--An experienced Seattle hiker has been found dead in the Glacier Peak Wilderness near Lake Wenatchee, apparently having been killed in a fall. Chelan County sheriff Lt. Maria Agnew said the body of George Terry "T.J." Langley Jr. was found about 2:30 p.m. Saturday by searchers off the Clark Trail near Little Giant Peak. Agnew said Langley was hiking in rocky terrain at about the 8,600-foot level and fell about 300 feet. To read more, click here.
Snow Creek Wall -- The Descent Gully is on the LeftPhoto by Kurt Hicks
--A climber on the Snow Creek Wall fell about 20 feet Friday evening and suffered broken ribs, cuts and a possible concussion, according to Lt. Maria Agnew of the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office. In addition to officials from the Sheriff’s Office, four Chelan County Mountain Rescue volunteers were on site to rescue the man, Steve Murphy. “It was a technical rescue that required ropes,” said Agnew. It appears that the fall was triggered on the descent by a rock that was dislodged from above by a goat. The rock hit Murphy and knocked him off his feet. To read more, click here and here.
Sierra:
--The body of a Berkeley man lost in the Sierra east of Fresno was found Thursday afternoon. A sheriff's helicopter crew spotted Cory Largman's tent in the Third Recess area east of Edison Lake this afternoon. Deputies lowered by helicopter found Largman's body near the tent. To read more, click here.
--Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park staff has started the environmental process on a plan that could lead to the removal of trout from some high mountain lakes in the park. When it comes to trout in high Sierra lakes, conflicts between recreation and the preservation of native species tend to rise up from time to time. Most high Sierra lakes did not have fish until the 1880’s when trout stocking began. Since that time the trout have been said to be the cause of the decline of the once widespread mountain yellow legged frog. Others have noted that lakes without trout have more bug life, which in turn brings in more bird life. To read more, click here.
Desert Southwest:
-- Alpinist 28 features a phenomenal article about the history of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It's that time of year for a visit to Red Rocks! Check out our programs here.
--Harriet Allen, an environmentalist who mentored generations of desert activists and played a key role in the 1994 passage of the landmark California Desert Protection Act, has died. She was 95. Allen died Sept. 30 of complications related to old age at a Kaiser hospital in San Diego, her family said. "She waged a decades-long battle to educate everyone that the desert matters," said Elden Hughes, a longtime desert-protection activist. "The fact that the desert has sustained itself as well as it has is a tribute to Harriet Allen. She deserves a big chunk of the credit." In 1954, she joined the Desert Protective Council, then newly formed to protect Joshua Tree National Monument from mining. To read more, click here.
Alaska:
--We've been watching the potential for major fee increases on Denali and Foraker for a long time. Unfortunately, it looks like these changes may take place soon. The National Park Service is considering a 150 percent increase, from $200 to $500 per individual, to climb the peaks. To read more, click here.
--A 39-year-old Canadian rescued after a bad fall in Denali National Park in September is back home, embarrassed by comparisons some are making of him -- unfairly, he says -- to "Into the Wild" subject Christopher McCandless. Exhausted, in severe pain and desperate, Robert Faber set fire to a stand of trees in the park to attract the attention of potential rescuers. It worked. "I really learned about the importance of family and friends, the kind of awful impact that you can have on the lives of others because of the decisions you make," he says. "I was so lucky in so many ways." To read more, click here.
Himalaya:
--Slovenian climber and guide Franc Oderlap was struck by a falling serac below Camp 2 on Manaslu (26,758') on October 1st. The 51-year old man died two days later in a Kathmandu hospital. Oderlap was well known as the first Solvenian to climb the Seven Summits. To read more, click here.
--Nepal has bestowed a rare honour on pioneering climber Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mount Everest along with Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, by installing their statues in Kathmandu. New Zealand's Hillary, who died in 2008 at the age of 88, and Nepal's Tenzing Norgay, who passed away in 1986 at the age of 72, climbed the 8,850-metre Everest summit in 1953, a feat that helped open up Nepal to international tourism. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--An 80-year-old male hiker was revived by rescue crews and airlifted to a hospital after suffering a possible heart attack on Tuesday in the Rocky Mountain National Park. To read more, click here.
--Two female climbers who fell about 40ft down in England were saved from more serious injury - by landing on their friends below. The two climbers, believed to be from the West Midlands region and in their 20s, fell from the summit of the cliff. When one climber slipped, she dragged the other down with an attached safety harness. To read more, click here.
--Tommy Caldwell and Jeremy Collins destroyed the competition in the 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell competition in Arkansas. This event requires climbers to attempt to cleanly lead as many routes as possible in 24 hours. The harder the routes are, the more points the participants get. Caldwell and Collins led 222 routes in 24 hours! To read more, click here.
--Can climbers and frogs get along? The Access Fund thinks so. The Williamson Rock climbing area—and a main habitat for the endangered Mountain Yellow Legged Frog -- has been closed since 2004. To read more, click here.
--A woman who helped her boyfriend kill a hiker and bury his body in Glacier National Park in 2001 said it came as a relief to her when she was diagnosed with a condition related to her pregnant mom's heavy drinking. After eight years in prison, Michelle Ford believes she is rightly being held responsible for crimes she knowingly committed. To read more, click here.
--It appears that the award winning director, Danny Boyle, is seriously considering a movie about Aron Ralston, the canyoneer who amputated his own arm. Ralston detailed his gruesome experience in his book Between a Rock and a Hard Place. To read more, click here. To see a video about Ralston's experience, please view the following video:
