these patrols, they monitored goat behavior and talked with hikers about their observations of goat behavior. Klahhane Ridge is about 17 miles south of Port Angeles and is a popular hiking destination. It is also home to approximately eight mountain goats, some of which are quite accustomed to seeing people. "We want to be sure that no other goat is behaving aggressively towards people," said Superintendent Karen Gustin. "Saturday's tragic event was extremely unusual and we are doing everything we can to learn as much as possible about it and to make sure we're doing everything we can to prevent something like this from happening again." The goat that fatally gored R.B. was killed shortly after the incident, following positive identification by the rangers on scene. A necropsy of the goat was conducted Sunday evening by a veterinary pathologist and tissue samples were collected for full analysis. A preliminary report is expected within about a week. The incident remains under investigation. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
The preliminary investigation of the October 16th fatal mountain goat goring near Klahhane Ridge has concluded and the findings were consistent with initial accounts of the incident. Witnesses and others in the area at the time describe an aggressive male mountain goat that approached, followed and fatally gored R.B. while he was hiking. Following the fatal encounter, the goat stood over R.B. until several visitors, including an off-duty National Park Service employee, succeeded in scaring off the goat. First aid and CPR were administered at the scene and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter transported R.B. to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, where he was pronounced dead. Following the incident, the goat was positively identified by park rangers and destroyed. A necropsy and comprehensive tissue analysis were conducted on the goat and preliminary results have been released. A wide range of tests, including the initial visual examination during necropsy, followed by microscopic study of the major organs and a battery of diagnostic tests, have not revealed any signs of disease or other physical abnormalities. The goat is estimated to have weighed over 350 pounds. Tests for rabies virus, encephalitis virus, plague and tularemia revealed no evidence of those diseases. Salt concentrations in the animal's urine were within normal limits. Tissue analysis showed that the goat was in breeding condition or "rut." Additional diagnostic tests for several diseases are still ongoing, including listeria and chronic wasting disease, as are several chemical assessments for key nutrients. Rangers and wildlife biologists conducted daily goat behavior monitoring patrols during the week of October 18th, but these have not continued since snowfall began on October 24th - nearly two feet of snow is now on the ground at Hurricane Ridge. Up to eight goats were seen in a day but there were no observations of aggressive mountain goat behavior. Some goats appeared to be habituated to human presence, but quickly moved away when people yelled or waved their arms. Patrols will resume this fall if weather and snow conditions permit. Once winter weather begins, mountain goats typically move to their winter range, which varies from herd to herd. Winter range for goats in the Hurricane/Klahhane area is primarily along a rocky, windswept ridge north and east of Klahhane Ridge. Park biologists, in collaboration with biologists from neighboring land and wildlife management agencies, have solicited and have been receiving information about mountain goat-human interactions from across the animals' range. Park staff will incorporate all new information learned through this incident into the park's nuisance and hazardous animal plan. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
The 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan last Friday - the fifth largest quake in the world since 1900 and nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one that recently devastated Christchurch, New Zealand - produced a tsunami that crossed the open and came up on the shores of park beaches from Guam to the West Coast. No visitor or employee injuries have been reported. The following summarizes reports submitted from all affected areas: Olympic - No impacts - the surge there was less than a foot. [Dean Ross, Deputy Chief of Emergency Services, WASO; Karen Gatewood, Acting Regional Chief Ranger, PWRO; Steve Chaney, Superintendent, REDW; Kim Coast, Acting Chief Ranger, GOGA; John Quinley, Public Affairs, ARO]
A 15-year-old boy who sustained leg injuries in a fall late Sunday afternoon has been flown out of the area in a coordinated rescue effort involving rangers and U.S. Coast Guard and Clallam County Search & Rescue personnel. The boy was day hiking on the Pyramid Peak Trail with members of his family on Sunday when he fell approximately 150 feet down a 400-foot rock slide that crosses the trail, sustaining leg injuries that prevented him from walking out. The park was notified of the accident around 4 p.m. and had a rescue team onsite by 7 p.m. A second team of rangers arrived shortly thereafter. Due to the extremely steep terrain and inclement weather, an after-dark rescue was ruled out, so the rangers set up an overnight shelter for the boy and his father and stayed with them through the night. Weather conditions remained favorable throughout Monday morning, and a U.S. Coast Guard rescuer was lowered to the ground with a rescue basket in the late morning. Personnel from the park and county SAR team and the Coast Guard rescuer prepared the hiker to be airlifted out. He was then hoisted in the basket up to the helicopter and transported to Port Angeles. The Pyramid Peak Trail is located on the north side of Lake Crescent and approximately 20 miles west of Port Angeles. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
On April 12th, the Mason County Sheriff's Office asked rangers to assist with a domestic homicide which occurred at a Lake Cushman residence just outside the southeast corner of the park. A local resident had reported that he had shot his wife at her request due to her failing health. Rangers were requested because of an extended response time by sheriff's deputies. Ranger Ken Davis was first on scene and provided containment while waiting for Mason County deputies to arrive. The man was cooperative when contacted and taken into custody. Davis also assisted with clearing the inside of the house and outbuildings. The victim was found inside the house and pronounced dead on scene. Mason County is conducting the investigation. [Colin Smith, Chief Ranger]
The search for a missing hiker came to a successful conclusion early Saturday morning when he was hoisted from a drainage near the Irely Lake loop trail by a county sheriff's office rescue helicopter. D.S., 55, was dehydrated, slightly hypothermic and tired, but otherwise appeared in good condition. He was transported to a local hospital for further examination. D.S. was reported overdue on Wednesday morning when he failed to return to work after a planned day hike on the trail. He'd begun his day hike on Monday afternoon with the intention of returning that afternoon. When he reached Three Lakes around 9 p.m., he attempted to loop back to the trailhead via a shortcut, but deep snow on the ridges and steep terrain in the drainage trapped him near the creek. The park began a search for him on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, observers in a search helicopter spotted tracks in the snow that led to the drainage near the Irely Lake loop trail. Ground personnel began tracking D.S. from that point. A King County heat sensing HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLIR" FLIR helicopter was brought in on Friday night to assist in the search. The helicopter's crew spotted a light source around midnight and D.S. was located with the FLIR about a half hour later. A second helicopter with a hoist was brought in at first light and lifted D.S. out. Over 40 people were involved in the search, including personnel from Olympic National Park and Olympic Mountain Rescue. They were aided by a German shepherd search dog team from Pierce County and personnel searching from the helicopters. [Rainey McKenna, Public Affairs Specialist]
The search for 32-year-old hiker T.B. came to a successful conclusion yesterday evening when he was hoisted from a drainage of the North Fork of the Sol Duc River by a U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter. T.B. sustained an injury to his left ankle but otherwise appeared to be in good condition. He was transported to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles for further examination. T.B. was reported overdue on Sunday evening when he failed to return from a planned three-day backpack trip in the Sol Duc area of the park. He left from the Aurora Ridge trailhead on Friday morning, planning to hike Aurora Ridge and Happy Lake Ridge and return by way of the North Fork of the Sol Duc River by Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, he fell approximately 150 feet down the side of a drainage, sustaining the injury to his left ankle. "He did all the right things," said IC Kristin Kirschner. "Once he realized he would not be able to get out of the canyon under his own power, he stayed where he was, made himself as visible as possible, built a large signal fire, and waited for help." Search efforts by park SAR teams began on Tuesday morning. On Wednesday afternoon, search teams on the ground reported hearing a sound similar to gunshots. The searchers were able to direct a helicopter to the location of the sound and at approximately 3:35 p.m. visual contact was made with T.B. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that was hoist capable was brought in at approximately 6 p.m. to hoist T.B. from the drainage. Approximately twenty personnel from Olympic National Park were involved in the search, aided by a helicopter from HiLine Helicopters Inc. [Rainey McKenna]
