You are here

Home » Podcasts » National Parks Traveler Episode 101: Searching For The Missing In National Parks

National Parks Traveler Episode 101: Searching For The Missing In National Parks

By Kurt Repanshek - January 17th, 2021
Share
Search and rescue missions in the National Park System

Each year, there are thousands of search-and-rescue incidents logged across the National Park System. They typically involve missing hikers, visitors who get injured in falls, boating accidents, or climbing accidents.

The Intermountain Region of the National Park Service – a large swath that runs from northern Montana to the Rio Grande River in Texas -- is the largest in the agency, and is home to many of the most beautiful, and dangerous, national parks. Yellowstone has boiling waters and grizzly bears, Grand Canyon has that deep canyon, and Rocky Mountain has alluring, and rugged, backcountry.

To learn more about search and rescue in general, and searches at Rocky Mountain National Park, we’ve reached out to Kyle Patterson, the park’s spokesperson, and Mike Lukens, a climbing ranger who often leads rescue missions in the park.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:15 Torch - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Everglades
1:56 North Cascades Institute promotion
2:15 Wild Tribute promotion
2:45 Friends of Acadia promotion
3:14 A discussion around search-and-rescue operations at Rocky Mountain National Park.
17:56 Blue Mist - Randy Petersen - The Sounds of Shenandoah
18:10 National Parks Traveler promotion
18:24 Western National Park Association promotion
18:49 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
19:20 Washington’s National Park Fund promotion
19:55 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
20:26 Continuing a discussion of search-and-rescue efforts at Rocky Mountain National Park
38:55 No’Easter - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
39:23 Episode closing
40:09 Orange Tree Productions promotion
40:44 Splitbeard Productions
40:55 National Parks Traveler footer

Comments

Submitted by wild places on January 21, 2021 - 9:48am.

Per your last question, as a once frequent and sometimes spontaneous solo backcountry traveler I often thought how nice it would be if I could leave a trip plan at a ranger station before venturing out. Cell service isn't always the best to be able to notify people upon your return and if you do leave it with someone else you are adding another layer of communication which always increases the potential for miscommunication. I am all for personal responsibility but having the option to leave a standardized trip plan with a return no later than date along with other info to help SAR if needed I think would be a great idea. I also get the reluctance for the park service to take on that responsibility and the other problems that might create.


Submitted by RodF on January 22, 2021 - 2:17pm.

Wilderness camping permits are required at Rocky Mountain NP and other large national parks.  The permit includes the itinerary of campsites the visitor(s) intend to use each night (i.e. an itinerary of their intended route), as well as a deccription of their vehicle (to enable rangers to quickly determine if the vehicle is parked at a trailhead) and emergency contact information.  "Overnight travel in the wilderness requires a permit."  https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/wilderness-camping.htm


Add comment

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 273 | Smokies Life

Carter Shields cabin in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. NPS photo.

Smokies Life, which most of you who closely follow Great Smoky Mountains National Park know was previously known as the Great Smoky Mountains Association, produces educational and informational materials for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This week we’re joined by Laurel Rematore, the chief executive officer of Smokies Life, to discuss the name change as well as how her organization lends a big hand to the Park Service staff at Great Smoky. 

May 5th, 2024 - Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 272 | Fossilized Parks

Fossilized footprints, USGS photo from White Sands National Park

Have you ever closely inspected the landscape when you’re touring the National Park System, particularly in the West? You never know what you might find.
Back in 2010 a 7-year-old attending a Junior Ranger program at  Badlands National Park spied a partially exposed fossil that turned out to be the skull of a 32-million-year-old saber-toothed cat.
If you’ve ever visited Petrified Forest National Park you’ve no doubt marveled over the colorful fossilized tree trunks. There are also fossilized trees on the northern range of Yellowstone National Park, but nowhere near as colorful.

April 28th, 2024 - Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 271 | Wolverine Recovery in Colorado

A wolverine climbing on rocks, photo courtesy of NPS

Wolverines, the largest land-dwelling members of the weasel family, once roamed across the northern tier of the United States, and as far south as New Mexico in the Rockies and southern California in the Sierra Nevada range. But after more than a century of trapping and habitat loss, wolverines in the lower 48 today exist only as small, fragmented populations in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and northeast Oregon.

April 21st, 2024 - Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 270 | Cultural Resource Challenge

Catherineberg plantation ruins, Virgin Islands National Park, photo by Kurt Repanshek

Spur a discussion about traveling to a national park for a vacation and odds are that it will revolve around getting out into nature, looking for wildlife, perhaps honing your photography skills, or marveling at incredible vistas.
Will the discussion include destinations that portray aspects of the country’s history, or cultural melting pot? 

April 14th, 2024 - Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 269 | Total Solar Eclipse of the Parks

Composite image of a total solar eclipse from Grand Teton National Park, from NPS Archives

Tens of millions of people in the United States will be able to witness a Total Solar Eclipse on Monday as the rare astronomical event cuts a path from Texas to Maine, up to 122 miles wide in some spots. This is a great opportunity to see the exact moment when the moon fully blocks the sun, creating a blazing corona visible to those observing from the center line of totality.

April 7th, 2024 - Read More
Explore All Podcasts

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.