Content by Bego Gerhart (1T836) --- HTML by Frank Mendonca (1T805) using Microsoft FrontPage

02- 21     5- 4- 02     Search for 3 year old
     Over before it started.  The child was found under her bed.  Last seen 30 minutes before by the pool.  Lives near the Golf Course.  Corky's firemen were activated also.
Comments:
Responders: Frank, Sam, Bego, Lee

02- 22     5- 10- 02     Biker wrist     Determination Towers     Mill Canyon
     The 4WD ambulance responded.  We went out to the end of the 2WD road with ATVs in case this was way off road.
Comments:
Responders: Rex, Jeff, Sam, Nancy, Bego

02- 23     5- 12- 02     WUI-  Walking Under the Influence
     This subject had hiked up Left Hand of Mill Creek and, apparently, passed out drunk.
Reported to us as "male subject with alcohol poisoning."
     Subject staggered out with help.
Comments: 
Responders:  Matt, Sam, Nancy, Jeff, Jeremy, Jim D, Dean, Aug

02- 24     5- 3- 02     Biker Down-  Poison Spider
     Bunch o' gals out biking when one fell over... and landed her thigh right on the brake handle.  Puncture wound in a big way.  The Ranger with 2 EMTs and 2 ATVs fixed her up.
Comments:
Responders:  Matt, Frank, Bego, Shawn, Lee

02- 25     5- 14- 02     Search for overdue bikers
     Their plans were to start biking from Hurrah Pass, go down around into Jackson Hole and up the hike-a-bike to Amasa Back.  The problem was they started at 6 pm and got lost for awhile too.
  We sent ATVs over Hurrah and up Amasa Back.  They were found not far from Camelot at 4 am.
     As usual, a radio relay was set up on Hurrah Pass.
Comments:  Amasa Back is difficult even for ATVs.
Responders:  Matt, Sam, Lee, Aug, Kevin

02- 26     5- 18     Search for Overdue Bikers  (for the acronymophiles:  SOB)
     Jeanna came into town pretty tired.  She explained her group's problems.
     Group of 5 bikers started down Pritchett Canyon from 191 south of town.  They got down to the 4-way intersection near the Arch and got confused.  They turned right (wrong) and pedaled up the Hunter Canyon drainage on the Behind the Rocks Jeep Trail, heading the wrong way. 
     Running out of time and water they figured themselves out.  Shortly after turning around, one guy got bad muscle cramps and other dehydration things.  They vowed to wait at the 4-way intersection for help.  Jeanna and the other guy proceeded to finish the ride.
     They hadn't gone far when the the guy dehydrated out.  Jeanna finished the canyon to the pavement.
     So, we sent ATVs in the bottom of Pritchett to find a very beat hiking biker.  This team had to build a bit of road at a ledge and the move over the ledge was tedious.
     Jeremy and Levi and Frankie got their jeeps and went in the top, bumped down to the 4-way intersection to give the other 3 a ride home.
Comments:  These folks stopped in time to prevent "going too far."
Responders:  Jeremy, Levi, Frankie, Frank, Sam, Nancy, Bego, Shawn, 13B62Ward

02- 27     5- 25- 02     Hell's Revenge     Jeep Rollover at the Hot Tubs
     This is an example of something. 
     Cell phone activity to dispatch and EMT Massie:
     First reported as a guy unconscious but breathing, trapped under a rolled jeep.  Then he's not under the jeep and he's in and out of consciousness.  Then, up walking around.  Massie instructs the bystanders on what to do by cell phone.
     GCSAR and the EMTs arrive and the guy refuses transport.
Comments:  Wells book (p 158) says, "You'll pass a deep vehicle-sized depression..."  This is the Hot Tub. Between his waypoints 17 and 18.
Responders:  Rex, Matt, Frank, Sam, Nancy, Bego, Jeff, Shawn, Jim D, Dick

02- 28     5- 26- 02     ATV accident     Hunter / Pritchett  Junction
     Dispatched as a badly broken leg, rib soreness and head laceration.  Cell phone report said right at the Pritchett Can / Hunter Can road intersection.
     Jeremy and Levi in jeep, the 6 wheeler and the Ranger went in with 502.  Subject transported to Farmington Air Care Helo LZ by the Ranger.  Flown to AMH.
Comments:
Responders:  Matt, Frank, Sam, Nancy, Bego, Jeff, Jeremy, Jim D, Dean, Levi, 13B62Ward

Coordinate Accuracy: 
The Wells book lists the Hunter - Pritchett intersection in 3 places:
Pritchett Arch        (06) 38*  29'  38.9"  x  109*  33'  43.9"
Behind the Rocks  (18) 38*  29'  38.0"  x  109*  33'  44.2"
Pritchett Canyon  (09) 38*  28'  41.7"  x  109*  33'  41.4"
Difference in latitude is about 370'  Longitude about 230' 
Not a very big a difference out there.
13B62 got  38* 29'  37"  x  109*  33'  49" on site.
Homework:  Look up his 3 UTMs for this intersection.  There's a surprise in one northing.