Over a two-day period in mid-September, rangers participated in an interagency enforcement operation to "cooperatively develop, test and evaluate procedures and protocols in responding to threats to our national borders" and ports on the Olympic Peninsula. To assist in this effort, rangers conducted a traffic emphasis during two night shift patrols on Highway 101, the most heavily used throughway for traffic between Port Angeles and seaports to the south and west. They made over 106 vehicle stops and issued citations for a variety of traffic, vehicle, drug and paraphernalia possession related violations. Several individuals with misdemeanor warrants out against them - and one with a felony warrant - were taken into custody and transported to the Clallam County jail. Search dogs and detectives from OPNET (the local drug task force) assisted in the effort. Other agencies involved in the north Olympic Peninsula-wide effort included US Customs and Border Protection (including both air and marine units), the Coast Guard, Washington State Patrol, Clallam County Sheriff's Office, Port Angeles Police Department, Sequim Police Department, Neah Bay Police Department, Civil Air Patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, and Elwha Police Department. [Colin Smith, Chief Ranger]
Highway 101 along Lake Crescent was closed yesterday following a rock slide that occurred while construction crews were working on a rock bolting and scaling project on the cliff face next to the road. Two men sustained minor injuries and an excavator was damaged by the falling rocks. Rocks up to six feet in diameter have covered a 10 foot stretch of the road. Due to the nature of the loose rock, geotechnical engineers have been called in to examine the rock face and determine if it is stable enough to continue construction and reopen the road. Until they determine that US 101 can be safely reopened, motorists will be detoured onto State Routes 112 and 113. Current road information is available by calling Olympic National Park's information line at 360-565-3131 or online at the park's HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/current-road-conditions.htm" road conditions web page. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
During the week of February 11th, protection rangers participated in a three-day-long interagency operation lead by the US Marshals Service to locate and capture fugitives with felony warrants in Clallam and Jefferson Counties. Warrants were served in Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Sequim, Neah Bay, and Forks. Rangers worked with the marshals, Clallam County and Jefferson County Sheriff's Offices deputies, Port Angeles PD, Sequim PD, Elwha PD, and Washington Department of Corrections officers, and US Homeland Security agents. During the serving of one of the warrants by a ranger and other officers, evidence was uncovered that the man arrested had been involved in a large mail theft operation. Over 10,000 pieces of mail were recovered in the arrest. [Colin Smith, Chief Ranger]
On July 3rd, a day hiker used his cell phone to connect with park dispatch and report that he had climbed up a steep slope, was afraid to move, and needed assistance. A social economist from Poland, he had just attended an international economics symposium in Seattle and entered the backcountry equipped with only a water bottle, compass, map, and cell phone. He spent the night in the backcountry without a flashlight, matches or warm clothing. During the second operational period of the search, 24 hours later, searchers contacted him and determined that he was climbing out of the Ennis Creek drainage. He was found to be in relatively good condition, having sustained only minor scratches and bruises and having been the beneficiary of exceptionally mild weather. [Mark O'Neill, Acting Chief Ranger]
Early on the morning of Saturday, July 20th, park dispatch received a report that a climber had been seriously injured in a fall on Mount Olympus. A short time later, the park received word that other climbers, including a paramedic, had reached the man and determined that he'd died of his injuries. The 28-year-old man was on the east face of the summit peak on Mount Olympus when the accident occurred. The fall was witnessed by members of another climbing group that was on the mountain at the time. Rangers were flown via helicopter to Snow Dome on Mount Olympus and climbed through melting and challenging snow conditions to reach and recover the climber's body. It was airlifted out to Port Angeles that evening. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Specialist]
Rangers are searching the Ozette area for a 71-year-old Seattle man who's been missing since August 22nd. B.J. headed out on that date for a planned two- to three-day trip to the Olympic Peninsula. Before leaving home, he spoke of plans to day hike on the Ozette Loop Trail. He was reported overdue the day before yesterday. Rangers immediately began a hasty search for B.J. and located his truck in the Ozette Ranger station parking lot. Hasty teams searched the Ozette Loop Trail, beach areas and Lake Ozette, and a helicopter search was also conducted until dark. Six ground search teams and two search dog teams were in the field yesterday to continue the search. A team also searched Lake Ozette via boat. B.J. has white hair in a ponytail and blue eyes and is 5'10" tall. Family members describe him as active and physically fit. He is believed to have been wearing blue jeans and to be carrying a black day pack. Anyone with clues or information regarding B.J.'s whereabouts is asked to call Olympic National Park at 360-565-3120. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Rangers continue to investigate the disappearance of day hiker B.L.J. of Seattle, Washington, who was reported overdue on Wednesday, August 28th. An intensive search of the Lake Ozette area and adjacent Pacific Coast shoreline has failed to uncover any clues to B.L.J.'s whereabouts. Rangers continue to search for indications of B.L.J.'s plans or location. A photo of B.L.J. has been sent to hikers who had backcountry permits for the north coast and Ozette area and may have had contact with him. B.L.J., 71, left his home in Seattle and traveled to the Olympic Peninsula on Thursday, August 22nd. Family members reported B.L.J. overdue on August 28th. Rangers located B.L.J.'s truck in the Ozette Ranger Station parking lot immediately following receipt of that report. Ground searchers and a helicopter were involved in the search effort on the first day, with additional ground searchers, boat searchers and two search dog teams added on Thursday. On August 30th, five teams of ground searchers and three dog teams from Pierce County Search and Rescue continued the intensive effort to find B.L.J. Search efforts have been concentrated in the area of the popular nine-mile Ozette/Cape Alava/Sand Point/Ozette triangle hike, covering over 25 miles of the park's Pacific Coast from Shi Shi Beach south to the Norwegian Memorial, the Lake Ozette shoreline and nearby roads and trails. [Rainey McKenna, Public Affairs Officer]
On July 10th, rangers responded to the report of a stolen vehicle about to enter the park from the west peninsula community of Forks, Washington. Ranger Art Sandison spotted and pursued the vehicle on Highway 101 along the shores of Lake Crescent. The operator made a panic U-turn in the middle of the road, forced logging trucks and other vehicles off the roadway, and fled back toward Forks at high speeds. Shortly after a county deputy joined in the pursuit, the driver pulled over, stopped, and exited the vehicle. He refused to obey commands until the deputy warned him that he would deploy his taser. When they attempted to handcuff him, though, he began to physically resist. During the ensuing struggle, the deputy's taser was knocked from his hand and picked up by the man, who attempted to fire it at the deputy. Sandison interceded, using his own taser to subdue the man and take him into custody. Forks PD, Clallam County SO and the NPS will be charging the man with an assortment of offenses, including theft, first degree assault, attempting to disarm a police officer and resisting arrest. [Mark O'Neill, East District Ranger]
