Morning Report Excerpts - 2002 Second Half

The Morning Report includes accidents and incidents in the National Park System. Here are some reports you might find interesting.

02-294 - Capitol Reef NP (UT) - Search and Rescue

On the evening of June 27th, park staff received a cell phone call from two visitors who reported that the other six members of their church group were lost and dehydrated in the Halls Creek drainage, a remote backcountry canyon route. The temperature that day had exceeded 100 degrees. Nightfall prevented an overflight by Glen Canyon NRA aircraft, so ranger/EMT Mark Thompson and biologist Dave Worthington drove to the trailhead at the southern end of the park to meet the reporting party. While assessing the situation, lights from the remaining members of the party were eventually spotted from the canyon rim, and Thompson and Worthington hiked in, met the group at about 1:30 a.m., and discovered that they had filtered water they had found and that there were no medical problems. The group of teenage boys from Utah, led by former Army Ranger Kirk Weisler, had become disoriented and split up, unable to find the Narrows, a prominent feature of the canyon. The group had not obtained information on the route or the required backcountry permit from park staff, and lit a campfire despite burning restrictions in place in the park and throughout the state. Earlier in their trip the group had hiked the Narrows at Zion NP and had been SCUBA diving at Lake Mead NRA. [Tom Cox, CARE, 6/29] 

02-301 - Zion NP (UT) - Concession Employee Charged with Assault

Concession employee Awal Wako Chebsi has been charged with aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and public intoxication in the wake of an incident that took place in early June. Chebsi had spent a night and morning consuming a fifth of liquor and a twelve-pack of beer. He returned to his concession dorm room early in the morning and awakened his roommate, who went to get security. When the man returned, Chebsi reportedly attacked him with a pair of pliers, hitting him twice on the head. The man ran for help, with Chebsi pursuing. Chebsi's roommate got away, after which Chebsi punched his right hand through a window, then returned to their room and trashed it, wiping his blood on all four walls. Chebsi's roommate was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center, where a doctor closed his head wound with nine staples. Chebsi, who was also taken to the center to have his hand stitched, became violent while in the hospital and had to be physically subdued. Rangers arrested him and ran a blood alcohol test on him that revealed a BAC of 0.219. Chebsi was bound over for trial on one felony and three misdemeanor charges at a preliminary hearing on Friday, June 28th. [Brent McGinn, ZION, 7/1; newspaper article at thespectrum.com]

02-332 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue

On Tuesday, July 23rd, rangers conducted a demanding technical rescue of an injured hiker from Russell Gulch near the upper starting point for the popular Left Fork of North Creek, also known as the Subway. Garrett Bracken, 19, of Perry, Utah, fell approximately 30 feet while hiking with his parents and three friends and sustained a fracture to his lower right leg. The Washington County Sheriff's Office received a cell phone call at approximately 7:15 p.m. on Monday from Bracken's father, who informed them that his son had fallen and injured himself in the area of Russell Gulch. The accident occurred at around 3 p.m., but very poor cell phone coverage in the area made it necessary for Bracken's father and three companions to hike out to the Kolob Terrace Road to make the call. Bracken's mother stayed with him. Park dispatch was then contacted and rangers immediately organized a search and rescue team and hiked into the area. Bracken was located at approximately 9:30 p.m. A park medic assessed his condition and provided emergency treatment. Because of darkness, the technical nature of the planned extraction route, and the fact that it was not an immediate, life-threatening injury, rangers decided to wait until morning to make the rescue safer for all involved. They stayed with Bracken throughout the night, then began rescue operations around 6 a.m. the following morning. Bracken was secured to a litter and raised to the canyon rim via a 400-foot guiding line. From there, he was carried a quarter mile to a spot where a helicopter could transport him to the Kolob Terrace Road. A fire department ambulance from Hurricane then transported Bracken to a hospital in St. George. [David Eaker, ZION, 7/23]

02-334 - Capitol Reef (UT) - Flash Flood; Road Closures

Flash flood season arrived at Capitol Reef about six weeks later than usual on the afternoon of July 25th. A sudden, small, but intense thunderstorm dumped about an inch of rain within a few minutes on Miners Mountain and the Waterpocket Fold, causing flooding in Capitol Gorge and Grand Wash and eventually the Fremont River. Employees from five divisions responded, locating visitor vehicles within the flood area, closing roads, and monitoring flow in various drainages. Eleven people in three vehicles, all foreign visitors, were stranded in Capitol Gorge, where the road follows the wash bottom and the water level was two feet deep. Two of these vehicles were left in the flowing water as all visitors followed safety advisories and scrambled to high ground. There were no injuries. The vehicles were driven out a few hours later when the water receded and the park's road grader was able to reach them. Another dozen vehicles were stranded for almost two hours at high points between concrete wash crossings along the paved Scenic Drive. Some road closures will remain in effect through today as maintenance crews clear mud and debris. Ranger Pete Fonken was IC. Drought conditions continue; with the addition of this rainfall, Capitol Reef has received only 1.63 inches total precipitation in the official water year, which began on October 1, 2001. Average annual precipitation is 7 inches. [Tom Cox, ACR, CARE]

07-29-2003 Zion NP (UT)

As of Saturday, the Hop Valley Fire had burned one acre and was staffed with a squad of ten firefighters with helicopter support. Land ownership had not been determined, as there are several land owners within the immediate area. Containment was predicted for that evening, but there was still potential for growth. 

02-348 - Zion NP (UT) - MVA with Fatality

On the evening of July 19th, park dispatch heard radio traffic on the Washington County Sheriff's Office frequency regarding a single-vehicle rollover accident on the Kolob Canyons scenic drive. Kolob ranger Craig Thexton was dispatched to the area, about a half-mile from the park visitor center. He found numerous EMS and sheriff's office units on scene, treating three people with minor injuries and one in critical condition - 14-year-old Jessica Nelson of Cedar City, who'd been ejected from the Isuzu Rodeo. All were taken to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar Center; Nelson was then flown immediately to Salt Lake City Primary Children's Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries the following day. A joint investigation is underway. It appears that excessive speed was a primary factor. The driver and one of the passengers - Heather Roach, 18, and her fiancé, Harold Kloss, 24 - said that Roach had overcorrected in an attempt to avoid a large rock in the road, but investigators found no evidence of a rock at the accident scene. The statements were recanted in follow-up interviews. The sheriff's office is leading the investigation. Kevin Killian is the case ranger. [Kevin Killian, PR, ZION]

02-388 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue

Park staff responded to a report of a rappelling accident in Pine Creek Canyon at 3:30 p.m. on August 11th. A 50-year-old man had been descending into the slot canyon from the north rim when he found that his rope end did not reach to the canyon floor. When he attempted to stop his downward movement, he turned upside down and rappelled off the end of his rope, falling 15 feet to the canyon floor. EMS personnel reached him at 5 p.m. and provided ALS. The man and an attendant were then raised 100 feet to the canyon rim. Rescuers got him to the trailhead at 9 p.m. He was taken by park ambulance to a hospital in St. George, where he was found to have sustained fractures to four ribs on his right side and to his left femur in two locations. The leader of the five-person group was issued a citation for not having a canyoneering permit. Kevin Killian was IC. [Chuck Passek, ZION]

02-449 - Canyonlands National Park (UT) - Severe Flash Flooding

On the afternoon of Saturday, September 7th, the park’s Island-in-the-Sky District was buffeted by high winds and torrential rains - three-quarters of an inch in under an hour. There were numerous backcountry road washouts and flash floods. The flash floods were the most significant documented in the district’s history. At about 6 p.m. a family of four from Provo, Utah, was diving (sic.) up Taylor Canyon. The four-wheel-drive road winds in and out of a dry wash. Family members saw a four-inch-high curb of water approaching them down the wash; within a minute, the water had swelled to the middle of the windshield of their 1998 Humvee, and reached a depth of ten feet only moments thereafter. At peak flow, the water in the wash was flowing at an estimated 2,000 cubic feet per second - nearly double the current flow of the Colorado River. The wash was about 300 feet wide with 55-degree water at peak flow. The Humvee floated downstream for about four miles over the next 15 minutes. Family members were eventually able to get out of the vehicle, reach shore and take shelter in an alcove. The father later told rangers that he’d had to swim with his five-month-old and three-year-old sons tucked under his arms while his wife was exiting the Humvee through a window. Later that night, their cries for help were overhead by nearby campers, who took them in for the night and gave them a ride out to the district visitor center the following morning. The $60,000 Humvee was recovered, but is a total loss. The hundred-mile-long White Rim backcountry road was closed to through traffic at the time of the report (Monday evening). A damage assessment of the backcountry road system is being conducted. Cost estimates for the extensive damage inflicted on the roads will be prepared after the assessment is completed. The Shafer Trail may take several months to repair and will remain closed until the work is completed. With luck, repairs at Upheaval Bottom, Taylor Canyon and Lathrop Canyon will be completed within the next week. Ranger Paul Downey was the IC. [Submitted by Steve Swanke, District Ranger, Island-in-the-Sky District, Canyonlands NP] 

