SILT HAPPENS #98-4
A Journal of Exploits - Grand County Search and Rescue

GCSAR Home "Silt Happens" Member Profiles Operations Statistics
GCSAR Calendar

10/22 Independent Study and/or something else (Independent people)
10/13 Orienteering with map and compass (Frank, Bego and...)
9/24 Local Emergency Planning Commission stuff (Some person)
9/8 Helo Ops (The "Short Haul" kids)
8/29 Paint Party! Yeah! SRBT entry routes for Emergency Vehicles (Mike O'Donnell)


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SILT Back Issues
#98-4 (July-Aug 98)
#98-3 (May-June 98)
#98-2 (Mar-Apr 98)
#98-1 (Jan-Feb 98)

#97-6 (Nov-Dec 97)
#97-5 (Sept-Oct 97)
#97-4 (July-Aug 97)
#97-3 (May-June 97)
#97-2 (Mar-Apr 97)
#97-1 (Jan-Feb 97)



*** NOTICE ***
"Due to the possibility of retaliation stemming from the U.S. military strikes against terrorist operations made last Thursday, the FBI and Federal Protective Service have recommended an increased level of security awareness at all government facilities. Anything suspicious should be reported immediately to appropriate law enforcement agencies. Agencies employing security guards have been asked to increase exterior patrols. Any threats directed at the government should be relayed immediately to WASO Ranger Activities."
NPS memo





"AIl persons, living and dead, are purely coincidental."
Kurt Vonnegut




Thank yous Lloyd and Kim for all the upkeep and doctoring of our 4 and 6 wheelers and trailers.







"Squaws Along The Yukon" and "When The Ice Worms Nest Again" were hits in AK in 1952.



Married in the heart of Cataract Canyon - July 1998:
Michele Reaume 1T827 and Mike Hill C52?




1T8: "We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon."



Got Water? Got Water?




Overheard: "Men are like fine wine. They start out like grapes, and it's a woman's job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you'd want to have dinner with."
Exploits (listed from most current to way back when)

98-XX Later same day Rescue of rescuer IC = That Mopho Girl
So... 1 T 836 stopped at Maverick to get something to drink only to lock ALL 3 SETS of KEYS in his truck. A phone call to his 95 brought relief in the form of "Mom."
Comments: Imagine my surprise.
Responders: Lisa Gerhart

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98-55H 8-29-98 Helo Insertion of Rock Rescuers IC = 1 T 12
Jason Green (54) hiked up Negro Bill and got out onto the mesa top on the Porcupine Rim side. (Sort of where the Iowa boys were). He made his way over to the Hwy 128 side of those fins and then got stuck between fins, unable to go up a place he had jumped down. He yelled down to people on the river road.

GCSAR responded to the Negro Bill trailhead with rock rescue gear. Upon further evaluation, it was decided to use a helicopter to insert rock rescue persons on top of the adjacent fin. This was done to avoid a very lengthy and hot overland route.

Bego, Frank and Josh took a bunch of rope and anchors in the helo to the LZ. Pilot John Ruhl was to return in an hour. Frank rappelled down to the subject, put him in a harness, tied on the rope and we counterbalance hauled (as you would do big wall bags) Jason up the 50' of steep rock to safety. A while later, in came the helo and away we went.

Jason is a private club tennis teacher from Brooklyn, NY. He'd done several other hikes in the region in the previous days.
Comments: Steve White did NOT get the front seat. Jason may have caught on that had some details been a little different he could have died up in those fins. He refused to pay either the helo bill or the GCSAR bill stating that rescue work should be paid for by the local tax base.
Responders: Frank, Josh, Jennie. Sam, Dave M., Jeff, Rex, Nancy, Bego

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8-27-98 GCSAR Meeting and Training
Let's buy us a new Polaris 2 seater 6 wheeler and a big, fast computer for those fancy map programs to aid our Search
Training- Packaging a patient in KED, backboard, Stokes litter and the 6 wheeler.
Instructors- Kenny, Brad, Frank, Jennie, Kris and John

When in doubt, go for full spinal immobilization to prevent further damage. Apply in-line stabilization, C collar, log roll onto backboard, secure, transport The KED is a SPLINT so keep checking distal circulations

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8-18-98 GCSAR Training
Mega-amazing ATV Certification course by Tony White of Parks and Rec. Out at the old airport in the hot evening sunset. It is a 2 1/2 hour drive, around the cones and over the hills stressing safety and technique. Five machines came so five folks jumped on.