A search was begun late Saturday for K.H., a 64-year old Bainbridge Island man who was two days overdue from an intended six-day, 39-mile hike in the northeast corner of of the park. K.H. began his hike on Saturday, August 30th, setting out from the Obstruction Point Trailhead near Hurricane Ridge. Family members expected to meet him at the USFS Slab Camp Trailhead last Thursday afternoon. He was reported overdue on Thursday evening. K.H.'s planned itinerary was to hike through Grand Valley to Grand Pass, then continue over Cameron Pass, pass through Dose Meadows to Gray Wolf Pass, and follow the Gray Wolf Trail into the Buckhorn Wilderness in Olympic National Forest. K.H. is described as being 6'5" tall and weighing 220 pounds. He's carrying a blue backpack and wearing a blue Mountain Hardware stocking cap. He's believed to be carrying a blue-gray tent and to have orange flip flops and a fishing pole tied to his pack. Anyone who's seen him or knows something about his possible whereabouts is asked to call the park at at 360-565-3120. As of late yesterday, there were 16 searchers in the field, including National Park Service employees and volunteers, plus volunteers from Olympic Mountain Rescue, Clallam County Search and Rescue, and German Shepherd Search Dogs. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Backpacker K.H., who had been missing for nearly four days in the northeast section of Olympic National Park, walked out to the Whiskey Bend Trailhead in the Elwha Valley yesterday morning. K.H., who'd been the subject of a major search, was tired and had suffered minor scrapes and bruises, but was otherwise okay. K.H. was last seen by two other hikers in the Grand Valley area about four miles from his starting point at Obstruction Point. He told searchers that he lost the trail in very foggy, rainy conditions in the area of Grand Pass and found himself heading west into the Lillian River drainage rather than into the Cameron Creek drainage as planned. He said that once he realized his mistake and was able to determine his location, he decided to continue hiking downstream along the Lillian River, knowing that he would eventually find the Lillian River Trail, which would lead him to the Elwha River Trail and the Whiskey Bend Trailhead. K.H.'s ad hoc Lillian River route involved eight miles of extremely strenuous off-trail travel, which was much more rugged, difficult and time-consuming than he had anticipated, taking nearly four days longer than he had originally planned for his hike. He reached the Whiskey Bend Trailhead this morning, where he encountered a group of hikers who gave him a ride to the Elwha Ranger Station. K.H. was well-equipped with food, a water filter, maps and compass, the " HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/wilderness-travel-basics.htm" "CP_JUMP_30628" Ten Essentials" and appropriate gear. K.H. began his hike on Saturday, August 30th, setting out from the Obstruction Point Trailhead near Hurricane Ridge. Family members expected to meet him at the USFS Slab Camp Trailhead on Thursday afternoon. Searchers who contributed to the effort include National Park Service employees and volunteers, an aircraft and crew from Washington State Patrol, and volunteers from Olympic Mountain Rescue, Clallam County Search and Rescue, German Shepherd Search Dogs, Kitsap County Search and Rescue and numerous community members. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer]
Yesterday marked the fifth day of an ongoing interagency search for a 60-year-old Port Angeles man who failed to return from a day hike he took in the park last Monday. Searchers from the park, Olympic Mountain Rescue, Tacoma Mountain Rescue, Clallam County SAR, Jefferson County SAR, and two dog teams from German Shepherd's Search Dogs continued to search the Olympic Hot Springs area over the weekend. J.G., who frequently hikes the two-and-a-half-mile trail to the hot springs, went for a day hike there on Monday, December 22nd. On Wednesday, December 24th, around 10:00 p.m., friends reported J.G. overdue when he did not show up for Christmas Eve dinner. Three NPS searchers began the search that evening and continued through the night. On Christmas Day, two two-person teams searched for J.G. Several friends of J.G.s, including the reporting party, assisted in the efforts on both Thursday and Friday. On the afternoon of Christmas Day, J.G.'s day pack was located 50 feet off trail about a half mile from the trailhead. On Friday, eight search groups, including three dog teams, searched until dark. The park also attempted to use J.G.'s dog in the search, but the dog was not able to indicate where J.G. might be. On Saturday, 21 searchers and two dogs resumed the effort to find him. The search teams completed a grid search within 500 feet of the location where J.G.'s day pack was found. They covered the entire search area in a grid pattern about ten feet apart, but no clues were found. Park incident team members spoke to a couple on Saturday who had a conversation with J.G. at the hot springs. They believe he left the springs around 4:00 p.m. on Monday, which would mean he hiked back in the dark. On Sunday, three teams were in the field and were joined by a group of J.G.'s friends. No sign of him was found. The search will be suspended today, but the investigation will continue. Anyone who was at the Olympic Hot Springs, on the trail, or at the parking lot last Monday is asked to contact park dispatch at 360-565-3115. Even the smallest piece of information might help in the search. [Jacilee Wray, Acting Spokesperson]
On Sunday, January 25th, searchers, aided by several dog teams, located and recovered the body of missing hiker J.T.G. in very rugged terrain near the Boulder Creek trailhead. J.T.G., 60, of Port Angeles, Washington, was the subject of an intensive five-day search that began on Christmas Eve. J.T.G.'s remains were found by a search dog team in a very steep, rugged and densely forested area about a third of mile from and nearly 1,000 vertical feet above the trail. An investigation at and around the scene showed no indications of foul play or wildlife interactions. J.T.G. was last seen by other hikers around 4 p.m. on Monday, December 22nd, at Olympic Hot Springs. He was reported missing on December 24th when he did not arrive at a Christmas Eve dinner as planned. J.T.G.'s daypack was found on December 25th about a half-mile from the trailhead. Despite the five-day search involving over 20 people and several search dog teams, no other clues were located until Sunday. Six dog teams from the all-volunteer group German Shepherd Search Dogs searched on Saturday; two teams searched on Sunday. [Barb Maynes, Public Information Officer]
A search is underway for 22-year-old J.G., who was reported missing last week. Hikers found his bike and camping gear on the Sol Duc Hot Springs Road near the Sol Duc River. Rangers and crews from Olympic Mountain Rescue have been searching a two- to four-square-mile area around where J.G.'s gear was found. Crews couldn't do a thorough search of the area early on because of the river's conditions. The river is currently running high, cold and fast. J.G.'s uncle has said that the family doesn't typically worry about J.G. when he's in the outdoors because of his experience. He is known to go camping alone in foul weather and in the mountains. Source: Peninsula Daily News.
The for 22-year-old Jacob Gray, which began on April 6th, transitioned to a limited continuous search on April 14th. This means that rangers will continue to follow up on any clues that emerge, but are not actively searching for him. The focus of the search has shifted to U.S. Forest Service land on the south side of the Sol Duc River, and is being coordinated by the Clallam County Sheriffs Department. Gray's unattended bicycle and camping gear were reported to the park on the afternoon of Thursday, April 6th, and rangers conducted a hasty search in the area of the bicycle, including the bank of the Sol Duc River. On the following day, rangers made contact with Gray's family and widened their search to include the road corridor of the Sol Duc River Road. Concentrating their search around the river, which has been running fast, cold, and high, rangers continued the search from April 8th to April 10th. On the afternoon April 11th, members of Olympic Mountain Rescue joined the search and on April 12th extended the search area to the left side of the river outside the boundaries of the park, thereby increasing the search area to roughly four square miles. On the afternoon of April 13th, a search dog team from Everett Mountain Rescue out of Snohomish County searched the left side of the river bank. Source: Public Affairs, Olympic NP
The park has announced that two of three bodies discovered in the park recently have been identified. The deaths occurred in three separate incidents. A man whose body was found near the Norwegian Memorial on June 1st has been identified as W."D."W., 60, of Kingston. W.W.'s body was discovered in a boulder field near the memorial on the remote coastline southwest of Lake Ozette. An autopsy is pending. W.W. had a backcountry permit showing a solo hike through the coastal area. A hasty team of protection rangers, backcountry rangers and fire personnel located the body. The team stayed on scene overnight and a helicopter was called in the next day for recovery. A body that was found near Lake Cushman on the opposite side of the park was confirmed to be that of missing hiker Z.K. Z.K., a 20-year-old Evergreen State College student from Livingston, New Jersey, had been missing since early April. His body was discovered about two miles north of Lake Cushman by a hiker, also on June 1st. Z.K.'s identity was confirmed by dental records provided by the family. The results of a Friday autopsy were inconclusive, but hypothermia has been deemed probable. Meanwhile, a woman whose remains were found with a minivan 200 feet down an embankment along Obstruction Point Road near Hurricane Ridge on July 2nd has not yet been identified. Her body was recovered after a park visitor reported seeing what he believed to be trash down an embankment along the steep-sided road. Rangers rappelled down the embankment to recover the body. Documents found inside the vehicle matched the identification of a missing woman from Issaquah, Washington. Final identification is pending a forensic analysis. Source: News story, Peninsula Daily News.
