Abandoned mine tunnels and shafts are dangerous places for lots of reasons, so when park officials at Lake Mead National Recreation Area received a call that two people were trapped in an old mine off Northshore Road, there was ample cause for concern. Personnel from several agencies responded, but soon realized this was a rescue with an unusual twist.
The initial call was received by the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Interagency Communication Center at 10:35 a.m. on Friday, June 26, and the news was sobering. Two young males were reported to be trapped at the Ore Car Mine off of Northshore Road. The initial report came from family members of the pair who were outside the mine, and since the men were reported to be "trapped," it was not clear if fallen rock or debris might be involved.
Rescues of this nature can be both technically challenging and very dangerous, so NPS rangers responded, along with personnel from the Henderson Fire Department, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue, and the Bureau of Land Management. The area in question is actually just outside the park boundary, and is popular with rockhounds, but the best access is across park property.
After reaching the area, rescuers determined the site where the men were reported "stuck" was an old mine tunnel, one of several in the vicinity. Rescuers made verbal contact with the pair around noon and learned they weren't injured, had water and snacks, and their exit from the mine was not blocked by fallen rock and debris. The problem in this case turned out to be a hazard of a much different sort: a rattlesnake was located between the young men and their only way out of the mine, and they were afraid they would be bitten if they tried to leave.
Park spokesperson Christie Vanover says rangers discovered that the snake was only about two feet long, was coiled up next to one wall of the old tunnel, and was not aggressive. Since the mine tunnel itself was about five feet wide, rangers were able to safely escort the two young men past the snake, which had likely entered the mine in search of some relief from the summer heat.
In this case, the hazards from an old mine turned out to be much different than is often the case. The park website for Lake Mead National Recreation Area includes information about safety and abandoned mines at this link.
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Comments
Well, trapped is trapped. I've encountered rattlers asserting their turf and they do have a way of putting a chill in your plans.
re: "rattlers asserting their turf do have a way of putting a chill in your plans." They do indeed! The good news is these guys were paying attention to their surroundings and noticed the snake. If they had stepped on it or very near it, the snake would likely have been a lot less docile.
Naw, they coulda made a run for it. A race, even, as the snake always strikes the second guy!
But seriously, a bit more complete communication would have saved a _lot_ of time & effort and got them out of there much sooner. I bet most LE and other rangers and most staff have snake sticks in their vehicles, and enough training to temporarily pin the snake if need be, or direct the visitors around the snake in this case.
I remember when we spent time during the winter season fencing off the vertical mine shafts so that visitors and ORV's would not fall in them by accident. Never saw a rattler in any of them but I did see a lot of Barn Owls nesting and roosting in them.