May 7th 10, 05:22 PM
posted to alt.mountain-bike,rec.bicycles.soc,rec.backcountry,ca.environment,sci.environment
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Hiker lost in a canyon without water rescued
In article , Stormin Mormon says...
Man with inadequate equipment goes off, changes plans, and
then is rescued by large ammounts of tax payer dollars.
Charles Darwin must be rolling over in his grave. We're
nurturing the idiots at the expense of the working class.
Yeah. This clown sounds like me when I go to town shopping.
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Bob Berger" wrote in message
...
http://home.nps.gov/applications/morningreport/
THE MORNING REPORT
Friday, April 23, 2010
Big Bend National Park (TX)
Rangers Rescue Stranded Hiker
Park dispatch received a report of an overdue hiker on the
remote
and strenuous Marufo Vega Trail on the morning of Friday,
April 9th.
The hiker, 34-year-old J. Meyers of Austin, Texas, had been
issued
a permit for a three day hike. The park plane was dispatched
and
searched the area without success. As temperatures had been
in the
90's for several days, a hasty ground search team started
hiking
the trail. A horse team was also assembled and started up
the trail
with medical supplies and extra water. A Texas Department of
Public
Safety (DPS) helicopter joined the search of the narrow
steep
canyons. Later that afternoon, the crew of the helicopter
spotted
an unusual blue object on a canyon floor, while the crew of
a park
plane spotted what turned out to be an orange sleeping bag
in the
same canyon. Ground searchers were directed to the location
and
found the missing hiker. They learned that Meyers had become
lost
on his first day out and wandered the open desert in search
of the
trail. By day three, he was desperate for water and begun
descending
washes in an attempt to reach the Rio Grande, which he could
see
in the distance. As his desperation grew, Meyers climbed
down into a
steep canyon, believing it lead to the river, but found that
it lead
only to a 70-foot pour-off above the river. He was trapped -
he could
see the river below, but could not climb back up the canyon
wall. To
keep from dehydrating, Meyers chewed the juice out of cacti
and took
advantage of shade from the canyon walls. He also spelled
out the
word "Help" with rocks and lit a small fire, hoping it might
be seen
from a plane. Rangers rappelled into the canyon and then
rappelled
with him to the canyon floor below, where they were picked
up by
the DPS helicopter. Despite having filed a backcountry plan,
Meyer
had changed his plan at the last minute without telling
anyone and
took only enough water for one day. He did not have proper
topographic
maps, a compass, GPS, or any other recommended supplies.
Without
sufficient food and water, it is likely that he would not
have
survived another 24 hours. Employees from various divisions
assisted
along with park volunteers and DPS and US Border Patrol
personnel.
Ranger Joe Roberts was IC.
[Submitted by Allen Etheridge, Chief Ranger]
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