Welcome to my (Claire Stout) blog about my summer internship in Yellowstone National Park. I am brought here by the Student Conservation Association and given a scholarship by Americorps for my college tuition. I am interning under the head ranger at the Tower Ranger Station. This blog contains stories of my adventures and what it is like to live here in the park. There are also photos that contain me, the people I work with, and interesting things I encounter. Feel free to leave a comment and enjoy!

Yellowstone Album 3

Monday, July 13, 2009

Washburn Rescue Transport

Yesterday I was on a moose jam. The moose was about 50 yrds off the road. About an hour and a half into the jam she headed towards the road. So I stopped traffic, got people out of the way and helped her cross the road. I just thought that was really cool. The people were happy to see such a good view of the moose, and the moose was happy to get to the other side of the road.
Around 19:45, we got a call from Ed, the fire lookout on top of Mt. Washburn calling about two girls who Hiked 8.1 miles from Canyon village to the top of Mt. Washburn. Colette sent me up to the top to get them. Normally we don't do rescues for people who can't make it back to the place they're staying unless they need a medical transport out of the backcountry. But these two girls were wearing tank tops, short shorts, and galoshes. Besides the 40mph SW wind on top of Washburn, there was the impending storm. More than likely we would have had a Hypothermia related medical or a search in rescue if we had not gone to get them.
There is a road that goes all the way up to the top which is not open to the public. I used the gate combo to open the gate blocking it to drive up to the top. Ed sure is lucky to be staying up there. He can see pretty much all of Yellowstone from on top of Washburn, and some of the Grand Tetons too. After saying bye to Ed,(and getting an amazing look at the lightning from the storm) I drove the two girls back to canyon, giving them a lecture on what they did wrong, and why it was a borderline idiotic idea to do what they did with the amount of preparation they had. I also told them what they should do in the future.

Rules for Day Hiking:
-Know the distance: How far are you going in?
-Know the Terrain: Is it all uphill? Downhill? Keep in mind downhill on the way in means uphill on the way back.
-Know your limits. How fast you can go? 2mph? Does than include uphill hiking?
-Be prepared: this includes water, rain gear, emergency contact device (i.e. cell or radio)
-When you are halfway done with your water and you don't have a filter, it is time to turn back.
-Wear proper gear: Bring warm gear if you're headed up a mountain, and hiking boots.
-Bring snacks, it helps keep your energy up.
-Check the weather before you leave, to make sure if you need to stop due to a surprise thunderstorm, you'll have time to walk back.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Claire -What an awesome experience you are having! Great pictures-reminds me of when I was at Yellowstone years ago.Enjoy the rest of your time there.
    Naome

    ReplyDelete