Linda Harvey
At our May meeting, the SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) National Parks Club welcomed retired National Park Service (NPS) Ranger Butch Farabee to speak about his experiences in Search and Rescue (SAR) during his 34 years as a park ranger. Many of those years were spent at Yosemite National Park (NP) in California.
Ranger Farabee came to the meeting prepared with photos and accompanying stories, which included thrilling rescues at Half Dome and El Capitan. The team of experts he worked with were specialized in rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, aid climbing, and backcountry navigation. There were even times when the team included the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy, which provided expertise and equipment with especially difficult rescues. Volunteer rescuers are called upon to help in some situations. Park rangers were occasionally even deputized as coroners.
Yosemite NP has one of the largest rescue caches for an inland park location. For example, the park has 20,000 feet of rope that are divided into five lengths of 4,000 feet sections.
One of the most interesting and newsworthy SAR experiences Ranger Farabee shared involved a small airplane crash in a high remote backcountry lake in Yosemite. The crash occurred in December 1976, but was found by lost hikers in January of 1977. By the time authorities arrived, the shallow lake was frozen and recovery looked impossible. Upon closer inspection the rangers and accompanying authorities saw bags of cannabis beneath the ice, and retrieval was arduous. A few bales were cut out with chainsaws as a dive team, including Ranger Farabee, tried to recover more. The crew eventually recovered about 2,000 pounds from the crash site leaving the rest in the frozen lake with plans to return in the spring. However, by the time they arrived to complete their recovery work, much of the remaining 4,000 pounds was gone as news of the crash spread among hikers. The story was mentioned in a documentary Valley Uprising about climbing in Yosemite NP.
Ranger Farabee has written several books about his Search and Rescue experiences in the parks. The books include: Death, Daring and Disaster: Search and Rescue in the National Parks; Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite; National Park Ranger: An American Icon; Big Walls, Swift Waters: Epic Stories from Yosemite Search and Rescue; and his latest Southern Arizona Search & Rescue and First Responder History: 1901-2000.
Our national parks are beautiful, but wilderness areas require use of common sense to stay safe. Some things are unavoidable, and accidents can happen any place at any time. It is important to be aware of one’s surroundings and obey caution signs. Cell service is not always available so getting help can take longer or not be available at all. Respect the outdoors.
The club’s upcoming activities are:
Aug. 12: Club member Larry Richter—Saguaro NP: The incredible story of its last 1.5 billion years.
Sept. 24: Club member Patti West—Parks in Hawaii
For more information, send an email to linda_harvey@hotmail.com.