You are here

Home

All Recent Comments

Against All Odds: Rangers Find Injured Man Crawling Across the Desert at Canyonlands National Park

Sep 18th - 09:56am | Amos Richards

I thought that I would never get lost or injured. That always happened to someone else. I found out different. The worse part about this whole thing is the worry and pain I caused my family and friends. It was very inconsiderate and selfish of me to think that my actions wouldn't have an impact on others. I think that it is my responsibility to pay for all the cost of the search and rescue.

Sep 17th - 22:27pm | Anonymous

How many self-righteous, narrow-minded people, blathering about irresponsiblity, do we have to listen to, every time a solo hiker gets hurt? Some people venture outside of the box on occation. And that is perfectly OK. When you go solo hiking, you take personal responsibility for your safety.

Sep 17th - 17:25pm | Moab Man

Glad you made it out Jim. Those who can't understand a solo hike and its merits of self-reliance can die inside their cocoon. I'm tackling Courthouse Wash in Arches solo in a week just because I can, and I can't wait! Cheers!

Sep 17th - 16:41pm | Jim Burnett

There's a different wrinkle, but not sure it's the way I'd prefer to get some international exposure :-)

Sep 17th - 16:36pm | Anonymous

I was reading about this in a UK news site and they posted Jim's photo as the victims. Looks like they took it right off this webpage.

Sep 17th - 12:40pm | Anonymous

To some people it is worth the risk. Not everyone cares to live in a pampbered bubble of surburban coddling. Clearly this man could handle himself, unlike 90% of people who have no survival instinct whatsoever.

Sep 17th - 11:29am | Anonymous

It's good to hear about people going for it. Self sufficiency is aa blessed feeling as is crawling your way to help. Its a shame they had to pull out the helicopter when he was obviously on his way out anyway. Getting 'picked off' is never a good ending to a trip story but at least he tried. Congrats!

Sep 17th - 10:14am | Anonymously-yours

Good thing the search costs didn't amount to too much. I can see how too many people this could bankrupt the state park system. Of course tea partiers would just say "leave them out there to die, problem solved", but the rest of us would like to think that two and a half world wars has taught mankind something... P.S. Nothing here is "gratuitous" so no need to edit ;-).

Sep 16th - 22:21pm | Anonymous

"In a remarkable tale of determination"... The only thing remarkable is his lack of good judgment. On second thought, because people do this sort of thing so often, I guess it isn't really all that remarkable. (Ed. note: this comment has been edited slightly to remove a gratuitous remark.)

Sep 16th - 19:31pm | CrazyMan

I made several 50 Mile solo hiking trips in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, traveling light I often times carried the bare minimum needed to survive. But I grew up in the mountains and learned what is edible and what will result in my becoming condor food.

Sep 16th - 17:45pm | Pixie S

During my last visit to the Bluejohn area in April 2011 I discovered they had added a cell phone tower that allowed cellular access at both the Horeshoe Canyon trailhead and the Maze Ranger Station at Hans Flat. I wonder why he was unable to contact anyone with his cell phone, or if he even took one? 

Sep 16th - 14:57pm | Anonymous

I have no problem with the man hiking alone. The problem I see, as Jim's article reports is "no one else was aware of his plans or his location, no overnight gear, warm clothes or a map". I am glad the story has a happy ending. [This comment was edited to remove a gratuitous remark. Ed.]

Sep 16th - 14:45pm | Anonymous

in todays day and age the technology is out there and its cheap enough that if you want to travel alone at least carry a gps or a alert beacon or something. I am happy he is alive , but he [should have been] properly prepared for a hike.

Sep 16th - 14:22pm | Anonymous

Hiking alone is not the problem. It is people who fail to plan for problems that might occur. SPOT now has the ability to send a gps signal when you have an emergency. Carrying one of these he would have had help quickly.

Sep 16th - 14:09pm | Anonymous

Nonsense, I've hiked, canoed, kayaked, and overnight backpacked on extended trips alone, and in 40 years of doing so never had a situation that I would consider even a close call. Being prepared, and leaving plenty of safety margin in every decision, is key. I'll bet if I could see where he fell, I would tell you I would have walked away from that descent if alone.

Sep 16th - 13:37pm | Anonymous

Solo hikers: Wear dog tags which will identify the body.

Sep 16th - 12:41pm | Anonymous

I guess he never read the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston, or saw 127 Hours, either.  This was the same canyon that Ralston was trapped in for five days.

Sep 16th - 11:58am | Billy Mumphrey

People always say "Don't hike alone!" "Don't hike alone!" I hike alone all the time. I have no choice. I've never found a significant other and my friends can't afford to travel. What am I supposed to do? Sit home and let life pass me by?