02-451 - Zion National Park (UT) - Rescue

The park’s SAR team located and rescued a stranded Canadian couple from a ledge in Russell Gulch on Thursday, September 5th. Michael and Cynthia Shepard of British Colombia had obtained a permit to hike the popular Subway route two days previously. While hiking to the Subway, they strayed from their route and descended into the gulch. They attempted to lower themselves down the first rappel by webbing, which proved to be too short. Michael Shepard was unable to hold on; he slid down the webbing, then fell about 15 feet into a pool of water, sustaining burns on his hand and a laceration to the back of his head. Cynthia Shepard followed and received similar burns to her hands, a laceration around one eye, and an abrasion to one arm. The couple then found themselves stuck on the ledge, unable to go either up or down. A helicopter was employed to find the Shepards, but strong winds prevented it from being used to shuttle rescuers and gear to the site. Two SAR team members hiked into the site and determined that the Shepards were in good shape medically despite their falls. The rest of the SAR team arrived later with rescue gear and extracted them from the gulch. They were brought back to their car, where the Shepards opted to drive themselves to the Dixie Regional Medical Center to have their burns examined. This incident provided a good illustration of the importance of informing others about planned outings. The permit system provided the information needed to locate and rescue the lost and stranded hikers. (Editor's Note: it rained torrentially the night after their rescue.) [Submitted by Ron Terry, Public Affairs Officer, Zion NP] 

02-460 - Natural Bridges National Monument (UT) - Rescue

On the afternoon of September 12, a park visitor reported having seen "two elderly hikers stuck in a flashflood" at the bottom of White Canyon. They were last seen "standing chest deep" in a swift current in the vicinity of Sipapu Bridge. The park had received over one inch of precipitation since 8 a.m. that morning and was experiencing heavy monsoon storm cells and lightening strikes at the time of the report. A rescue team led by chief ranger Ralph Jones entered White Canyon approximately ten minutes later, while maintenance chief Larry Turk remained on the canyon rim in order to maintain line-of-sight radio communications. Flood conditions forced Jones’ team to traverse high-angle rock above the riverbed while searching for the hikers. Jones located the pair - two German nationals in their early 60’s - on the opposite side of the river, approximately a quarter mile downstream from Sipapu Bridge. They were wet and cold, but otherwise in fair condition. Rangers were able to extricate the husband by fording floodwaters and roping up for the climb out of White Canyon. His wife was much weaker, however, and had to ford the river three times in order to reach easier terrain upstream. When she began having trouble negotiating wet slickrock with her footwear, a park rescuer swapped out her own hiking boots for the woman’s tennis shoes. After safely returning to the Sipapu Bridge parking lot, the two non-English speaking visitors profusely thanked their rescuers with hugs and handshakes. Park visitors are cautioned to avoid trails linking the canyons’ bridges during periods of precipitation. Due to language barriers, the couple had missed both verbal and signed information to that effect. The incident has prompted staff to evaluate additional strategies for improving cross-cultural communication. [Submitted by Greg Dudgeon, Superintendent, Natural Bridges NM] 

09-20-2003 Zion National Park (UT) - GS-7/9 Interpretive Ranger 
Dates: 09/23/2002 - 10/04/2002

The park has an opening for a GS-7/9 interpretive park ranger. The announcement will be open from September 23 through October 4. The park, which receives over two million visitors a year, opened a new visitor center and shuttle system in 2000 and a new museum in 2002. They are seeking someone with strong interpretive skills and significant knowledge of AV operations. The person in the position will plan, prepare, and present original interpretive programs, including short talks, guided hikes, shuttle tour talks, and evening programs; coordinate day-to-day operations of two information desks (visitor center and museum) and staffs desks; manage AV and electronic equipment for the division, including slide and video projectors, DVD and video players, PA and sound equipment, and five traveler information stations (TIS); and train staff in operation of the visitor center, museum, and AV equipment. The position may be filled at full performance GS-9 or developmental GS-7 grades. If filled at the GS-7 level, the person selected could be promoted to GS-9 when full performance objectives are met. Zion has a desert climate with extreme high temperatures in summer of 110 degrees or more. The position is subject to furlough in the winter. Housing is not available in the park, but the person selected may bid on housing as it becomes available. For more information, please contact Tom Haraden, assistant chief of interpretation and visitor services, at 435 772-0161. [Submitted by Tom Haraden, Zion NP] 