A woman and her dog who had been stranded in the park for six days were both found alive and well this past Sunday afternoon. They were found in the Lillian River drainage off Obstruction Point Road. A helicopter crew from Northwest Helicopters found S.E.G., 71, and her terrier-Chihuahua dog, Yoda, and within minutes a ground crew made its way to them with food and water. S.E.G. told the search and rescue team that she had been in the park since the afternoon of July 17th and that she had survived by drinking water she found nearby. Except for minor scratches, she was uninjured. The search began Saturday after a ranger who was patrolling found S.E.G.'s vehicle at the Obstruction Point trailhead. S.E.G. was first reported missing to the Clallam County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, but hadn't been seen since July 17th. There were 19 people searching for her Sunday afternoon near the Obstruction Point trailhead, an area about eight miles southeast of the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center that is accessible via a rugged dirt road. National Park Service employees, Clallam County Search and Rescue, and Kitsap County Search and Rescue helped with the search. A search dog was also on scene Sunday. Source: News story, Peninsula Daily News.
An Ohio man who was injured in a fall on Mount Olympus on Tuesday, October 10th, was rescued by a Navy helicopter crew the next day. The man had fallen down a 300-foot chute at an elevation of about 6,000 feet. The solo climber, who was in his 30s, was rescued from the slopes of the 7,980-foot peak by Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Search and Rescue. The man fell near Snow Dome on the Blue Glacier route. He was able to communicate with park rangers with a satellite phone. Olympic Mountain Rescue volunteers began the 22-mile trek to the site late on Tuesday. When rescuers arrived, they found that the man had severe hypothermia, a dislocated shoulder and a broken tibia. He was flown from the mountain to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Source: News story, Peninsula Daily News.
Detectives with the Port Angeles Police Department and NPS special agents are investigating a possible kidnapping and sexual assault that occurred in the park in early October. A woman reported being kidnapped at gunpoint from a street in Port Angeles by two men in a pickup truck. The men reportedly drove her to a wooded area within Olympic National Park and sexually assaulted her. One of the men is described as approximately 6'04" tall, thin build, scruffy, with red hair. The other man is described as approximately 5'10" tall with a pot-belly, brown hair, and a brown beard. They were driving an older-model single-cab pickup truck, sky blue in color with a silver stripe on the side. Investigators are seeking information about a person of interest in this incident. Anyone with information on the incident can call or text the ISB Tip Line at 888-653-0009, submit a tip online at www.nps.gov/ISB, email the information to nps_isb@nps.gov, post a message at Facebook @InvestigativeServicesNPS, or send a tweet to Twitter@SpecialAgentNPS. Source: News release, Investigative Services Branch.
A 21-year-old Oregon man has died after a fall off Mount Storm King in Washington state. The man was hiking with a partner in Olympic National Park last Friday when he slipped on a rock while descending a slope with rocky terrain. He fell 20 to 30 feet and tumbled another 100 feet or so upon landing. The man's hiking partner, who was taking a different route down the mountain, witnessed the fall and reported it to authorities. A search and rescue team began looking for the fallen hiker on Friday and located his remains on Saturday morning. Source: News story, Associated Press.
A man who committed aggravated sexual assault on a child in Olympic National Park in 2001 will serve more than eight years in prison. C.B., 46, will then serve 10 years of supervised release. He must also comply with DNA collection and lifetime sex offender registration. "The nature of this offense is extremely odious," the federal judge said at the time of sentencing. The victim and her mother reported the assault to local law enforcement in 2012. C.B. operated Log Cabin Resort within the park on Lake Crescent when the incident occurred. A special agent with the Investigative Services Branch opened an investigation into this cold case, which was particularly sensitive due to the victim's young age at the time. Despite C.B.'s denials, investigators were able to collect evidence pertaining to his crime. Careful and determined steps on the part of investigators and the victim led to C.B. admitting his crime in May 2016. C.B. was also implicated in further allegations of sexual assault on another child. "For fifteen years the defendant denied sexually abusing the two young victims in this case, compounding a horrific betrayal," said the US attorney who prosecuted the case. "I commend the courage of the victims and the commitment of the Park Service investigator who took what was considered a cold case and developed the evidence necessary to convict." Source: News release, Investigative Services Branch, Washington Office.
A storm that hit the park last week, coupled with increased runoff from warm temperatures and melting snow, caused flooding and significant road damage that closed the Olympic Hot Springs Road in Elwha Valley. The road remains closed to vehicle traffic beyond the Madison Falls parking area. The increased flow, which peaked at over 18,000 cfs, caused a change in the river pattern, sending substantial flow towards the road. This resulted in a breach of the road's low water crossing and additional damage to the road at the parking area near the former Elwha campground. Over the past two years the park has worked to maintain access into the Elwha Valley through road repairs and a temporary bridge. It has also begun the planning process for the future of the Olympic Hot Springs Road to address long-term, sustainable access. Part of this process includes analyzing various options, such as modifying the current roadway or relocating it to an area outside the floodplain. The planning process will yield alternatives, one of which will be implemented in 2020 and 2021. The storm also resulted in additional road closures across the park. The Upper Hoh Road was damaged by the Hoh River, resulting in a washout at milepost eight outside the park. Jefferson County public works department will handle repairs there. All park facilities in the Hoh Rain Forest are closed. A landslide on the Staircase Road also resulted in a closure just outside the park boundary at the Bear Gulch Picnic Area. Source: News release with photo, Olympic NP.
Two men have pleaded guilty to theft of timber from Olympic National Park and have been sentenced to serve prison time and pay restitution. A federal judge handed down the sentences at two recent court hearings. The case dates from November, 2013, when three men entered the park at night and felled a big leaf maple tree. A witness who saw the men wearing headlamps and heard the sound of their chainsaws reported the incident to the park. A ranger responded the next day and found evidence of the crime. The witness again heard chainsaws the following night and again alerted the park; responding rangers found the three men cutting and loading the felled maple into a vehicle and arrested them. An NPS special agent investigated and discovered a receipt that revealed that the men had sold the wood to an area music wood supplier ("music wood" is used to make instruments). Wood retrieved from that supplier matched the wood from the felled maple. The value of the wood was placed at nearly $9,000. M.D.W., 63, will serve 30 days in prison, and M.H., 50, will serve 60 days in prison. Hutto will then serve two years probation. Both men must also pay restitution in the amount of $17,533. The third man involved in the crime is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges and is scheduled for sentencing at a later date. Source: US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington news release.
Last fall, the park experienced a series of burglaries and thefts of government property. Rangers and Border Patrol agents began an extended surveillance operation that culminated with the arrest and conviction of 29-year-old A.T. of Port Angeles for second degree burglary. The subsequent cooperative investigation by the Port Angeles Police Department, Clallam County Sheriff's Office, OPNET, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington and the National Park Service led to several federal and state search warrants being served in the Port Angeles area. These warrants resulted in six additional arrests, including the federal indictment of Anthony Cannon and Rebecca Doninger (both of Port Angeles) on second degree burglary charges, and the recovery of thousands of dollars of stolen government and personal property from thefts within the park and the local community. A.T.'s conviction was the result of a plea agreement in which he received a sentence of time served in federal detention, an order to pay $16,297.54 in restitution to the victims of his crimes, and a federal supervision period of three years. A.T. was sentenced on March 30th. Source: Olympic NP.
A Navy helicopter crew from Whidbey Island rescued a civilian pilot who crashed his plane into a mountainside in the park on May 2nd. The Navy search-and-rescue crew received a report of a private plane crash in the upper elevations of the Olympic Mountains early that morning. Minutes later, the team of five lifted off from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in an MH-60S chopper and headed toward the suspected location of the downed aircraft. While enroute to the crash site, the helicopter rescue crew received the phone number of the pilot and was able to contact him to pinpoint his exact location. The team arrived on scene just after 9 a.m. and immediately saw the crashed private plane in the snow on the side of a ridgeline. The pilot was spotted atop a ridge about 175 yards above the wreckage, where he had climbed after the crash. He was hoisted aboard the helicopter, then flown to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles for treatment. Navy officials said it was the second rescue of 2018 for the Whidbey Island-based search-and-rescue team, which has also conducted two searches and two medical evacuations this year. Source/full story: KOMO News.