Sep 16th - 09:59am | Anonymous

Leave a note of your intended hike/duration/date on your dashboard and another note in your tent. HIking alone is a pleasure and a responsibility. Just be smart.

Sep 16th - 09:43am | Anonymous

Hiking alone is ok..and rewarding, but at least write down the general area where you plan to explore, when you expect to be back, and leave your plan with someone who'll follow up if you don't happen to return on schedule.

Sep 16th - 09:09am | ILoveBears

I agree!

Sep 16th - 08:32am | Anonymous

I have no problem with people hiking alone but for God's sake, leave a "float plan" with someone! 

Sep 16th - 08:20am | Connie Hopkins

I am glad for his sake and his family's sake that his story has a happy ending! It could just as easily have gone the other way! Hiking with someone else may not prevent a severe accident or even death but it can make all the difference in rescue and recovery for the family that anxiously waits for news!

Sep 16th - 07:38am | Anonymous

How many hikers have to be injured, lost or dead before other hikers wake up and understand that everytime they hike alone they are in great danger.  Did this gentleman learn nothing from the other hiker who lost his arm to save his life? 

Archaeologists Find Curious Prehistoric Artifacts At Noatak National Preserve

Sep 18th - 03:18am | Anonymous

Amazing find.  I have read Barry Fell's books (written in the 70's) regarding petroglyphs and travelers to North America from places abroad (especially he was interested in celtic, phoenician, libyans)  and this reminds me of that.  These finds clearly seem to be from some ancient culture likely very different.  Fascinating.ei

Permanent Vacation: Twenty Writers on Work and Life in Our National Parks

Sep 17th - 20:22pm | Paul

9-17-11

The Emerald Ash Borer Has Turned Up In Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sep 17th - 07:48am | Kirby Adams

Sad news, but in Michigan it's been clear this was a matter of when, not if. The "Don't Move Firewood" campaign has been quite effective in getting the word out, but all it takes is one failure.

Reader Participation Day: What Was Your Most Memorable Ranger-Led Experience in the National Parks This Year?

Sep 17th - 01:21am | Jon Sparks

Since March I have been to 16 different national park sites all over the country and had a fantastic time.  However the single best Ranger experience I've had was clearly at Andersonville National Historic Site.  Our ranger did an hour long tour of the prison site that was outstanding.  The balance between pure facts and the stories that brought them to live was perfect.  He was never stumped b

Sep 15th - 10:34am | lonesome traveler

Not exactly a ranger-led experience in the sense of a tour, but Canyonlands Ranger Nathaniel Clark and his colleague Sierra whose last name I never got deserve special recognition for the patience and knowledge they demonstrated while spending time helping me identify numerous plant species that I photographed at Canyonlands and Arches in May 2011.

Sep 14th - 13:58pm | Danny Bernstein

Even before I read the comments above, I thought of my visit to Manassas outside of Washington D.C. I am not a war buff but I visit all these sites if they're in a National Parks. The interpretive ranger made the battle come alive. Even more interesting is what happened to the site after the war.

Mannheim Steamroller Celebrates Glacier National Park in New CD

Sep 16th - 23:16pm | Anonymous

The article is a bit misleading, unfortunately.  It talks about how Chip found inspiration from his stay at the national park, but the truth is that this is just another collection of rehashed songs from previous Mannheim albums and the Ambience series.  I think there are only two new songs.  I really wish Chip WOULD find the inspiration to go into the studio and write a brand new album, but he

Updated: Climbing Fees Rising At Denali National Park and Preserve

Sep 16th - 17:39pm | Anonymous

Paying for chopper loads of BBQ pits, ski equipment, and [other stuff] for upwards of 20 climbing rangers contributes to this rediculous 1.1 million dollar budget.  I'd prefer to see some layoffs, and make the rangers guide folks if they want to make a living on the mountain.  that's free market... and then the guides can innitaite rescues.

Ice Roads Offer a Unique Way to See Voyageurs National Park during the Winter

Sep 16th - 08:52am | ramblefeet

I have lived in Minnesota for years and snowshoe nearly every winter day, and this is the first time I've ever heard of the ice roads in Voyageurs National Park.   How cool is that? Thank you for the info - what a great find for this winter!

Survey Says National Park Service Is Far from the Best Government Agency to Work For

Sep 16th - 00:01am | Anonymous

As a seasonal employee who has worked in three different parks I believe it depends on the park and the management at these parks.

Reader Participation Day: Do Grizzly Attacks Have You Leery of Hiking in Yellowstone National Park?

Sep 15th - 19:21pm | Patrick

NO!