Dean, Michele, Kris, Nancy and Jennie got more confident by the minute and certified.
Several of us reviewed the "Basic Climbing Stuff To Get" for rock rescue work with Dave M.

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98-54H 8-11-98 Biker Stress (BS) Helo Ambulance SRBT IC= 1T3
This started out as a biker down ambulance assist 3 miles out the trail. 1 T 3 chatted more with the RP and then asked dispatch if the helicopter was available. Yes.

Well, you can bet Steve White just happened to be unbusy at the moment so he arranged for Arches Helicopters and copped a ride. GCSAR was 10-22'd.

Pilot Ruhl stopped by the SRBT parking lot and picked up EMT~s, proceeding to the subject's location. The subject was flown to the Hospital.
Comments: Nope
Responders: Michele White's detail, Frank, Nancy, Kris, Jennie, Kent, Lee, Richard,

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17 Aug 1998 Canyonlands NP Rescue -- from Steve Swanke
A 29 year old female visitor from Wyoming who was on an extended flatwater canoe trip on the Green River suffered a miscarriage on August 15. The visitor began experiencing labor pains at 1:00 am on the 15th and miscarried at approximately 4:30 am.

Members of her group floated across the river and hiked ten miles to Mineral Bottom where a BLM volunteer is stationed to provide an initial report. The BLM volunteer contacted the park which immediately began efforts to evacuate the patient.

A St. Mary's Airlife helicopter and a NPS motorized rescue vessel were dispatched to the patients location at Hardscrabble Bottom. The patient was flown to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her prognosis for a full recovery is good. Ranger Colin Smith was IC.

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From: Jim Webster- Arches 220
Hiya guys, Thought you might be interested in the entry below on a search at Olympic NP, especially the exact location and time identified by US Cellular from the telephone call placed by the missing parties. FYI, I've got a message in to Citizen's and Commnet Cellular about whether this capability exists here... JW
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE- MORNING REPORT

98-469- Olympic NP (WA) - Search and Rescue. On July 28th, the park was notified John Gange, 59, and Rick Granstrom, 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 back country 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. Gange and Granstrom 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. Gange, 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. [B. Maynes, PIO, OLYM]

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8-8-98 Joint Training GCSAR and SJSAR La Sal Mtns
From Frank 1 T 801:
At least 10 members of SJSAR (plus several family members) joined a disgustingly small number of GCSARites to enjoy a day of training and camaraderie among the wildflowered meadows of the LaSal mountains on 8/8. We trained in maps, compass, pacing, GPS, patient packaging and more. The awesomely knowledgeable and downright entertaining Kyle (where's the Handle?) Isenhart, SJSAR's training officer, showed up with a Hummer-full of goodies and prizes from his Rescue Systems, Inc...including our new RSI Rescue Winch.

After some initial training in cross-referencing data between GPS, compass and map, we set off on a 563-yard romp (or was that S630 yards?) through the forest searching for buckets dropped like breaderumbs along an orienteering course lined out by Kyle, Bego, Sam and Tye. The winning team was given carabiners and key 'biners...but then so was everyone else. The hands-on experience was invaluable...and fun too!

I was ashamed that only five of our 36 members attended the training. Plenty of lead time was given and telephone call reminders were made. It's evidence of a sad lack of dedication on the part of most of our membership. Though the training was in San Juan County, it was in OUR area. Their members had to drive much, much farther than any of us did. Their attendance showed a willingness to work closer with us...our attendance showed the opposite.