Also, Wells book gives DMS.  To convert to DM.M for the pilots:  At 6 seconds per 1/10 minute, divide the seconds by 6 to get tenths of minute.  For example:  109*  33'  41.4"  Round 41.4 to 42 and divide by 6 which equals 7.  Thus:  109* 33.7'  Plenty good.

02- 29     5- 26- 02     Right Ankle up Left Hand
     Reported as broken ankle or leg, 240-pound subject, up Left Hand fork of Mill Creek.
     We did the litter and wheel out to Potato Salad Hill which is easier than going to the Power Dam parking lot.
Comments:
Responders:  Matt, Frank, Sam, Nancy, Jeff, Steve, Jeremy, Dick, Aug, Levi

02- 30     5- 27- 02     Jeep Rollover     Pritchett Canyon
     First vacation without the kids in quite a while.  Out 4-wheeling by themselves, he flips the jeep and is injured.  She walks out, taking 2 hours to do so.  He's there alone.
     Care Flight was put in the air as we responded because of the injuries described by the wife.  We had to build road in 2 places even for the ATVs.  Rocker Knocker is as far up canyon as we can operate our ATVs.  Care Flight beat us there by a few minutes, landing about 1000 feet from the subject in one of the very few LZs in this rugged canyon, .
     We assisted Care Flight in packaging and carrying the subject to the helo.
Comments:  Once again, the coordinates of the incident came from Charles Well's book.  Handy.
Radio com with the helo was NLEC freq.  No chance of hitting radio repeaters from down in that narrow canyon.  There's a good LZ on the hill just above Rocker Knocker.
Responders:  Matt, Frank, Sam, Nancy, Bego, Jim D, Jim G, Dick, Kevin

02- 31     6- 2- 02     Biker down- ankle     SRBT     Natural Selection Viewpoint
     This is about 6 miles out from the parking lot which is about as far out as it gets.  We got to the subject in 50 minutes from the page.
     The standard fare of Polaris Ranger and 2 ATVs.
Comments:
Responders:  Nancy, Sam, Lee, Jim D, Dave, Bego

02- 32     6- 2- 02     Runner down- leg     Mill Creek above the dam
     The son was trying to keep up with the dad running down the trail and he broke his leg.
     On Nancy's advice, we carried in a Stokes litter from the bottom of Potato Salad Hill.  It's a shorter approach than from the parking lot.
Comments:
Responders:  Nancy, Bego, Steve, August, Dave

02- 33     6- 5- 02     Search for 13 year old boy and his dog in the Wetlands
     The Mom waited at least 2 hours for her son before calling the SO, not via 911.  There was radio traffic about the missing boy and at this point a bunch of people responded even before anyone was paged.
     Nancy May and her dog Shalla were called out early and off they went into the Wetlands.  Corky and some firefighters showed up.  Then Search and Rescue was paged to put an ATV on the dirt road at the north end of the wetlands and wave runners on the river to survey the riverbanks.
     Jeremy Mallory cruised about on the ATV and after a half hour found the boy who heard the noise.
     Cody and his little dog were rather bedraggled.  His shoes had been sucked off in the mud earlier and he had worn thru his socks so his feet were suffering.  He said he was jabbed by sticks and bitten by bugs so his bare arms suffered.  No water, no hat.  Said he was headed for the river bridge which he thought to be "that way," pointing the correct way.
     Nancy and Shalla would have found the boy in about 10 minutes had Jeremy not been there cuz Shalla was hot on his trail.  Good thing cuz in an hour or so Cody would have been severely heat exhausted.  Said he wanted a cold drink and a nap.
Comments:  For better radio com, especially between portable radios, the command post should be on the nearest high ground, not down in the bottomlands.
Responders:  Nancy, Shalla, Jeremy, Sam, Frank, Bego, Jim D
Corky, John and TJ came with the Fire Dept beer truck aka, The Command Post

1 T 7 :  A truly happy person can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

check out--   
 http://www.SARnews.com

6- 9- 02     Moab Skyway closes its lift to the rim.  Pooey.

