EP News Photo

On September 1, park officials will put closures in place for travel on foot or horse off established roadways or designated trails from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. These closures last through October 31 and are effective in Horseshoe Park, Upper Beaver Meadows, Moraine Park, Harbison Meadow and Holzwarth Meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park. Fishing in the Fall River, Thompson River or Colorado River within the posted areas and during the closure period is prohibited.

The purpose of the closures is to prevent disturbance and harassment of elk during their fall mating period and to enhance visitor elk viewing opportunities. As always, elk calling and the use of spotlights or vehicle headlights for spotting wildlife is prohibited in Rocky Mountain National Park.

At approximately 8:00 a.m. this morning, Friday, August 27, two park rangers on a climbing patrol on the Yellow Wall route on the Diamond of Longs Peak, witnessed a fall of a technical climber from Broadway Ledge.

The climber fell down the North Chimney Route from Broadway Ledge to Mills Glacier, roughly 800 feet. The rangers reached the man’s body at 10:00 a.m.

The victim’s body was flown to a helispot in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of the park at 2:10 p.m. His body was then transferred to the Boulder County Coroner. The identification of the man is under investigation.

EP News Gary Hazelton

To help ensure a safe and enjoyable time for park visitors, park rangers will be increasing Law Enforcement Patrols in the park, to include possible Safety and Sobriety Checkpoints. This will take place during the week of August 16.

For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park please contact the park’s information office at (970) 586-1206.

On Wednesday, August 4, park rangers received a cell phone call around 11:00 am that a 31-year-old man was injured on Longs Peak. He had been found by other hikers in “The Narrows” area close to the junction with “The Homestretch” at roughly 13,800 feet. The initial reports indicated that he had hiked to Longs Peak the day before and had 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. At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Minnesota man was reported overdue by friends. They indicated he had hiked to Longs Peak on Tuesday and had not returned.

Continued phone calls to park dispatch by visitors along the route, indicated that visitors were assisting the man down the route. They were also providing dry clothing, food and water. A park trail crew in the area reached the man at 1:10 p.m. on “The Ledges.” Due to an assessment of injuries at that time, it was determined that the man had been struck by lightning sometime late Tuesday. He had numerous burn injuries.

The trail crew was able to provide immediate care and continued to walk the man to the Agnes Vaille shelter, a primitive historic shelter, located at “The Keyhole.” They waited out an intense storm with lightning, hail, heavy rains and low temperatures. Once the severe storm passed, they began walking slowly down the route and connected with park rangers at 4:10 p.m. at “The Boulderfield.” Rangers provided more emergency medical care to the man.

The first litter team of park staff reached the patient at 5:25 p.m. Wednesday evening. Due to the severe weather in the area during the beginning of the rescue, helicopters were unable to fly. Weather conditions improved and at approximately 6:30 p.m. Flight for Life flew the patient to St. Anthony Central. Approximately 35 people are involved with this rescue in the field, including a paramedic from Estes Park Medical Center. Park rescue personnel are hiking back to the trailhead and should be out of the backcountry by 11:00 p.m. Wednesday night.

At 8:15 a.m. Sunday, July 25, park rangers were notified of an overdue backcountry skiier. The 40 year old Colorado man was planning to ski in the backcountry near Finch Lake on Saturday and had not been heard from. At 9:20 a.m. park rangers went to the Finch Lake Trailhead and found the man’s car. The man was reported to be an experienced backcountry skiier who was planning on hiking in to and skiing a snowfield near Finch Lake. At 4:00 p.m. park rangers found the man’s body on a snowfield above Cony Lake in the Hutcheson Lakes drainage near the southern boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park. At this time, the cause of death is unknown.

The man’s body is roughly 10 miles from the nearest trailhead. Because of weather conditions and logistics the body recovery will take place on Monday, July 26. Rangers will remain close to the scene of the accident tonight. His body will be transferred to the Boulder County Coroner’s office. The victim’s name will not be released until next of kin are notified.

This summer, if conditions allow, fire managers from Rocky Mountain National Park are preparing to conduct prescribed burns in the South Lateral Moraine, North Lateral Moraine, and Deer Ridge Junction areas. The South Lateral Moraine burn area is 115 acres of open ponderosa located south of Eagle Cliff Mountain and adjacent to Bear Lake Road. The North Lateral Moraine burn area is 140 acres north of the Moraine Park Visitor Center and south of the junction of Trail Ridge Road and Bear Lake Road.

The Deer Ridge Junction burn area is 70 acres northeast of the junction of Trail Ridge Road and Fall River Road. One burn in the South Lateral Moraine area was successfully completed this spring and burning will likely resume within the three adjacent units before moving on to the other areas.

Burning will only occur if weather and fuel conditions are favorable. Multiple days of ignition will likely occur in each area to limit daily smoke production. The primary goal of the project is to reduce the threat of wildland fire to adjacent communities and park infrastructure by using prescribed fire to reduce the amount of fuel available for wildfires in the project areas.