Thanks to those who did attend...and many thanks to Bego and Kyle for organizing a fantastic learning experience.
Comments: Where wuz all of us? A pleasant, fun day in the Aspens.
It was discovered that SJSAR operates using magnetic compass bearings while we operate using true north bearings. Knowing how to deal with both is essential knowledge.
A compass needle is affected by many things including your radio (in a chest pack esp) and nearly anything electronic that is close, a nearby car, living in an iron ore mine and the like. Make sure you obtain a "clean" bearing.
When plotting your course onto a map, be aware of the scale of the map and the distances you actually covered. In a real search, you have to be exactly sure you searched the area you say you did, or, conversely, you have to cover the exact area Incident Command says to.
It takes way practice to "do" compass so go outside and practice every other day.
Bearing masters: Frank, Sam, Dean, Lee, Bego and a mob from SJSAR including wives, children.

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8-7-98 Short Haul Training and Happy Birthday to 1 T 4
This time we flew our 4 month proficiency training from the Moab Boat Dock to the cliff above.
Comments: We need to perfect our radio communication rigs, what ever that entails. It was interesting flying over water.
Pilot: John Ruhl
Spotter: Chuck 'the knife' Hassen
Short Haulers: Bego, Curt Brewer, Kent Green, Ste?e White, Frank Mendonca, Corky Brewer Ground Team: Trenton White + crew.

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The departure of Galen and Wendy:
" it's hard to roast people who do everything right and well."

A fun pot luck at Old City Park. Jim Webster was a thoroughly entertaining MC with a (rather stoic) mob of mostly NPS people. People spoke: Galen talks funny, Wendy KNOWS computers. And more. Galen told a Swanke story. Larry VS raved and Walt Dabney certificated both of 'em.

From Frank: "Though Galen and Wendy were not official members of GCSAR, their departure will leave a noticeable gap in our high-angle rescue operation. Because of our association with them, we are now better able to do our job. Because of their unselfish efforts and considerable technical abilities, they leave us a more competent and confident organization than before we met...two requisite qualities in a group entrusted with saving lives. Their legacy will be one of greatly improved cooperation between the Park Service and local SAR groups. The same qualities that made Galen such a valued teacher and friend will serve to make him a very special minister."

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98-53 8-1-98 Biker Strees (BS) SRBT IC= 1 T Kenny
"Picked up victim about 1 mile in on Slickrock Trail."
Comments: Said she'd rather ride on the smoother 6 wheeler than the bumpy ambulance.
Responders: Brad, Kim & Llyod, Kenny, Kris, Jimmy N., Sam, Dan, Nancy, Russell, Jeff, John F.

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98-52 7-28-98 Biker Stress (BS) SRBT IC=1T6
"Got to the trailhead and asked 502 if they needed any help. 10-22d."
Comments: Nada
Responders: Kent, Sam, Richard, Jeff

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98-51 7-28-98 Ambulance Assist Biker Leg PosSpi IC = Brad
A 40 yr old gal fell down, did a hip-leg number. She was above the hard 4WD place, so we dispatched the 6 wheeler with Stokes litter and brought her down 4 miles to a waiting 1 T 502.

Frank says that "Watching Brad pilot the 6 wheeler with the Stokes was like watching an artist at work." But two people to package and load the patient in 109 sun. Need face shade for patient.
Comments: From the TI: "... was saved by determined volunteers of the GCSAR team."
Responders: Brad, Mark, Jeff, Frank and Tony Lue.

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98-50 7-26-98 Search Lost 17 yr old SRB Trail IC = 1 T 14
Ops- 1 T 833
He was dropped off by his parents to do the Practice Loop and was last seen on the main trail, halfway around, at dark. He had abandoned the practice loop plan to join up with several other riders on the main loop... but was left behind.