Jennie Massie--           Out of a book I just read. You might use it in the Slit
"When I got up into the helicopter I remember everyone looking in my and Sue's face to make sure we were okay," says Stimpson. "I remember the intensity, it really struck me. These guys were so pumped up, but they were also human- real humanity. They'd take us by the shoulders and look us in the eyes and say, "I'm so glad you're alive, we were with you last night, we prayed for you. We were worried about you." When you're on the rescuing side you're very aware of life and death, and when you're on the rescued side, you just have a sort of numb awareness. At some point I stopped seeing the risk clearly, and it just became an amalgam of experience and observation."
from The Perfect Storm by Sebastain Junger

02- 34     6- 13- 02     Late bikers     SRBT
     Overdue bikers appeared just after dark and just before we sprang into search mode.
Comments:
Responders:  Matt, Frank, Sam, Nancy, Bego, JimD, Lee

02- 35     6- 16- 02     Heat problems     Hiker up Negro Bill Canyon
     Female, 44,  with Heat Stroke (?) 10 minutes up the trail.  EMTs, litter, wheel.
Comments:  Not enuff folks for a wheel out. "10 minutes up the trail" is not 10 minutes with a loaded litter.
Responders:  1 T 3, Frank, Sam, Nancy, Dave, Barbara, Dick

02- 36     6- 17- 02     Heat problems     Biker on Gemini Bridges trail
     Kaitlyn, age 10, got dehydrated.  Rex responded in the Bronco while others on stand-by at shed.
Comments:
Responders:  Rex, Nancy, Dave, Lee, Dick, Jennie

02- 37     6- 25- 02     Biker down     Klondike Bluffs Trail
     Over the handlebars and plunk on the head went Mathew, age 13.  We responded with ambulance 502 cuz we weren't sure where the subject was exactly.
Comments:  4.4 miles from Hwy 191 is into the 4WD / ATV part of the route.
Responders:  Rex, Matt, Frank, Bego, Dave, Jennie, Aug, Levi

02- 38     6- 25- 02     Biker heat problems     SRBT
     Severe heat exhaustion a couple of miles in (temps above 100 degrees).  Subject was being transported by private vehicle when we arrived.
Comments:
Responders:  Frank, Bego, Jeff, Dave, Jeremy

02- 39      6- 28- 02     Lost and Dehydrated Bikers     Gemini Bridges
     A troop of Boy Scouts from Provo out for a ride in the HOT desert.  No problem if PREPARED.
     From Gemini Bridges the group took off for Hwy 191.  In a short amount of time, one boy and one leader fell behind the rest.  A short time after that, one from the main group went back to find the stragglers- but no.  Not to be found.
     1 T 11 and 1 T 10 responded to a 911 call from the lost leader.  Shortly we were paged.
     We gathered at the top of the hill between Little Canyon and Gemini Bridges for best cell phone reception.  Kinda weird talking to a lost person, who is not too far away, trying to determine his location.  Words and landmarks for him are different than for us.  It was soon determined that they were south of the main route, probably down the Bull Canyon Road or so.
     We fanned out on several dirt roads.  Soon Lee, using binoculars, spotted one guy.  Soon also we came upon the boy, shaded out at the sand dune at the end of the road.  Receiving directions by radio we hiked a short ways to the adult who was on the Bull Canyon to Gold Bar jeep trail.                     
     Ambulance 502 and 505 came with electrolytes and a ride out.
Comments:  What is BE PREPARED, the Boy Scout motto?  Not enuff water, no hat, no real idea how to do this kind of thing successfully.  No homework done, useless map.  On and on.........
Responders:  1 T 10 and 1 T 11 were awesome.  Rex, TBerry, Lee, Jeremy, Jim G, Bego, Nancy, Frank

Seen in Tribune:  There are no stupid questions but there are alot of inquisitive idiots.

02- 40     6- 29- 02     Stuck Wrangler Jeep     Flat Pass
     Two individuals got their Wrangler stuck.  Sam drove up there and transported these guys to Nation's towing.
Comments:
Responders:  Frank, Sam, TBerry

02- 41     6- 29- 02     Standby for Rock Rescue     Arches NP
     Veteran soccer coach Jim Webster had us out to Devil's Garden to look at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in Sagittarius.  And wait for ranger 226 to go to Partition Arch to see if this lady was really stuck (a form of "rimrocked"), as reported.
     We fussed about, creating a do-anything rock rescue backcountry package with the minimum of stuff.  Not even an electric drill or Az. Vortex.
     Nope.  She was rescued by another ranger and walked out with them.  She was totally embarrassed when she saw how many folks turned out on her behalf.
Comments:  Anna, the young, caucasian Russian gal from NY, was amazed.
Responders:  TBerry, Bego, Jeremy, Levi, Jim G, Sam, Frank