A National Park Service helicopter crew conducted three rescue missions in a single day over the weekend before last — one rescue in each of Washington state's three large national parks. The first distress call came in at 9 a.m. Sunday, reporting an 18-year-old backpacker with respiratory distress in the northwest section of the North Cascades National Park wilderness. By midday the clouds had lifted enough for the helicopter crew to get through to the hiker and hoist him aboard from the rugged terrain below. He was then flown to the hospital for treatment. The pilot and crew then responded to Olympic National Park in the late afternoon to perform a medical evacuation of a 55-year-old man who had gotten lost after going out for a day hike on Tuesday, six days earlier. Rangers had hiked into the area on foot and found the man at about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. But the man was found to be too weak to travel, and the terrain proved very difficult for ground-based rescue. So the helicopter crew flew in and evacuated the man to a local hospital. Source: KOMO News.
R.E., 30, and B.D., 28, are each facing federal misdemeanor charges after rangers arrested them around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 14th, as they were attempting to remove entrance fee money from a fee canister in the Sol Duc Valley. Rangers, who were aware of previous thefts in the area, caught the pair in the act. R.E. and B.D. admitted to stealing from the lock boxes throughout the park on other occasions as well. The charges filed in federal court accuse the pair of stealing from canisters June 30th, July 1st, July 8th and July 9th and attempting to steal again on July 14th. The exact amount of money stolen from the fee canisters on the various occasions has not yet been determined. R.E. is charged with four counts of theft of government property, one count of attempted theft of government property, one count of possession of burglary tools and one count of simple possession of methamphetamine. B.D. is charged with one count of theft of government property and one count of attempted theft of government property. Source: Peninsula Daily News.
Two Port Angeles men — J.B., 32, and B.H., 34 — have been charged with burglarizing Olympic National Park entrance stations and stealing more than $2,000 worth of property from them. B.H. is facing three counts of theft of government property and two counts of second-degree burglary. J.B. is facing one count each of theft of government property and second-degree burglary. The National Park Service began investigating the pair for a series of thefts after a Clallam County deputy pulled B.H. over for speeding in a school zone while driving a stolen 2018 GMC Yukon earlier this month. J.B. was a passenger, but was not arrested at the time. Deputies found a generator in the back of the vehicle that was believed to have been stolen. Inside backpacks found in the vehicle were burglary tools, eight stolen credit cards, ten checks written to Olympic National Park, two military identification cards, four social security cards and a Washington state ID card. There also was a tool kit with tools labeled "USDI NPS ONP." Source: Peninsula Daily News.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Olympic NP — J.B. has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to breaking into a park entrance station and using an acetylene torch to attempt to open a safe. J.B. pleaded guilty to charges of theft of government property and burglary. He said that he and co-defendant B.H., who is being held in the Clallam County jail on various burglary and theft charges, broke into the Heart o' the Hills entrance station in September so that they could steal money and property. The government will recommend that J.B. be sentenced to seven months in federal prison, although he is facing a maximum of up to ten years for the burglary charge and up to ten years for the theft of government property charge. He'll be sentenced in February. B.H. has been charged with three counts of theft of government property and two counts of burglary, but has not yet appeared in federal court for this case. Source: Peninsula Daily News.
Rangers are still searching Lake Crescent by boat daily for the body of 35-year-old L.L., who disappeared on Memorial Day while paddling her white inflatable unicorn raft. It's been deemed "very likely" that she drowned, as there's no indication that she left the lake on her own. L.L.'s overturned raft was soon seen west of Barnes Point and she was reported missing just before 6 p.m. Rangers immediately searched the lake by boat, but without success. They also learned that a woman had been seen carrying a deflated unicorn raft out of the woods around the time that L.L. was last seen, but that she wasn't L.L. The woman drove away in a dark colored SUV between 5:20 p.m. and 6 p.m. from a lakeside pullout near Mile Marker 226. Dive teams searched for L.L. for two days after Memorial Day, but curtailed their efforts upon realizing that a submersible remote operating vehicle (ROV) would be needed to reach the lake's lower depths (Lake Crescent is 690 feet deep at its maximum depth, and from 300 to 500 feet deep where L.L. was last seen). They'll soon be getting an assist from Glen Canyon NRA, which has an ROV that's used in searches of 560-foot-deep Lake Powell. Anyone who visited the shores of Lake Crescent from Barnes Point to Fairholm on May 27th between noon and 6 p.m. and saw anyone using a white unicorn personal inflatable raft is asked to call or text Olympic National Park on the investigative tip line, 888-653-0009. Source: Paul Gottlieb, Peninsula Daily News.
A man who tried to take his bicycle across the Elwha River was rescued by emergency crews after the fast-moving river swept him away and carried him downstream. The unidentified man, reportedly in his 50s or 60s, was plucked off an island in the river by a regional swiftwater rescue team more than three hours after he was swept down the waterway. The man still had his bike. Although he was not injured, he was taken to Olympic Medical Center as a precaution. Witnesses saw the man get carried down the river late on the morning of July 9th and advised park staff. Initial efforts to find him by SAR crews proved fruitless, so a Life Flight Network air ambulance was summoned to assist. The helicopter's crew spotted him on an island and rescuers got him to shore by about 3 p.m. Source: Paul Gottlieb, Peninsula Daily News.
Personnel from the park and several Clallam County fire districts rescued a 15-year-old boy who was stuck on a rock in the Sol Duc River on the afternoon on September 2nd. The boy was cold and wet but otherwise unharmed. It's not clear how the boy got stuck out on the rock, which was directly below the bridge overlooking the Sol Duc waterfall. The falls are about a mile hike from the trailhead, which is located on Sol Duc Hot Springs Road about 13 miles south of U.S. Highway 101 near Lake Crescent. Source: Jesse Major, Peninsula Daily News.
A trail runner who broke his leg on the Duckabush Trail on the morning of Saturday, February 22nd, facilitated his own rescue by crawling for more than 10 hours to reach help. J.O., 26, was running on the trail when he slipped on an icy patch and fell. He later reported that he knew right away that something was wrong when he saw his foot flop to the side. He then decided to crawl toward a spot where he'd seen several people camping about three miles into the trail. He then crawled for nearly seven hours before his phone received a text signaling that he'd reached a spot where he had cellphone service. J.O. tried dialing 911 three times before the call went through and then continued to crawl for another four hours before he saw the flashlights from a rescue crew around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. The search and rescue crew covered J.O. with blankets and hot packs to prevent hypothermia and got him to a spot where a Coast Guard helicopter could land so he could be airlifted to a hospital. Once he arrived at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, surgeons placed a rod into his tibia and a plate and screws into his fibula. They also treated the skin on his knees, rubbed raw from the hours of crawling. He was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon in a splint; it will take about 12 weeks for his leg to fully recover. Search and rescue crews say J.O's incredible grit and determination likely prevented more serious injuries. Source: KOMO News.