02-551 - Canyonlands National Park (UT) - Water Intoxication Victim; Life Saved

On the afternoon of September 23, rangers were notified that a 56-year-old male mountain biker on a multiple-day backcountry bike trip was suffering serious medical problems - illness, vomiting, diminished consciousness and inability to urinate - on the remote White Rim Road. A medical helicopter was dispatched and flew him to Grand Junction, Colorado. Doctors determined that the man had drunk about two gallons of water during his morning ride and was suffering from water intoxication, which probably would have been fatal without rapid transport, clinical evaluation, and follow-up treatment. The rescue was facilitated by a biking party with a mobile telephone and GPS unit that was also in the backcountry. (Note: Water intoxication occurs when a person swallows enough water to significantly lower the concentration of salt in his/her blood. The causes the brain to swell, which in turn produces a decreased level of consciousness progressing from lethargy to stupor to coma). 
[Submitted by Steve Swanke, Incident Commander] 

10-24-2003 Zion National Park (UT) - Park Fire Situation

The park will be igniting the 4,400-acre Clear Trap Rx Fire this week on the east side of the park near Zion Ponderosa Ranch. The fire will burn actively for three to five days, then possibly smolder for weeks. It will be closely monitored by park staff until it is declared out. The objectives for this prescribed fire are to provide protection to surrounding property and structures, reduce fuel loads, and increase the success of remaining ponderosa pine forests to withstand natural fires. Smoky conditions are expected, and trails in the vicinity of the burn will be temporarily closed - including the East Rim Trail system. 
[Submitted by David Eaker, Fire Information Specialist] 

99-180 - Zion National Park (UT) - Follow-up on Attempted Armed Robbery, Carjacking

Last week, a federal grand jury indicted Shannon Lee Marz for the attempted armed robbery and carjacking of two female visitors along the Zion Canyon scenic drive on May 13, 1999. The indictment charges Marz, 35, of Orange, Massachusetts, with attempted carjacking and use of a firearm in commission of a violent crime. Marz allegedly approached the women while they were sitting in a car in the Great White Throne parking area, brandished a handgun, demanded money, and attempted to take their car keys. When the women fled, he fired numerous shots, striking the vehicle several times and shattering its rear window. Rangers established a roadblock upon receiving the report, but were unable to locate a suspect. Over the next several months, numerous leads were pursued without result. Investigators got a break in the case when the FBI’s St. George resident agency office received information from Georgia about a prisoner who claimed to have committed crimes in federal areas in Utah. Zion ranger Brent McGinn and FBI special agent Scott Schons traveled to Nahunta, Georgia, and interviewed Marz in the Brantley County Jail, where he was serving time on unrelated charges. During a lengthy interview, Marz confessed to numerous armed robberies and several other crimes committed during May and June 1999 while he was driving across the United States. Marz is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence in the Georgia State Prison for rape, aggravated sodomy and kidnapping. Additional state charges against Marz are pending in other jurisdictions. 
[Submitted by Brent McGinn, District Ranger, Canyon District] 

02-637 - Arches National Park (UT) - Pursuit and Arrest of Armed Felon

On December 6, the pursuit of an armed man who had stolen a Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) cruiser was resolved when he was arrested less than a half mile north of the remote northeast boundary of Arches. Over 30 officers and two aircraft from seven agencies, including two Arches rangers, were involved in the pursuit and ensuing manhunt. After crashing the patrol car on a rugged two-track road, the handcuffed suspect, Lorenzo Searcy, stole an assault rifle from the trunk of the car and fled on foot. An Arches ranger was dispatched to secure the eastern flank of the search area and evacuate a 15-person NPS exotic vegetation crew working in the Lost Spring Canyon part of the park. The ranger was the first officer to make contact with Searcy, who was near the NPS work crew vehicles. A minute later, two UHP officers with a police dog arrived. Searcy was arrested without incident following a short foot chase. The rifle was recovered several days later about a mile from the arrest site. 
[Submitted by Jim Webster, Chief Ranger] 

02-638 - Arches National Park (UT) - Pursuit and Arrest of Tractor-Trailer Operator

On December 17, five Arches and Canyonlands rangers assisted local law enforcement agencies in securing Highway 191 through and near Moab, including the Arches entrance road, when a semi tractor-trailer driver led police on a dangerous high speed chase through two states and down the main street of Moab. The operators, Mark Perry of Salt Lake City, had driven through two roadblocks and had his tires flattened by road spikes. He told police via telephone and CB radio that "you guys will have to kill me, I’m not stopping." The truck was finally stopped four miles north of the park entrance, but only after the trailer’s air brake lines had been disabled by gunshots fired by a Utah Highway Patrol supervisor, causing the rear wheels of the trailer to seize up. Perry was finally arrested after officers broke the truck window to get to him. 
[Submitted by Jim Webster, Chief Ranger]