SILT HAPPENS #07-4
Incidents: 07-063 to 07-072 (July - August, 2007)
In this issue: Tubing Westwater may have proved fatal, A turn sign is missed leaving bikers dehydrated on Gold Bar
****** "Silt Happens" Back Issues ******

Content by Bego Gerhart (1T836) --- HTML by Barbara Fincham (1T810) using Microsoft FrontPage


GCSAR Home "Silt Happens" Member Profiles Schedule of Events Operations Statistics

 

7- 26 GCSAR Summer Picnic: 6PM, Elks Lodge  
8- 14 GCSAR Ropes and Knots: Litter tie-in, 3:1 Pulley rig Frank, Jim
8- 23 GCSAR

Ropes and Knots: Rappelling, 3:1 Pulley rig

Frank, Jim, Bego
8- 28

Total eclipse of the Moon, Good One

 
9- 11 GCSAR Mock Incident  
9- 27 GCSAR TBA  
10- 9 GCSAR ICS-a NIMS requirement  
10- 25 GCSAR Medical  
11- 13 GCSAR Medical  
11- 29 GCSAR

Review of 07 training and test

 
12- 11 GCSAR Winter SAR  

 

Gary Salamacha 1950 - 2007

"Every great advance in knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of Authority" Aldous Huxley

"Time is against us in the tracking game in this environment." Rex

Daily the Earth is bombarded by 80 to 100 metric tons of microscopic space dust (in the form of 10-5 gram particles)

Back of shirt: "SAR Psychic. Did someone say chopper?"

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.
Broad, wholesome, charitable views of man and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner  of the earth all one's lifetime.
" Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"

The Grand County Insurance Company ---> Wear EAR and EYE PROTECTION and SEAT BELTS
 

Incident Tally by Month
Average   J-1.7 F-2.8  M-8.6  A-11.3  M-12.5 J-7.2 [44.1]  J-5.9   A-4.8  S-6.9  O-9.1  [70.8]    N-5.3  D-1.8 [77.9]

   2007 -  J-3    F-2     M-14   A-24     M- 14   J- 5    [62]    J-  7    A-3
   2006 -  J-1    F-4     M-  6   A-12     M- 14   J-10   [47]    J-  8    A-2     S- 6    O-17    [ 80 ]    N-9     D-2     [ 91 ]
   2005 -  J-4    F-3     M-13   A-12     M- 15   J- 5    [52]    J-  9    A-7     S-13   O-16    [ 97 ]    N-5     D-2     [104]
   2004 -  J-1    F-1     M-15   A-13     M-   9   J- 6    [45]    J-  2    A-5     S- 5    O-  3    [ 60 ]    N-3     D-5     [ 68 ]
   2003 -  J-2    F-1     M-  6   A-12     M- 11   J- 6    [38]    J-  7    A-5     S-11   O-  9    [ 70 ]    N-5     D-0     [ 75 ]
   2002 -  J-0    F-3     M-  9   A-  8     M- 10   J-12   [42]    J-  5    A-7     S- 7    O-  9    [ 70 ]    N-5     D-3     [ 78 ]
   2001 -  J-0    F-2     M-  5   A-11     M-   8   J- 6    [32]    J-  6    A-3     S- 2    O-  2    [ 45 ]    N-5     D-1     [ 51 ]
   2000 -  J-2    F-4     M-  9   A-13     M- 14   J- 7    [49]    J-  3    A-2     S- 9    O-  7    [ 70 ]    N-0     D-0     [ 70 ]
   1999 -  J-1    F-1     M-15   A-  4     M- 11   J- 8    [40]    J-  6    A-9     S- 9    O-13    [ 77 ]    N-7     D-2     [ 86 ]
   1998 -  J-0    F-1     M-  5   A-18     M- 15   J- 3    [42]    J-10    A-2     S- 4    O-  9    [ 67 ]    N-3     D-1     [ 71 ]  
   1997 -  J-4    F-6     M-10   A-  8     M- 16   J- 9    [53]    J-  4    A-6     S- 5    O-  9    [ 77 ]    N-8     D-0     [ 85 ]            
  

Full Moons: July 30, Aug 28, Sep 26, Oct 26

07- 63    7- 1- 07    Agency Assist    Arches NP    Search
     This search began the previous day when a person became separated from the rest of his party in the Devils Garden area. This scenario seems to be repeated quite regularly in Arches.
     Search Dog Shalla was paged out this evening. She brought Nancy and Margy with her.
     At 0530 hrs in the morning, GCSAR was paged to go out to the northeast of the park which is our usual assignment.
     ATV riders searched the dirt roads in Long Valley for sign.
     Fresh tracks were found that matched the description. Shortly later the subject was located by Lee.
Responders: Rex, Nancy, Margy, John, Lee, Mike, Jon, Steve