M.W.P., 41, who has been convicted of breaking into at least four dozen cars at more than seven trailheads and parking lots at Mount Rainier, Olympic and elsewhere, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to two years in federal prison following a 25 month state prison term. On March 28, 2019, M.W.P. and his girlfriend smashed windows and stole thousands of dollars of equipment from vehicles parked at the Graves Creek Trailhead and Fletcher Canyon Trailhead in Olympic National Park — the beginning of a month-long theft spree. M.W.P. and his girlfriend used credit and debit cards stolen from the vehicles to make purchases at various stores — the overall financial damage was more than $50,000. Their crime streak came to an end when M.W.P. was caught shortly after walking out of a store where he used victims' bank cards. He was found to have a tool used to break car windows and three credit cards in a victim's name in his possession. When officers searched his residence, they found that he had been stockpiling much of the gear he stole or selling it online and used the stolen debit and credit cards to buy items such a flat screen TVs, gaming systems, a drone, and clothes. M.W.P. reportedly has a 15-year history of property crimes in and around Olympic National Park, such as burglary, identity theft, and trespassing. Source: KXRO News.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Olympic NP/Mount Rainier NP — A man who broke into dozens of vehicles at Mount Rainier and Olympic has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after he serves a more than two-year state prison term. M.P., 41, broke into at least four dozen cars at more than a half dozen different trailheads and parking lots in the two parks. Over a month-long period starting in late March 2019, M.P. smashed windows and stole from parked vehicles. He then used stolen credit and debit cards to make over $50,000 in purchases at various stores. M.P. was arrested after walking out of a store where he used victims' bank cards. Source: KOMO News.
Parks are slowly and carefully reopening following what appears to the pandemic's peak. The summary that follows focuses briefly on articles of note on a few large parks and how they're dealing with the reopening. Click on the related URL's for details: Olympic NP/Mount Rainier NP/North Cascades NP — The parks are planning for phased reopenings of certain day-use facilities this month. Sarah Creachbaum, superintendent of Olympic, summarized the situation for Washington parks: "The opening of each of the parks is necessarily predicated on being able to outfit our employees with adequate PPE (personal protective equipment), with adequate cleaning supplies to keep the restrooms clean, and with adequate enforcement to keep people from crowding around restroom areas." Source: Rob Ollikainen, Peninsula Daily News. 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.
This week's update consists of a random sampling of reports on park reopenings extracted from various news source: Olympic NP — All coastal areas remain closed to all park visitors until further notice. The coastal area closures include all public areas, trails, beaches, and facilities at Kalaloch, Mora and Ozette. 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 July 10th, a Coast Guard helicopter crew helped rescue an injured hiker from Mount Angeles. The 62-year-old woman had injured her ankle on the mountain and could not safely descend from a 5,000 foot elevation. Rangers could not safely carry her down the mountain with a stokes litter due to the terrain. A USCG MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew responded to assist. They hoisted the woman into the helicopter and transported her back to the airbase. "This was a really challenging rescue," said a member of the Coast Guard rescue aircrew. "Our partners at Olympic National Park did a fantastic job caring for the woman by preparing her for and assisting her with the difficult hoist. We are happy to be able to help." Source: KOMO News.
A small plane that was stolen in Jefferson County last Tuesday crashed near La Push, critically injuring the operator, who was pulled from the wreckage nearly 12 hours later by a Navy rescue team and flown to Harborview Medical Center. Deputies said they received a report on Tuesday of a suspicious person trying to rent a plane at Jefferson County International Airport in order to fly to Astoria, Oregon. The man, identified as R.J., 59, couldn't show a pilot's license or insurance, though. He then went to a second plane rental business at the airport called Tailspin Tommy's. That company's co-owner, Nataliya Yeshyrina, spoke with R.J. for nearly an hour, but ultimately declined to authorize the rental due to the lack of proper documents. Deputies say surveillance video shows R.J. later entering Tailspin Tommy's office, where deputies believe he stole the Cessna's keys. Investigators were notified of the missing plane on Tuesday evening. Yeshyrina said R.J. fueled up before taking off and described watching the plane's erratic flying on radar. The plane's GPS showed it was flying over the national park, but the transmissions quit about miles north of Hoquiam. Investigators said that a person reported a possible plane crash near La Push around 10:30 p.m. When they arrived, they conducted a search but couldn't find the crash site in the heavily forested area. On Wednesday morning, a helicopter crew with the U.S. Navy located the stolen plane and the injured pilot, who was unconscious. The pilot was taken to Harborview Medical Center and listed in critical condition Wednesday. The investigation remains ongoing, with the FBI working with the National Park Service to determine if R.J. will face any federal charges. Source: Michael Spears, KIRO 7 News.
On August 4, C.K., 56, went missing. She was backpacking with a group of 4 other hikers near Home Sweet Home camp in the southeastern region of the park, and became separated as the group hiked toward Camp Pleasant. Aviation resources were not able to search until the fourth day due to weather and low cloud cover, but on August 8, a King County Sheriff's Office helicopter spotted her in the basin to the east of Mt. Steel, and was able to land and transport her to safety. The search involved personnel from NPS (Olympic and North Cascades), Olympic Mountain Rescue, Tacoma Mountain Rescue, Mason County Search and Rescue, and Washington State Search and Rescue Planning Unit. Source: Komo News, Olympic National Park, The Olympian
On August 10, a hiker became ill due to heat. Her hiking partner walked out and reported the incident to park dispatchers. Two rangers hiked in and spent the night with her, and she was unable to hike out on her own. The next morning, a helicopter airlifted her from Grand Valley off Obstruction Point Road to Fairchild International Airport, and she was taken by ambulance to Olympic Medical Center. Source: Peninsula Daily News
On August 29, a man began acting erratically after using methamphetamine. After dropping his kids off at his brother's house, he left notes with two acquaintances, outlining his grievances with the White House, describing his difficulty purchasing ammunition, and outlining "an imminent revolution" to be started in Texas and on the Olympic Peninsula. He and his girlfriend drove to the Deer Park Campground, where the man is suspected to have started a fire. His erratic behavior continued, and he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend before walking into the woods "screaming and yelling." She reported him to law enforcement and expressed concern that he might act violently toward anyone representing the government. The NPS closed several roads near Port Angeles out of fear to public safety. County sheriff's deputies, the NPS, and the FBI searched for the man for two days, and eventually found him and took him into custody in Deer Park. Source: Peninsula Daily News
On September 16, a backpacker was reported overdue by a family member. The hiker had a wilderness permit for September 8-12, and his car was located at the planned trailhead. Search personnel from Olympic Mountain Rescue, Tacoma Mountain Rescue, Washington State Search and Rescue Planning Unit, the Coast Guard, and the NPS (Olympic and North Cascades) responded to the incident. The search continued through cold, rainy, windy weather until searchers made voice contact with him in a ravine near Mount Olson on September 19, and a Coast Guard helicopter was able to hoist and transport him to Olympia Regional Airport, where he was taken to the hospital for medical evaluation and care. Source: Olympic National Park, Seattle Times
A 36-year-old was sentenced in federal court to 87 months in prison for the August 2020 rape of a 14-year-old at a gathering of family and friends in the park. The perpetrator was a trusted family friend of the victim and victim's family. Source: National Park Service Investigative Services
A 78-year-old visitor was reported as missing on October 23. He had last been seen on October 19 and friends reported that he intended to do an off-trail day hike on October 20 between the Graves Creek Campground and Graves Creek corral. His vehicle was found parked at the Graves Creek Campground. The hiker is said to be experienced with off-trail travel and familiar with the area. Teams from the NPS and local agencies have engaged in over 2,000 hours of searching. A relatively recently-opened sardine can had been found in the area on October 31, but no other clues have been found, and the search was scaled back to "limited continuous mode" on November 1. The NPS is asking the public for any information they might have. Source: KING, Peninsula Daily News