History To Be Made With Dismantling Of Dams Impacting Olympic National Park Watershed

Sep 15th - 19:18pm | tahoma

This story mentions a hatchery, but not the controversy surrounding it. Some fisheries experts seem to feel politics has trumped science in this giant ecosystem experiment. Fairly balanced overviews: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016005701_hatchery25m.html

Sep 15th - 09:32am | tahoma

Six Elwha dam-cams are up & running to watch this project online: http://www.video-monitoring.com/construction/olympic/js.htm

Politicians Past And Present Want Interior Secretary To Permit Oyster Farm At Point Reyes National Seashore

Sep 15th - 13:51pm | Kurt Repanshek

Sarah, thanks for the correction regarding OIG and the Solicitor's Office. That said, the Frost Report reference pertaining to DBOC-related disturbances cited by Park Service employees or volunteers in their conversations with investigators or in their written field notes is not incorrect, as that's how the report reads.

Sep 15th - 11:02am | Sarah Rolph

Lots of acronyms here, so it’s easy to get confused.  You apparently mean the Frost Report—it wasn't issued by the OIG (Office of the Inspector General) but rather by the Solicitor's Office.

Sep 14th - 14:08pm | y_p_w

If they're going to be monitoring Drakes Estero, it's got to be about far more than the oyster farm's impacts. Many of the impacts come from kayakers and hikers. Much of the monitoring would probably be done by volunteers.

Sep 14th - 13:32pm | Anonymous

From my perspective, there isn't enough scientific data to understand the full impacts (positive and negative) of the oyster farm.  What data exist are mostly from more general natural resource monitoring (e.g., marine mammals).  Depending on the intensity of data desired, adequate monitoring to obtain sufficient scientific data would cost between $50k and $200K per year.

Musings from Glacier Bay National Park

Sep 15th - 10:37am | Rick B.

Welcome to the beauty that is Alaska!

Fatal Fall from Angels Landing in Zion National Park

Sep 14th - 20:48pm | Andrew H

I just got back from hiking A.L. last week.  It was really exciting but obviously not for everyone.  I did it in running shoes as I feel boots are too stiff to grab the rock.  I like the flex of running shoes.  I'm not surprised people die here but I do not want to see it all nannied and such.  Let people take risks!

Grand Canyon National Park Officials Release Stock Use Plan, Including Mule Ride Quotas

Sep 14th - 15:05pm | Fed Up With The...

To/for Spirit Coyote: It is wonderful that U are fit enough to make the trek down and back up into The Grand Canyon, and not having to "waste money" as U describe the cost to ride a mule down/back from the Canyon Floor. HOPEFULLY your fitness and overall health will permit U that opportunity in your later years of life.

A Photographer's Path, Images of National Parks Near the Nation's Capital

Sep 14th - 15:03pm | Anonymous

Copies are available from the Government Printing Office at: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/actions/GetPublication.do?stocknumber=024-005-01275-3

Accidental Bear Spray Discharge Forces Evacuation of Visitor Center at Grand Teton National Park

Sep 14th - 14:32pm | d-2

This National Parks Traveler story picked up and cited by Public Radio -- Thanks Jim Burnett and all the team for running this story, and getting cited on Public Radio.  It was a pleasure one morning being awakened by my radio quoting National Parks Traveler and this story you ran.   Thanks to National Parks Traveler for getting more national park stories out there!

National Park Service Issues 5-Year "Call To Action" Plan For Moving Toward Its Second Century

Sep 14th - 14:22pm | d-2

While it is true that a conservation or preservation agenda has never been much of a part of the Obama-Salazar agenda, in fairness they can demonstrate that fewer and fewer kids are getting out of doors.  The First Lady has made a point and a pitch for attacking childhood obesity, especially in urban areas.  You can look up Salazar's program, "America's Great Outdoors." If there is a focus to t

Contract Issued For "Missing Link" on Foothills Parkway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Sep 14th - 13:29pm | Anonymous

We recently visited Townsend, TN for a family reunion and heard about the "missing link".  What are you thinking?  We traveled on E. Miller Cover Rd.

Are Hunters Good Wildlife Stewards When It Comes To Wolves? Not According To This Study

Sep 14th - 12:42pm | justinh

New article on wolves and more potential benefits to the Yellowstone ecosystem:

Wyoming Governor Calling For More Snowmobiles In Yellowstone National Park

Sep 14th - 12:08pm | Dick Gutierrez

Bruce- Maybe before you proclaim what is or is not" ludicrous" you should do a little research so you don't look like an uninformed fool. The snowmobiles used in YS are specifically made to reduce emmissions and noise as much as possible. They are as quite as most cars which are allowed in the park the rest of the year. Perhaps we should ban cars/trucks as well.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.