The parents became alarmed when he didn't return. Two cyclists in the parking lot volunteered to go looking and a passer-by went to Dave's Incredibly Friendly Corner Market to call 911.

GCSAR sent 4 wheelers on the main trail in both directions. Josh drove his jeep in the Lion's Back route. 3 searchers hiked into the Abyss and found the 2 unprepared biker-searchers floundering in the dark.

Incident Resolution says: "Found him, saved him." He was about a mile toward Shrimp Rock from Swiss Cheez Ridge.
Comments: Paged at 2142 hrs, over at 0100 hrs. The Mom was crying for joy.
Responders: Russell, Josh, Sam, Frank, Jeff, Mark, Lee, Kris and John Flahie.

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From: Steve Swanke Canyonlands NP (UT) Jumping in River Accident-Personal Injury
Elizabeth Graham, 11, of Fort Collins, Colorado, was on an extended multiple day canoe trip on the Green River when she broke her leg while jumping into the river at 12:30 p.m. on July 26th. Graham was in a party of seven people traveling in three canoes. Graham was jumping into the river from the top of a vertical sand cut which was approximately 10' high. The accident occurred on an island in the middle of the river at Fort Bottom. Two members of the boating party hiked the 2 3/4 mile Fort Bottom Trail to the White Rim road and then hiked the road for approximately 12 miles to Mineral Bottom where they reported the accident to Allan Jackson, a BLM employee stationed at Mineral Bottom. At approximately 9:00 p.m. Graham was airlifted by St. Mary's Air Life to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. Her prognosis for a full recovery is good.

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98-49 7-27-98 Rescue Broken Leg Fort Bottom on the Green River IC=C520
A family canoe trip turns sour cuz an 11 yr old girl jumped into a shallow river and broke her leg. We were paged initially to respond with the river rescue boat and then canceled when the Park Service advised that Air Life had been dispatched.
Comments: Canyonlands 520 advised that the Mineral Canyon Road was "impassable" as far as getting a boat trailer down to the Green River put-in.
One possible outcome could have been a night time short haul. Had Air Life been unable to land on the island the subject was on (wind, vegetation, darkness, etc) AND the NPS boat could not be put in the river, short hauling would have been the next choice. And 1 T 11 would have missed it.
Responders: Frank, Brad, Bego, Kent, Sam, Jeff

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98-48 7-28-98 Taxi service- unpaged IC = 1 T 3
Ops- 1 T Mark
Two mtn bikers Called in from Poison Spider Mesa on their cell phone to say they weren't lost, had food, water and lights but it was raining on them and they were afraid of the lightning and could we come and get them.

Mark got all amped and called Josh and away they went. Got 'em at 1 am.
Comments: Good effort. A rather stormy night at that.
Responders: Mark, Josh, Sam

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98-47 7-21-98 Search Moab Rim Trail IC = 1 T 3
Operations by Frank
Some of us had left the party to go home when this was paged out. A very weary husband was at the shed looking for his wife.

The two had hiked up the Hidden Valley trail from the south end with their bikes. They rode their bikes far enuff to get lost and they pushed their bikes for awhile. Then they left the bikes, somewhere. They hiked to a rim "500 to 1,000 feet high," most likely near Moonflower, where he got "stuck in a crack right next to the rim." She couldn't help him so she started hiking out for help.

Quite a while later, HE called Search and Rescue, looking for her. Oh my.

A small mob of responders leaped into action. Frank dealt out places to go and radio freqs. Dan Mick described the trail: "It definitely leans to the left and is a 4 plus." 5 ATVs were dispatched up the trail just after dark. Kent drove his 2WD 4-Wheeler up nearly everything. He was amazing to watch doing some wild technique things.

Plan A was to cover all the roads and meet again out at the Anasazi round structures. One team went left, the other right. Out near the end of the road, a distant reply to our yelling. Paulette was sitting near the road (UTM 0625819 X 4266925), quite thirsty, concerned about her husband, immensely relieved to be found, thoroughly lost. Dan jeeped her back to safety. 1 T 3 then took her to her husband.