07- 64    7- 10- 07    Recovery    Colorado River    Westwater
     This person was last seen floating past the Westwater Ranger Station in an inner tube with a paddle and an iPod on Friday, 7- 6- 07.
     Passing raft parties found him floating in an eddy below the rapids on 7- 10- 07. We recovered the body.
Responders: Frank, Bego, Lee, Jon, Steve, Aug

07- 65    7- 13- 07    Dehydrated with some other Stuff?    Left Hand,    Mill Creek
     An odd medical thing is going on with this young man. He was suffering a few days ago also.
     We had to wheel him out of the canyon. The doctor is quite puzzled.
     It was HOT. He was part of an Outward Bound course and all the teens helped a lot.
Responders: Bego, Melissa, Barbara, Steve, Lee, Jim, Mike, Margy, Aug

07- 66    7- 14- 07    Search with Dog    Mesa County, CO

     Shalla searched near Grand Junction ................
Responders: Shalla, Nancy

07- 67    7- 21- 07    Unresponsive Male across the River Colorado River
     From the report: "Responded to location. Prepared to bring GCSAR rescue boat from town. Asked some passing kyakers to check on subject.
     He was 10-56 so we were 10-22d. Kyakers helped subject to left side of river (where the road is)."
Responders: Frank, Melissa, Lee, Mike, Duckie

07- 68    7- 27- 07    Overdue Hiker    Mill Creek
     A 17 year old Boy Scout got lost. His buddies said he stopped to pee and became separated from his group. While some went looking, a leader came to the parking lot and called for GCSAR.
     Archie 1 T 4 interviewed, paged SAR. 15 minutes later the lad was found by his own people.
Responders: Bego, Aug, Margy, Nancy

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FY 2007 Utah Search and Rescue Fund Payouts

 
County # Searches # Subjects Volunteer Hours $ Searches $ Training Approved Equipment Total $
  Grand 97 129 1822 513 6081 16242 22837
  San Juan 3 10 73 286 0 0 286
  Emery 9 10 237 10033 64 2137 12235
  Carbon 8 15 5163 15070 12220 12019 39310
  Iron 12 10 412 0 0 8747 8747
  Washington 14 14 732 4366 378 6965 11711

Totals-

             
21 of 29 Counties 478 982 34368 83431 55866 213041 351339

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07- 69    7- 28- 07    Dehydrated Bikers    Gold Bar
     A group of LDS Boy Scouts from Logan went bike riding down the Gemini Trail on a hot summer afternoon. They got to the bottom of the "steep hill" and kept going down the wash. No one saw the sign pointing left toward the hiway.
     So now they were going UP Gold Bar Rim trail. They got to the rim, looked down on the hiway and decided that wasn’t right. They decided not to go south on the Golden Spike trail. So they started back down. For some reason (??) they did not go back down the jeep trail but went off north and stumbled upon the "Blue Route." This is a very technical mtn bike single track, much harder than the jeep route.
     Some of the boys just gave up and sat under a tree. The group prayed for strength to get out. Strength was given to 6 who made their way back to the parking lot. They were going to rehydrate in a few minutes and take water back up to the rest of the group.
     They decided that wasn’t a good idea cuz they didn’t know where "back " was. So they summoned help.
     Louis 1 T 7 interviewed these guys, paged SAR and started driving up to Gold Bar. The 4WD ambulance started up also based on reports that several boys might be in bad shape. By the time GCSAR got to the parking lot, Louis had found the missing party who were making their way out. The evening had cooled them off enuff they had gotten up and started out.
     We sent in our pick up truck and the lads were transported out by vehicle.
Responders: Bego, Steve, Aug, Lee

07- 70    8- 5- 07    Biker Down    SRBT
     Reported as a bike wreck with a head injury and loss of consciousness just a quarter mile in on the trail.
     We prepared to respond and were 10-22d.
Responders: Frank, John, Lee, Mike, James

07- 71    8- 23- 07    Lost / Overdue Drill Rig Worker    Hay Canyon    Book Cliffs
      This guy had been out all night with a flat tire and walked into his office next morning. Just as we were pulling out of Moab to go look for him.
Responders: Frank, B ego, Lee, Barbara, Aug, James, Rex, Margy

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"Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference." - FDR "

Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters." -Daniel Webster

Quotes about power, from the powerful, here's one from Lincoln, on "the family of the lion, the tribe of the eagle," the last part of which resonates today:
     "An Alexander, a Caesar, or a Napoleon...disdains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored. It sees no distinction in adding story to story upon the monuments of fame erected to the memory of others.... It thirsts and burns for distinction; and, if possible, it will have it, whether at the expense of emancipating slaves, or enslaving freemen."      (From his address to the Young Men's Lyceum, Springfield, IL, 1838)


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Yosemite National Park (CA)
Body Of Missing Woman Found
The search for a missing woman ended on Tuesday, August 14th, when her body was located in the Echo Creek drainage, a rugged wilderness area southwest of Tuolumne Meadows. Ottorina Bonaventura, 80, was reported missing by friends when she failed to return to the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp after a day-hike on July 30th. Over 150 searchers from the National Park Service, counties throughout California, and DNC Parks and Resorts in Yosemite, Inc., participated in the search effort. Dog teams and helicopters were used as well. The cause of death is still under investigation.