Olympic National Park — The suspect who allegedly warned people about a revolution, ran around carrying many guns, set a fire, and assaulted his partner at the Deer Park campground on August 29, 2021 has had his federal indictment delayed by a U.S. magistrate judge for a second time due to ongoing treatment at an in-patient facility. The suspect has been at the facility since being released from a federal detention center for the charges. The new deadline is April 4. Source: Peninsula Daily News
A 38-year-old began a solo backpacking trip on July 16, on a route from Royal Basin to Home Lake with plans to climb Mount Mystery, Hall Foss Peak, and Little Mystery. The individual was reported missing after not returning from the three-day trip. Search and rescue teams from Olympic National Park and Olympic Mountain Rescue, as well as an NPS helicopter searched for two days. Staff on the helicopter found the individual deceased on the southern end of the Mount Mystery, approaching the Del Monte ridgeline. The Jefferson County coroner will determine the cause and date of death. Source: U.S. News and World Report
On July 13, a 42-year-old pleaded guilty to interfering with a federal communications system. Under the terms of a plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend no more than ten months in prison at a sentencing that will take place on October 7, 2022 (the judge, however, may impose any sentence up to the statutory maximum). The case stems from an incident in the park that occurred August 29-31, 2021 (Coalition Report, September 8, 2021). The individual took methamphetamine, arrived at a stranger's home with several guns and handed the stranger a letter with concerns about political events and difficulty getting ammunition, claiming there would be a revolution. The individual then drove their partner to Olympic National Park, where the perpetrator felled a tree to block a road. The individual told their partner that they would die in the "revolution," causing that person to call 9-1-1. The perpetrator threw a can of soup at them, cutting their leg. The perpetrator then stormed into the woods with nine firearms and 3,500 rounds of ammunition. The park evacuated the area and began a search for the individual. That afternoon, the individual disabled the Blue Mountain radio repeater site. Two days later, a drone located the individual in the park, and the person shot at the drone. Ultimately, law enforcement was able to negotiate a surrender with no injuries to anyone. Source: The United States Attorney's Office: Western District of Washington September 7, 2022 On August 23, a 43-year-old jumped off a 40-foot cliff at "Devil's Punchbowl" on Lake Crescent. The individual landed in the water and then was unable to climb out on the rocky shoreline. The individual went under the water and never resurfaced. Patrol boats and a dive team from the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe Public Safety and Natural Resource dive team searched the area and were able to locate the victim's body four hours later. The incident is under investigation by the NPS. Source: KOMO News, Olympic National Park September 7, 2022 On August 30, a tree fell on a tent occupied by a 34-year-old at a backcountry campsite at Elk Lake. A visitor notified emergency services via a satellite device. NPS staff utilized a helicopter the next morning to transfer the victim's body to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office. Source: Olympic National Park
On October 6, the park enacted an emergency closure of recreational fishing due to "severe low-flow conditions." The closure will continue until river conditions have improved. Source: Olympic National Park
On October 12, the park announced that the recreational razor clam harvest at Kalaloch beach will not be held this year due to the continued small size of the clams. Biologists from the park, Quinault Indian Nation, Hoh Indian Tribe, and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife conducted surveys that found that the clam population has very few clams over 4 inches long due to poor adult survivorship. Biologists suspect this may be due to a bacterial gill pathogen called NIX. The last full harvest season at Kalaloch was 2009, with either full or partial harvest closures since then. Source: Olympic National Park
As reported in the September 8, 2021 Coalition Report, a 42-year-old individual was accused of appearing at a stranger's house while high on methamphetamine, handing that person a letter with concerns about the government and belief in an imminent revolution, then driving with their partner into the park, starting a fire, felling a tree to block a road, throwing a can of soup at their partner when they called 911, heading into the woods with several guns and 3,500 rounds of ammunition, then disabling the park's Blue Mountain radio repeater. The incident lasted several days and required the closure of that section of the park. The incident ended without further violence, with the individual surrendering to law enforcement. On October 7, 2022, the individual was sentenced in U.S. District Court to three years of probation for interfering with a federal communications system during an armed standoff. The individual has agreed to make restitution to those harmed, including individuals who were affected by the closure of the park. The restitution will be determined at a later hearing. Source: The United States Attorney's Office: Western District of Washington
On October 30, a 35-year-old embarked on a two night backpacking trip to Pyrites Creek and Enchanted Valley. The individual did not return, and a search was started by NPS personnel and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter on November 3. During the search, 19 agencies were involved, including ground searchers, dog teams, drones, boats, and helicopters. Search efforts were somewhat impeded by storms and flood warnings. On November 10, the park announced that the search has moved into "limited and continuous operation." Source: The Olympian, Radio Pacific December 14, 2022 On December 1, the park announced that the Quinault River within the park will be closed to sport fishing due to chronic low abundances of wild steelhead. Closures on the Queets and Salmon have been ongoing through the fall and will also continue. Source: Radio Pacific, Inc./MyClallamCounty.com
On January 12, the park pre-emptively closed several campgrounds and roads due to incoming inclement weather, with potential flooding and treefall. They remained closed through January 15. Source: The Leader
On April 13, the park announced the immediate closure of North Shore Quinault Road just north of the Quinault River bridge. The road was damaged by a storm in November 2021 and "continued settling" of the road surface has now made it impassable to vehicles. Source: Peninsula Daily News
On April 14, a 73-year-old was reported as missing in the park. The individual had been last seen leaving the Kalaloch Lodge at 9pm. The individual was known to have short-term memory loss. The Washington State Patrol issued a "Silver Alert" to be on the look out for their rental car. On April 15, the individual was located inside the park. Source: Fox 13
On May 7, the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge was destroyed by a fire. The lodge has been closed to the public since April 3 for a rehabilitation project. The lodge was fully engulfed in flames when a law enforcement ranger on patrol came across the scene. No one was in the structure and no injuries were reported. Clallam County (WA) Fire District 2 and Port Fire Department responded to the fire. By the time they arrived, the building had already collapsed to its foundation and has been described as a "complete loss." As of May 8, the building was still smoldering, but contained to its footprint. The park is hiring a third-party investigator to help determine the origin and cause of the fire. The Hurricane Ridge Road from the Heart of the Hills Campground remains closed to the public. Source: National Parks Traveler, KOMO News, Olympic National Park (5/7, 5/8)
After assessing the damage sustained to the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge during a fire (see 5/10/23 Coalition Report), the park has announced that the entire Hurricane Ridge area will remain closed for ongoing investigation and hazards. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Source: MyNorthwest
On June 5, a 44-year-old began a three-day, 40-mile backpacking trip, starting from Deer Ridge Trailhead. The family had contact with the individual via text the morning of June 6. The individual was due back in Seattle by midday on June 7, but did not arrive. On June 9, the NPS began a ground search, including personnel from the park's Search and Rescue team, Washington State SAR Planning Unit, Quilcene Fire & Rescue, Snohomish County Volunteer SAR, Kitsap County ESAR, Jefferson County SAR, Olympic Mountain Rescue, Pierce County ESAR, Tacoma Mountain Rescue, Clallam County SAR, Mount Rainier National Park, U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard. On June 10, the individual exited the wilderness with the assistance of other hikers, via the Dosewallips River Trail. The individual was driven to Quilcene, Washington, where they met with medical responders, park staff, and family. Source: Olympic National Park, KOMO
On June 9, two individuals were kayaking on Lake Crescent near the Log Cabin Resort. The kayak of a 37-year-old began taking on water until they were forced to abandon it and enter the water. The other kayaker attempted to rescue the person in the water, but their kayak overturned and they also entered the water. The second individual was able to swim to shore, but the 37-year-old was unable to. Neither individual wore a life jacket. Staff from the Log Cabin Resort responded with a boat to the place they were last seen, but were unable to locate them. Staff from the NPS and Clallam County Fire District 2 searched the area for several hours, but were unable to find them. As of June 13, the individual was not found and is assumed to be deceased. Source: Olympic National Park