Nancy and Shalla went to the person's vehicle to get a scent article and rode up with Dan in the jeep. Up on top, Nancy let Shalla sniff around awhile. Nope. When they arrived at the meeting place, Shalla went right to the subject.

Also happening was Matt and Auggie's hike. Matt knows that area really well and went up a crack leading from the gravel bench above the Egg Ranch Road to the top of the rim, not too far from the roads the ATVs were on. They worked their way toward the roads, cutting for sign. Lee was their radio relay. A good idea had she wandered off to the south toward Pritchett Canyon. Dean hung out at Hidden Valley trailhead in case she returned that way.
Comments: A fine outing, run expertly by radio, Map and GPS. The Helo was on standby for 6 am.

The ATV challenge was certainly there, quite dangerous in places and we had to help each other push and tug them over ledges a few times. We need better forward lighting on the ATVs. Dan's jeep chugged right around. Lightning was around a bit and a light rain made the dirt smell.

A description of Paulette's footprint was radioed forward. Way helpful, especially the "triangle in the heel." Should have had his print too. A red "Photon" light is good for night tracking.
Responders: Dean, Frank, Dan, Kent, Sam, Nancy, Shalla, Kris, Lee, Bego, Jeff/Rex (quite a pair), Matt, Lisa, Ogust

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GCSAR Picnic at the City Park Prayer by Dan
Much foon was had by all. Billions of kids. Baseball. Thanks yous verys muches to Archie and Brad- the main food gurus. No pool thingy cuz of the water shortage.

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98-46 7-16-98 Rescue People with no water Gold Bar Rim IC = 1 T 12
3 X-ray technicians from Seattle stuck up on Gold Bar Rim Trail, or is it the Golden Spike Trail. They left town at 4 pm Tuesday. Water ran out Wednesday morning. Many hours up there on a HOT day. They were using mirrors to attract attention. Midafternoon, they lit a fire and pushed it over the rim to attract attention. 1 T 12 talked to them from the hiway by loudspeaker.

Sam and Jeff took off on 4 wheelers, Dean followed in his pickup, followed later by Dan Mick in his jeep. About 5:50 pm, Sam came upon these folks.

Shortly later, Dan and Dean figured out that the coil wire had come loose causing the stoppage. Not out of gas. Broken motor mount too. Everybody drove out together. They got "about four feet of air" at one point on the way out and needed help to cross The Crack reported Dan. Rental Jeep had quarter panel and bumper damage...at least. "But they paid us $300.00 cash and apparently tried to tip the rescuers also," said 801.
Comments: HOT and how. Another "Lucky" rolled an ATV over backwards. Damn. Slow down!! And, just what are the correct names of the trails up there on that mesa?
Responders: Dean, Jeff, Sam, Dan, Frank, Bego

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7-14-98 GCSAR meeting
We had pop and pizza at the boat ramp and did 1 (one) business meeting. Going to spend some money. Going to have some fun. We ordered a Rescue Winch from RSI.
Training: River Rescue, part 2 We did tours in the river rescue boat, rowed around and flipped Frank's boat and Dave Bodner brought a raft to flip a few times. Auggie jumped in the river and we saved him a number of times with throwlines from shore.

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98-45 7-14-98 Ambulance Assist Porcupine Single Track IC = 1 T 3
This guy continued to ride and walk 7 or 8 miles from where he fell off his bike to just a mile from the River Road. He had some internal injuries due to landing on his handlebars. He thot he'd better stop trying to walk out when the pain was so great he was almost passing out. His Boy Scout buddies called for help.
Our break-apart Stokes on packframe was put to the test. Frank breezed up the trail with it. EMT's and rescue workers packaged this guy on his side in a Vacu-splint and wheeled him down.
Comments: Dang Hot. Now we need a packframe for the wheel.
Responders: Kim, Brad, Sam, Frank, Jeff, Matt, Dave B., Bego

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98-44 7-9-98 Search for overdue biker Porcupine Rim IC=1 T 12 and 7
Andy, the 6'5" bean pole biker with size 15 shoes, wandered around Mat Martin Point for quite awhile. After the sun set, a full moon came up and the night never got dark or cold. Out of water. He was third in a line of Boy Scouts biking out Porcupine too late in the day. [Ascribed to faulty guidebook info- Ed]. Some how, he got separated. His friends finished the trail. No Andy.

