Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Hiker Struck By Lightning Rescued By Park Staff
Rangers received a phone call late yesterday morning reporting an injured man on Longs Peak. He'd been found by hikers in the area of The Narrows at roughly 13,800 feet. According to the initial reports, the 31-year-old Minnesota man had hiked to the peak the day before and spent an unplanned night in the backcountry. He was conscious and able to walk slowly with assistance, but was unable to recall what had caused his injuries. As a trail crew headed to his location, dispatch received additional calls from visitors who reported that they were helping the man down the trail and were also providing him with dry clothing, food and water. The crew reached him in early afternoon at The Ledges. Based on an assessment of his injuries, including numerous burns, it was determined that he'd been struck by lightning sometime late on Tuesday. The trail crew provided immediate care and got the man to the Agnes Vaille shelter, where they waited out an intense storm with lightning, hail, heavy rains and low temperatures. They then resumed their slow hike down the trail and connected with rangers at The Boulderfield around 4 p.m. The rangers provided him with emergency medical care. He was then littered to a location where a medevac helicopter was able to pick him up and take him to St. Anthony Central. About 35 people were involved with this rescue, including a paramedic from Estes Park Medical Center. [Submitted by Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer]
El Malpais National Monument (NM)
Unexploded Bomb Found In Park
While working on the Barbell Fire in the Cerritos de Jaspe region of the park, resource advisor Steve Baumann found the shrapnel and casing of an exploded bomb and what appeared to be an unexploded bomb from the World War II era. The fire crews were evacuated and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team from Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque was requested. The McCartys Crater area in El Malpais was used as a bombing range from 1942 to 1944, when 100 pound "iron bombs" loaded with TNT were dropped on targets to train bomber crews. Over the past 23 years at El Malpais, there have been five "unexploded ordnance" (UXO) incidents that required an EOD team to evaluate and dispose of bombs. On July 23rd, the Kirtland EOD team cleared the area, inspected the vintage weapon, and detonated the bomb. With the UXO neutralized, fire crews returned to managing the Barbell Fire. [Submitted by Dana Sullivan]