Zion National Park (UT)
Injured Canyoneer Rescued In Highly Technical SAR
Canyoneer Jim Turner, 47, of Salt Lake City, sustained serious injuries when he fell about 40 feet while completing the last, 100-foot rappel on the popular Pine Creek route on Monday, August 13th. Turner‚Äôs brother rappelled down to him, determined that he was too injured to make it out on his own, and hiked out to report the incident, making contact with rangers just before 8 p.m. While a team was assembled to undertake the lengthy and highly technical 400-foot raising required to extricate Turner from the canyon, ranger/paramedic Rob Wissinger hiked to Turner’s location and determined that he was stable enough to survive the night with additional treatment and supplies. A second medic and other rangers hiked to Pine Creek and spent the night with Turner. Rescue plans were modified to assure that a safer, daytime rescue could be completed the following morning. The SAR team employed a Norwegian reeve highline to lower the litter and raise Turner and his attendant. He was lifted 400 feet to a window in the side of the Mount Carmel Tunnel, pulled through the window, then taken by park ambulance to Dixie Regional Medical Center, where he was found to be suffering from a fractured back, a bruised lung, and strained pelvic ligaments. The extrication was completed around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. Plateau district ranger Ray O’Neil was the operations chief.

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07- 72    8- 23- 07    Lost Jeeper    Monitor and Merrimac Buttes
     This guy cell phoned that he couldn’t find his way out to the Highway. Archie 1 T 4 drove up the paved road to a point where he could see the jeep’s headlights. More conversation.
     GCSAR was paged to go get him. So, with ATV and motorcycle, we did.
Responders: Bego, Matt,, John motorcycle, Bill 1 T 21

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Paraphrased from a PhD at NOAA in Boulder, CO, He is a climatic modeler, atmospheric physicist, etc. His contention is that the drought we are in, and the climate we can expect over the next 10-20 years, is/will be driven by higher temperatures, NOT lower precipitation. Because of increased evaporation and sublimation, even minor increases in temperature can significantly reduce runoff, and affect timing and size of peak flows.

 


"Silt Happens" Back Issues
#07-3 (May-June, 2007) -- A plane crash on the Green River, Hypothermia on Porcupine Rim
#07-2 (Mar-Apr, 2007) -- We have the highest number of incidents in 2 months to date
#07-1 (Jan-Feb, 2007) -- People are Stranded by Topography and Lack of Light  
 

#06-6 (Nov-Dec, 2006) -- Taz, a mixed breed dog, speeds trackers to his injured owner
#06-5 (Sept-Oct, 2006) -- Record rains mean marooned hikers on Delicate Arch Trail
#06-4 (July-August, 2006) -- Geo-Cachers seek trailhead, we assist Arches NP with a search for an overdue hiker
#06-3 (May-June, 2006) -- Summer avalanche takes a hiker, a boater steps from Room of Doom
#06-2 (Mar-Apr, 2006) -- Rock rescues, jeeping without a seatbelt, Exxon demonstration
#06-1 (Jan-Feb, 2006) -- Eyewitness evidence, up a trail without a spare, MINS
 


#05-6 (Nov-Dec, 2005) -- Multiple BASE jumpers hang-up on the same cliff,  we slip into the New Year
#05-5 (Sept-Oct, 2005) -- ATVers, BASE Jumpers and a River Rescue
#05-4 (July-August, 2005) -- An angry  rattlesnake , a manhunt and an ATV accident requiring a 100 ft technical rock rescue
#05-3 (May-June, 2005) -- ATV incidents increase but it's heat that takes the toll
#05-2 (Mar-Apr, 2005) -- Winter rescue at a B&B, a rock falls from under a camper and a night-time river trip
#05-1 (Jan-Feb, 2005) -- Search training, an active snow season, and a night-time rescue
 


#04-6 (Nov-Dec, 2004) -- Snow and mud mean overdue people
#04-5 (Sept-Oct, 2004) -- Bikers fall, camper falls, and one person picks up a snake
#04-4 (July-August, 2004) -- Dehydration and falls
#04-3 (May-June, 2004) -- Lost hikers, a fallen climber and a missing hitchhiker


#02-6 (Nov-Dec, 2002)--Depressed people, a speeding semi and winter warnings
#02-5 (Sept-Oct, 2002) – Floating Hummer, Mystery Ropes, Two Recoveries
#02-4 (July-August, 2002) -- Stuck kids, more broken bikers and lost hikers
#02-3 (May-June, 2002) -- Hot bikers, dried bikers, late bikers...lessons in desert biking.
#02-2 (Mar-Apr, 2002) -- Flying cars, rolling jeeps, crashing ATV's -- another typical Easter in Moab
#02-1 (Jan-Feb, 2002) -- Hummering along, Olympically Torched, Dogsgone


#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, 2001) -- 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)