We were paged at 3:40 am. Mark and Lee hiked up the single track to the top. No Andy. By the time his Fiends had hiked the trail in reverse and met Search and Rescue people at first light, Andy was not on the main trail.

2 T Greg, on the motorcycle, spotted a bike track starting out to Mat Martin Point. Oddly, the track came from the direction of the single track. Out to the very end went the track. Greg, who had tracked Andy's bike tire clear from the main trail, now followed Andy down off the hill to the very edge of the Colorado River Canyon. He was walking his bike now. Sam and I were on our way on the 4 wheelers to a place way ahead of Greg when we ran across his tracks on an old seismo road. Going the other way.

Abruptly, Andy turned off this track and headed cross country. At the base of a small cliff we found Andy's bike (UTM: 0632400 X 4279880). A short hike from there brought him to the canyon rim above Big Bend Campground-- right at the only place you can get down the cliff. Exactly as Sam and I got to the rim following his tracks, Andy walked into his own camp at Hal Canyon. 1 T 7 was there waiting.
Comments: Greg did all the initial tracking of Andy clear out to the edge of the main canyon wall. This gave the next set of searchers in a relatively good idea on where to expand the search pattern. It would be interesting to track Andy backwards from his turn onto Mat Martin Point Rd. He was backtracking already. How spaced out (?) were the riders to miss the 3rd rider in line. And, who told these people it was OK to start this trail at 6:30 pm? One guide book says 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Only for a few.
801: "Those who didn't respond missed a spectacular sunrise/ moonset."
Responders: Lee, Mark, Frank, Sam, Greg, Josh, Bego

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98-43 7-8-98 Ambulance Assist Power Dam IC = 1 T 14
Some one slipped, jumped, fell, dove off the dam and injured hisownself. We were immediately 10-22d when it was established that the victim was already out of the water.
Comments: Had this been an extrication from down in the gorge, it is mainly a Fire Department response cuz the easiest way out of the gorge by the falls with a litter is by inclined ladder with rope. Cool trick.
Responders: Frank, Jimmy N., Sam, Jennie, Jeff

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4th of July Fireworks Show IC = 1 T Sam
GCSAR border patrol keeps the aliens out of the explode area.
Comments: Great duty. Front row seat. Bring your shovel, put out fires.
Border Patrol: Sam, Kris, Nancy, Michele and Mike, Mark and Carrie, Aug and Yoko, Bego, Lisa, Tye, Alicia

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98-XX 7-4-98 Recovery... of vehicle River IC=1 T 9
Somebody backed their truck and boat trailer into the river and it disappeared.

From 801: "Incident yesterday...Fire Dept. dive team incident...full-size Ford 4WD pickup with camper shell and boat trailer swallowed by [the Colorado River] at the Moab Boat Dock. Samasusual showed up...Jeff called in...I drove the Zodiac...seems so tiny now. Unable to locate anything. PLS about 20 feet below dock...and 20 feet out from shore. Tolley dove where we kept hooking something...turned out to be a rock ridge about five feet high about 150 feet down river from dock extending at least 50 feet out from bank. Top of ridge is about ten feet underwater at this level...doubtful truck got past it unless farther out in river. He also did a pendulum from lower edge of dock. Nada They may try again today...told Corky to let me know if they need us."
Comments: Nadarooski
Responders: Corky, Tolley, Frank, Sam, Jeff and others