A helicopter from Grand Canyon National Park had to fly to Zion National Park on Monday to rescue an injured canyoneer who was in a party that ignored the advice of rangers/NPS file
It's one thing to have to be rescued by National Park Service rangers when fate doesn't go your way, but to need a rescue after you mocked and ignored a ranger's advice, well, that's pretty brazen-faced.
But that's what happened Monday at Zion National Park, where rangers actually were called out on two search-and-rescue incidents in the Left Fork of North Creek, on a popular permitted route known as “The Subway”.
"One group disregarded and mocked a ranger’s advice when they picked up their permit. The ranger recommended they bring a rope and multiple harnesses for at least one of the rappels, but the leader of the group, who had been there before, said that they could cross the log and find an easier way down," a park release said Tuesday. "When the ranger reported that the log was washed out last year and recommended the gear, the group dismissed the information and left.
"Later, rangers received a report that a member of the group had a knee injury at the top of the last rappel," the release went on. "Since the log that made it easier to cross the creek was gone, members were making a 6-to-7 foot jump. One person had landed badly. A medic and two others responded and spent Monday night with the patient. A helicopter from the Grand Canyon was brought in for a short-haul operation Tuesday morning."
The other incident involved a group that park rangers said made poor decisions, wore the wrong footwear, and lost the route several times.
"After getting lost early in the day, they reached the Subway feature late Sunday night and spent an unexpected night in the canyon," the park reported. "In the morning, they got lost again, passing the exit route, and continuing downstream. At some point they decided to try to climb a cliff face to reach the road. When heat exhaustion set in, they activated their emergency locator and reported a heat related illness. SAR responders were able to locate the group. After administering fluids, rangers assisted the group back to the trailhead."
Zion Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh urged park visitors to appreciate the settings they find themselves in.
“Visitors need to take their safety seriously and act responsibly,” he said. “Park Rangers are here to advise and assist visitors planning challenging trips in the backcountry, but ultimately preparations and proper equipment is the visitor’s responsibility. Given the number of fires throughout the West and the assignment of aviation assets to them, it was fortunate that the Grand Canyon helicopter was able to respond quickly and that the first group had an emergency beacon, but that is not always the case. Please prepare carefully and plan ahead for unexpected events that might occur in this wonderful, but at times, unforgiving landscape.”
Comments
"All bad decisions are the result of the liberals" Of course that isn't what I said but that doesn't stop you from making the baseless accusation. Conservatives certainly make bad decisions. They just don't expect someone else to pay for them. If they do, they aren't conservatives.
Doggone but you love using that phrase 'baseless accusations', whenever you allude to something or use one of the many conservative dog whistle thingies. You silly.
Give it a rest, Buck. Not everything is partisan. Campers making bad calls in the wilderness are not a liberal or conservative matter. Not everything here needs to be a major conflagration or constitutional crisis.
I love using the phrase because it is so appropriate. As I said liberals and conservatives do stupid things. The difference is who is willing to take responsibility. I believe that when people do stupid things they should be held accountable both inside and outside the parks.
Well then, if doing stupid things with expensive consequences should be corrected by those who do those things, then then those who elected Trump have a lot to clean up. He is proving to be one of the most expensive mistakes ever, in and out of the parks.
Facial recognition software has gotten pretty good, and that could tap into security cameras at entrance stations. Possibly also knowing the vehicle license plate numbers of known individuals might help with law enforcement software that checks license plates. Haven't there been several recent bans - not just for NPS sites but for all federal recreation lands. They haven't been administrative bans however. They've usually been imposed by federal judges, such as with the "High on Life" case.
Just shoot 'em.
Use the "Stand My Ground" laws.
Makes murder legal if you just whine that you felt threatened.
What? Are you OK Lee? BTW - any advice on places to see in Escalante?
The drive through Cottonwood Wash is a fine trip. So is the trip out to Hole In The Rock. There are dozens of nifty little slot canyons -- some easy and some requiring technical skills. Best thing to do is stop at one of the BLM visitor centers and ask.
Or do you mean Escalante town? There's a good museum there that tells the story of Hole In The Rock.
Not too far away to the east is Calf Creek and Calf Creek Falls. Hell's Backbone and the town of Boulder are places you might enjoy.
On the way out to Hole In Rock, watch for the chimney rock. And if you have your lady with you, you might want to do some waltzing at Dance Hall Rock.
Lot's of fun out there.