02- 42     6- 30- 02     Dehydrated Biker     Porcupine Rim single track
     Brett, 14, got too dehydrated just a mile from Hwy 128. Temps were over 100 degrees.
    SAR folks and EMTs hiked up to him.  The EMTs set an IV and everyone walked out.
Comments:  Permit me to say that Brett didn't drink enough water or balance his electrolytes.  Duh.
Responders:  Frank, Sam, TBerry, Dave, Lee, Jim G, Dean, Aug, Kevin, Barbara

Park Fire Danger- May 18th

Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - The park went to preparedness level five on Saturday and put fire restrictions in place due to "unprecedented drought and extreme fire danger" throughout the park. Under these restrictions, campfires, charcoal fires, candles and other open flames are prohibited and camp stoves and gas grills are permitted only in designated campsites, picnic areas, administrative areas, residential areas and the inner canyon (except that gas grills and fire pans are allowed along the river). Smoking is prohibited in all backcountry areas and is permitted only in vehicles with ashtrays and designated buildings. Off-road parking is prohibited.                    [Report, 5/18-20]

02-164 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue using specially designed river raft

Rangers evacuated an injured hiker from the Narrows on May 7th. At approximately 3:55 p.m., the park dispatch office received notification of an injured hiker in Orderville Canyon. The park SAR team, including a park medic, was dispatched to the scene. The team found Chris Eddy, from Spokane, Washington, with an injured ankle and unable to walk.  They splinted his ankle, placed him on a litter, then put him in an inflatable rescue raft for evacuation from the Narrows. The rescue effort was completed at 9:45 p.m. Eddy was transported in his personal vehicle to the Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah, where he was treated for a fractured ankle. Eddy had been day hiking in the Narrows and was exploring the lower reaches of Orderville Canyon when he jumped down and injured his ankle. He was not wearing sturdy footwear with good ankle support, as is recommended for hikers in the Narrows. The inflatable rescue raft was designed and built especially for Zion National Park for rescues such as this one. The raft consists of two inflatable pontoons connected by four supports where a litter can be strapped. This incident marked the first use for the new raft; members of the SAR team were very pleased with its performance. [ZION, 5/8]

02-165 - Yosemite NP (CA) - HUG A TREE makes a rescue easier.

Two overdue hikers were successfully rescued after being spotted by helicopter searchers on Tuesday, May 7th. Robert Axelrod, 28, of Redondo Beach, and Chau Pham, 27, of Los Angeles planned a three-day backpacking trip in the Wawona District, which is in the southern part of the park. Their trip went awry when they lost the trail in snowy conditions. They initially tried to follow a drainage, but decided to stop and wait for rescue when they realized that they were lost. Rangers were notified late Monday night by concerned friends and family when the pair did not return to work earlier that day. A search was begun on Tuesday that involved as many as 40 people. Helicopter searchers followed the pair's tracks in the snow, which ultimately led them to the lost hikers. Axelrod and Pham were hungry and dehydrated, but otherwise in good condition. "This incident had a positive outcome because they had the right gear and clothing, but mainly because they stopped and stayed in one spot once they knew they were lost," said ranger Lulis Cuevas, who served as the incident commander. "Terrain in this area is extremely rugged and the hikers could have easily hurt themselves while looking for the trail." [Public Affairs, YOSE, 5/8]

An actual email letter to silt editor:

Belong to PCSAR in northern CA....have been trying to find recent update on the tragic Gage Wayment case, specifically whether the bimbo's lawsuit is still in process.  Searched on the net, and came across your web page.

But never mind the Wayment thing (unless you've got recent info!)... I had to write to tell you that I got hooked on reading incident descriptions on your SAR web page.  I busted out laughing every so often...nice to see YOUR site has quick descriptions mixed with wry and witty observations. If that's you who's writing those, you deserve a compliment.  Cool stuff!
Take it easy, and keep up the great work.                 Greg, PCSAR

