Military Assists in Climber Evacuation
07/12/2010 | by Denali National Park and Preserve News Release
Date: July 8, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Maureen McLaughlin, (907) 733-9103
Military Assists in Climber Evacuation
A 25-year-old solo climber from Pennsylvania was evacuated from the
14,200-foot camp on Mt. McKinley on July 7 after his erratic behavior and
alarming statements revealed signs of mental illness with a likelihood of
causing serious harm to himself or others.
Prior to flying to the Kahiltna Basecamp, the solo climber told a Talkeetna
resident that he intended to paraglide from the summit, an activity
prohibited by federal regulation in Denali National Park. When NPS staff
members in Talkeetna were informed of this, rangers confronted the
individual who signed an affidavit saying that he would not bring his
paragliding equipment on the mountain. After he began his ascent of the
West Buttress on June 28, other climbing parties on the route made numerous
reports to rangers that the soloist demonstrated unsafe glacier travel, a
lack of appropriate gear, improper disposal of human waste, littering, and
unusual inter-personal interactions.
When he reached the 14,200-foot camp, Denali mountaineering volunteers and
rangers evaluated the climber, who was cold, wet, and in distress. While
treating the man for hypothermia, rangers discovered paragliding equipment
in his sled. The paraglider was seized, at which time the individual’s
behavior and language grew increasingly unusual and erratic. Two NPS
volunteer medical professionals at the camp consulted over a 24 hour period
by telephone with the park’s medical director in Anchorage about their
patient observations. A determination was made that the patient’s behavior
and condition presented a potential risk to his life and others.
Under provisions of Alaska State law, a 72 hour protective custody order
was prepared by the medical director in Anchorage. It was deemed unsafe to
transport a mentally unstable person within the small confined cabin of the
park’s high altitude helicopter. Denali staff requested military assistance
through Alaska’s Rescue Coordination Center. Two Army Chinook CH 47
helicopters from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade out of Ft. Wainwright
responded to Talkeetna on the morning of July 7 and transported two Denali
law enforcement rangers to the 14,200-foot camp.
NPS personnel at the camp had the individual strapped and secured on a
backboard when the single Chinook landed early in the afternoon. The
individual was placed in the aircraft and flown directly back to Ft.
Wainwright. Alaska State Troopers assisted the park by taking custody of
the individual on the ground and transporting him to Fairbanks Memorial
Hospital.
-NPS-
Maureen McLaughlin
Mountaineering Administration and Public Information
Talkeetna Ranger Station
Denali National Park & Preserve
PO Box 588
Talkeetna, Alaska 99676
(907) 733-9103 (phone)
(907) 733-1465 (fax)
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