Favorable conditions for burning are anticipated to occur periodically July 26 through August 31. Ignitions will only occur on weekdays with smoldering and smoke emissions lasting for an additional 3-10 days. Smoke may be visible from Highways 66, Bear Lake Road, Trail Ridge Road, and Fall River Road as well as other locations in the park. Every effort will be made to minimize smoke impacts to visitors and the adjacent community; however some smoke is anticipated to flow down the Fall River and Big Thompson River corridors and into the Town of Estes Park during the early morning hours. No trail closures are anticipated but visitors hiking past active burn areas may be escorted by fire personnel through the area.

Safety factors, weather conditions, air quality, available personnel, fire danger, ongoing wildfires, and environmental regulations are continually monitored as a part of any prescribed fire management operation. For more information please contact the park’s information office at (970) 586-1206.

Photo taken by Jim Caretti, Rocky Mountain National Park

Information supplied by Rocky Mountain National Park

At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 8, park rangers received a call from the Civil Air Patrol that they had received an ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) at 12:30 p.m. and another one at 4:24 p.m. potentially from a downed plane within the park near Milner Pass. Park rangers glassed the area from multiple locations on Trail Ridge Road and did not see any sign of an airplane or smoke.

Around 8:00 p.m. two Civil Air Patrol fixed wings were dispatched to the area and they confirmed the ELT beacon in upper Forest Canyon. They also reported seeing two points of light, possibly fire, in the same general area. Last night, park rangers began hiking in to this remote area from Gore Range Overlook off Trail Ridge Road. Rangers searched until 2:00 a.m. and resumed searching at 5:00 am. They reached the two victims at 6:40 a.m. this morning.

The pilot was Jim Michaels, 54, and one passenger, his daughter Tonie, 18. They walked away from the crash with just minor injuries. The plane was a single engine fixed wing American Champion Aircraft manufactured in 2009, and owned by Michaels Air Service, LLC of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. The owner of the aircraft is Jim Michaels. Mr. Michaels is an experience pilot flying since age 16. His daughter, Tonie, is also a pilot and has just gotten her license.

Photo taken by Mark Daniel, Rocky Mountain National Park

The crash site is in heavy timber. The plane’s wings were folded back and the plane came to rest against a large fir tree. The cockpit was intact but the canopy was sheared off. The plane did not catch fire. The Michaels did not lose consciousness and got out of the plane because of concern the plane might catch on fire. They built a shelter from plane debris and trees and waited out a passing storm. They built two signal fires. Then they saw a plane overhead and added airplane fuel and a tire to one of the fires to create black smoke.

They left Oconomowoc Wednesday and stayed in Greeley that night. The flight plan called for them to continue to Aspen, Telluride, Leadville and back to Oconomowoc.

A helicopter from Grand Teton National Park stationed here to assist with the Cow Creek Fire, was staged at the Alpine Visitor Center early this morning. A landing zone was selected about a mile from the crash site and the survivors were walked to the landing zone where they were flown out to Alpine Visitor Center arriving at 9:23 a.m. No ambulance was requested.

Rangers are assisting the victims and at this time, the Michaels’ do not want to speak with the media.

Park officials are in contact with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board and will be cooperating on an investigation of the cause of the crash.

To the best of our knowledge, there have been seven aircraft crashes with eleven fatalities since 1948, the last being in 2000 near Comanche Peak with two fatalities. There have been five aircraft crashes with fifteen survivors since 1945, the last being in 1994 near Hallett Peak with three survivors.

There is no imminent threat of the signal fires spreading but we have firefighters on scene to put out the fires.

EP News Photo

Firefighters achieved containment of the northeast, east, and southern portions of the Cow Creek Fire in the remote West Creek area in Rocky Mountain National Park. The immediate threat to the area on the park’s eastern boundary has been mitigated; however, there is potential for the fire to spread to the west.

The fire will likely burn through the remainder of the fire season until a significant weather event, such as snow this fall, puts the fire out. According to Superintendent Vaughn Baker, “Current fire management actions for the Cow Creek Fire, include on the ground monitoring and recon flights. It is expected that smoke will be visible in this area for the coming months, especially when weather conditions such as wind, warm temperatures and low humidity are present.”

Air operations are expected for the next three weeks on the Cow Creek Fire, providing support for crew members on the ground as well as conducting reconnaissance flights. These resources could also supplement any need for interagency initial attack of future fires in the park or Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Control actions may be required in the future if fire behavior in the West Creek area warrants.

On July 4, the three trails that were closed due to fire operations reopened. However, off trail travel on national park lands south of the North Fork of the Big Thompson River, west of the North Boundary Trail, north of Cow Creek, and east of Mummy Mountain and Mount Dunraven are prohibited due to the active fire in the area.

Fire is a natural part of the ecosystem in the park. Fires have not burned in this rugged, remote area of the park for hundreds of years. “Many plants and animals are dependent on fire for their survival. Periodic fire can improve reproduction of plants and improve wildlife habitat. As we learn more about the historic role of wildland fire on public lands, we are also mindful of our duty in the protection of the public and communities,” said Baker. “Although this fire is miles away from any homes, it serves as a good reminder to all of us who live nearby, to take the necessary precautions to protect our homes.” More information on preparing for a wildfire can be found at www.firewise.org