Sun Jun 23, 2002           Canyoneering incident

We had planned to take the right fork of Leprechaun.  Due to our poor navigation I believe we ended up in the middle fork.  I have a couple years of canyoneering experience, none with a "mae west" slot. The two men who were with me have very little experience.
       As the day went on one of the members of our group became more and more concerned with the narrowness of the canyon and repeatedly asked me to "get us out of there."  We reached a point in the canyon where we were "stemming" about 20 feet above the canyon bottom, and the narrowness of the canyon was increasing.  I was worried one or both of the friends I was with might fall and become wedged in the bottom of the canyon.  With the tension mounting I decided to free climb up one of the less vertical walls in a wider part of the canyon so I could set a rope for the other two members to ascend and free themselves from the canyon.
       I began to climb the pitch and found every crevice and hole filled with fine, dry sand that was constantly raining down from the gap above me. The rest of this story is second hand, as I don't remember any of it.
       I've been told that I did reach the top of the pitch (about 60 feet above the canyon bottom) when I attempted to pull myself over the lip the sandstone crumbled and I began to fall.  I slid down the face of the rock for about 15 feet, my feet caught and I was tossed to the opposing wall of the canyon.  I've heard I bounced back and forth between the opposing walls several times before I landed on my back on the canyon floor. This fall took place at about 3:00 pm on April the 17th.
       I was quickly attended to by my friends and I complained of injuries in my chest and stomach area.  The two men I was with did not know I had sustained serious head injuries (subdural hematoma ans and epidural hematoma) bruising and bleeding of the brain.
       Like I said before, I have no memory of this fall or the following 2 weeks.
       After my fall The other 2 people I was with moved me to a wider section in the canyon to await rescue. Night soon came and the temperatures dropped to the low thirties.
       When We did not check in with our wives that night to let them know we were safe they began making calls to organize a search. Meanwhile we sat freezing in the canyon.
       About 25 hours after my fall a helicopter was spotted flying near our position.  The 2 men I was with began to shout and bang to show our position. One of the rescuers found us and relayed our position to the rest of the search team.  Several bolts and anchors were placed in the sandstone above our position.  One of the rescuers rappelled down to the canyon floor to asses my condition.  He determined I was not fit to remove myself from the canyon and I would need to be lifted out by Life Flight.  After several hours of problem solving and rescue attempts I was lifted out of the canyon and flown to LDS hospital in Salt Lake City.
       During the flight I became combative due to my injuries and had to be placed in a paralyzed state to prevent further damage to my brain. Upon arriving at the hospital I underwent cat scans to check my brain damage, and full body x-rays to look for broken bones or internal injuries.  None were found barring a minor rib injury.
       The swelling in my brain had stopped making surgery unnecessary. The Doctors credit this to the cold temperatures in the canyon during our wait for rescue.
       All in all I have made a welcome yet unexpected recovery.  I still have some annoying yet necessary restrictions put on me by the doctors. I will not be making any canyoneering trips for the next year.
       This whole incident has been a good thing in some ways.  I have learned that I am not 18 anymore, and I am capable of error and poor judgment.  I will certainly be safer for this experience.

#01-5 (Sept-Dec, 2001) -- Three cheers for Nancy, more fun on the rocks, broken bones
#01-4 (July-August, 2001) -- Mock muck, river claims victims, aMAZEing survival
#01-3 (May-June, 2001) -- Group heat exhaustion, Zane flies, boys get stuck
#01-2 (March-April) -- Rocks fall, bones break, bikers get lost
#01-1 (Jan-Feb., 2001) -- Doggie Bagged; Pilot dies in Book Cliffs crash

#00-5 (Sept.-Oct. 2000) Brad finds a son; a relatively quiet couple of months.
#00-4 (July-August2000) -- Airplane crash, a note from Colin, the search for Jeff Firak
#00-3  (Apr-June2000) -- Stuck on the Tombstone, the usual lost and dried bikers, Chris's Mill Creek adventure, Clinton stabilizes Frank's porch
#00-1,2,&2.5 (Jan-Apr2000) -- Nathan jumps, Matt splats, waiting for high water, confluence disappears, Mill Creek wall strike

#99-5 (Sept-Dec99) -- The "Mari" incident, Westwater drowning, Jeeping off Gemini, Stuck on Fine Jade
#99-4 (July - August 99) -- NPS Whitewater Rescues; Prepare Fair; Tracking by Sgt.Green; Credit for responding, finishing the job; Air Life's preferred radio freq; The Puke Frog returns; Lightning
#99-3 (May-June 99) -- Cataract High; Web rescue; Disaster Brothers; Search Training; Short Haul at altitude; Leadership; Rescue: Who pays
#99-2 (Mar-Apr 99) -- River Peak Flow Forecast; Arches Rock Rescue; Lift Evacuation Team; Huge Fund Raiser; Thanks Brad; Knotcraft
#99-1 (Jan-Feb 99) -- Adventure; "Too Short"; Gary Haynes; Evac Team Paid Now

#98-6 (Nov-Dec 98) -- Thanks Yous; Tramway and rescue plans; Cellular Phonefinder; Practice Safe Response; Pipeline Go BOOM
#98-5 (Sept-Oct 98) -- Credit for Responding; Colin Smith @ NPS SAR; Response Statistics; Old Men Do Cliff ResQ; Documentation; SLTrib: $ for SAR
#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)