On June 28, a 34-year-old was indicted by a federal grand jury for two counts of sexual abuse of a minor. The individual is accused of meeting a 15-year-old through a social media app, sexually molesting them during a first encounter, and raping the individual during a second encounter. The alleged assaults took place in the park. The case is being investigated by the Investigative Services Branch of the NPS and the Port Angeles Police Department. Source: United States Attorney's Office: Western District of Washington
The 37-year-old individual who disappeared after falling into the water while kayaking on Lake Crescent on June 9 (see 6/21/23 Coalition Report) was found deceased on June 21. Christian Aid Ministries supported the NPS with the use of a remote operated underwater vehicle and the individual's body was found at a depth of 394 feet. Source: The News Tribune
On June 27, the park reopened the Hurricane Ridge area. It had been closed after a fire destroyed the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge on May 7 (see 5/10/23 Coalition Report). Parking will be limited to 175 cars at a time and 315 daily vehicles due to limited restroom capacity, provided through portable toilets. The fire investigation is ongoing. The day lodge area is fenced and closed to the public for safety. Once the investigation is complete, a clean-up process will begin. Source: Olympic National Park
On July 15, the park enacted recreational fishing closures on the Quillayute, Dickey, Bogachiel, South Fork Calawah, Sol Duc, and North Fork Sol Duc Rivers and their tributaries due to low-water conditions and salmon returns that appear to be "well below the preseason forecast." Source: Olympic National Park
On July 20, an individual was reported overdue from a solo backcountry trip on the Bailey Range Traverse, an off-trail route across the "interior of the Olympic Mountains." The NPS began a search, including ground teams, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, and the park's A-STAR helicopter. On July 22, the U.S. Coast Guard located the individual's body below Stephen Peak. A ground team was able to confirm the individual's identity. The A-STAR helicopter utilized a short-haul to extract the individual's body. Source: National Parks Traveler
On July 29, an 8-year-old was attacked by a mountain lion while camping with family at Lake Angeles in the Heart O' the Hills area near Hurricane Ridge. The child's parent yelled and screamed at the animal until it abandoned its attack. NPS staff responded to assess and stabilize the patient. The 8-year-old survived with minor injuries and was taken to the local hospital for further evaluation. Park staff are attempting to track and locate the mountain lion, and they have said that they will euthanize it and have a necropsy performed to lend clues to the attack. The Lake Angeles area, Heather Park area, and several trails in the vicinity were initially closed. The Switchback and Sunrise Ridge Trails have reopened, while the Lake Angeles/Heather Park Loop remains closed. Source: Outsider, Olympic National Park
On August 28, a lightning strike started the Hurricane Fire, burning in the Hurricane Ridge area. As of September 5, the fire was about 4 acres and 75% contained The Hurricane Ridge Road closed for several days and reopened on September 2. A separate strike the same day started the Eagle Point Fire in the Obstruction Point Area. As of September 5, it was about 70 acres in size. The Obstruction Point Road and trailhead closed for several days and reopened on September 2. After large growth on September 2, the Obstruction Point Road closed again to all traffic. On September 1, three other fires were located in the park from a reconnaissance flight: Diamond Mountain Fire (20 acres, 3 miles northeast of Anderson Pass), Low Divide Fire (4.5 acres, in the North Fork of the Quinault drainage), and Delabarre Fire (1 acre, 3 miles southeast of Mount Christie). On September 2, a small fire near Martins Lake was spotted by a reconnaissance flight. As of September 2, it was estimated at 0.1 acres. Source: Olympic National Park (8/30, 9/1, 9/2, 9/5)
On August 28, a lightning strike started the Hurricane Fire, burning in the Hurricane Ridge area. As of September 17, the fire was about 4 acres. The Hurricane Ridge Road closed for several days and reopened on September 2. A separate strike the same day started the Eagle Point Fire in the Obstruction Point Area. As of September 17, it was about 123 acres in size. The Obstruction Point Road and trailhead closed for several days and reopened on September 2. After large growth on September 2, the Obstruction Point Road closed again to all traffic. On September 1, three other fires were located in the park from a reconnaissance flight: Diamond Mountain Fire (30 acres, 3 miles northeast of Anderson Pass), Low Divide Fire (274 acres, in the North Fork of the Quinault drainage), and Delabarre Fire (1,500 acres, 3 miles southeast of Mount Christie). On September 2, a fire near Martins Lake was spotted by a reconnaissance flight. As of September 17, it was estimated at 93 acres. On September 14, the Mount Queets Fire was detected, near the summit of the mountain. As of September 17, it was estimated at 4 acres. There are various closures to trails across the park. Source: Olympic National Park (8/30, 9/1, 9/2, 9/5, 9/17)
On September 25, three individuals were hiking along Rialto Beach when a wave "overpowered" the group. One individual disappeared from sight. Emergency services were contacted, and a search ensued, involving the NPS, Coast Guard, La Push Tribal Police Department, Quileute Fish and Wildlife, Forks Emergency Services, and Clallam County Sheriff's Office. A ground team found the individual deceased on land later that day. Due to "extremely dangerous weather conditions," recovery of the individual's body was delayed until September 27. The incident is under investigation by the NPS. Source: Olympic National Park
The following seven fires were all caused by lightning strikes the afternoon of August 28. Heavy precipitation and cooler temperatures fell across the park the week of September 25, reducing fire activity. As of October 2, the fires were as follows: Hurricane Fire: 4 acres There are various closures to trails across the park. Source: Olympic National Park
On October 16, a contractor, American Abatement and Demo, will begin the demolition and removal of the remaining debris from the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge, which was destroyed by a fire on May 7 (see 5/10/23 Coalition Report). The area will be closed temporarily during the work, which is expected to run through November. The park plans to install temporary facilities to allow for winter operations this year. Source: Olympic National Park
On October 11, a 52-year old was in the tidal zone at Ruby Beach with family during low tide when they were swept underwater by a wave. The individual's 17-year-old child jumped in to try to rescue the individual, followed by the victim's partner. The two were able to pull the victim to shore after fighting against a strong current and clinging to rocks. The two individuals and several bystanders performed CPR for about 40 minutes before medics arrived and continued lifesaving efforts. A helicopter transported the individual to Olympia Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead. The NPS is investigating the incident. Source: Seattle Times
Hurricane Ridge Road reopened on November 23. It has been closed since October so that crews could demolish and remove the remainder of Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge, which burned in May (see 5/10/23 Coalition Report). Source: The Seattle Times
On December 14, the park announced that a landslide damaged and covered parts of the Spruce Railroad Trail near the Daley-Rankin Tunnel. The tunnel portal structure and bridge are also damaged. The trail is closed until further notice for debris removal, assessment, and repairs. Source: Olympic National Park
On January 19, the NPS released its report of the investigation of the origin and cause of the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge fire on May 7, 2023. The fire likely originated in the northeast portion of the building, but a specific source could not be determined. The building was a "total loss." Source: Olympic National Park
On September 19, park staff discovered a leak in the main water line servicing the Kalaloch area. While assessing the leak, the valve connection failed. Staff worked to contain the leak and limit the loss of water. The park issued a boil water advisory for the Kalaloch area. Later that day, it was repaired and the advisory was lifted. Source: Olympic National Park
On August 29, a bat was observed vocalizing and having difficulty flying near the Quinault Visitor Center. The following day, a deceased bat was found in the breezeway of the visitor center. It was tested and found positive for rabies. No humans were thought to have had contact with the bat. The park has cautioned visitors against handling bats, and to report animals that appear to be in distress. Source: Olympic National Park
On December 16, the park will close sport fishing on the Queets River due to the low forecast of wild steelhead return. It is expected to reopen on June 1, 2025. This is the eighth straight year that wild steelhead have failed to reach the Washington state and NPS escapement goal. Hatchery steelhead fishing on the Salmon River will remain open through February 28, 2025. Source: Olympic National Park
On December 20, the park closed the Hoh Rain Forest area due to the danger of "imminent failure" of the Upper Hoh Road at milepost 9.7. The road is maintained by Jefferson County (WA), and will reopen when the risk of road failure is mitigated. Source: Olympic National Park | |