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Post by Trix on Jan 5, 2014 8:56:15 GMT -5
Late yesterday morning, Wolfe County Search & Rescue Team was dispatched to assist a pair of hikers in distress. The pair had camped out Thursday night on Swift Camp Creek Trail. When they awoke in the morning, one of the pair was suffering from the early to intermediate stages of hypothermia. The pair decided to self evacuate, and then decided to call WCSART as a precaution. Team members met the hikers on the trail with blankets and assisted them the rest of the way out of the woods. A team member then returned with the healthy member of the pair later that afternoon to pack up and retrieve their gear. While this story had a pleasant ending, it highlights the importance of dressing appropriately and having the right gear if you plan on being out in cold temperatures. There is an old Norse axiom that says "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing." While the part about weather is certainly debatable, there is a lot of truth to the value of dressing appropriately. Check out this guide to layering for cold weather from Backpacker Magazine. www.backpacker.com/fall-winter-gear-guide-2010-layering-for-cold-weather/skills/14880www.facebook.com/WCSARTwww.lex18.com/news/camper-rescued-after-suffering-from-hypothermia-------------------------- -------------------------- Thanks to Red River Gorge rescuers The Morehead News Dec. 20, 2013 We have nothing but admiration for the members of the first response agencies in Powell and Wolfe counties where the Red River Gorge is located. On two occasions in the past week alone, those hardy souls have braved cold weather and icy conditions to rescue lost or injured hikers in the wilderness. Traversing dangerous terrain with an injured person can be tough going in good weather but those volunteers do it 12 months a year in rain, snow and heat. Some U.S. Forest Service personnel also share those hardships in the efforts to find those who either didn’t plan properly for a hike or camping trip or were careless in exploring the gorge’s rugged beauty. Tragically, the gorge has a history of death and serious injuries of visitors who fell off sheer cliffs, often in darkness or in an impaired condition. We believe that the Forest Service should insist that all visitors to the gorge go through a safety orientation and equipment check. A thrilling outdoor experience in the Red River Gorge is something to live to talk about, not for individuals and families to forever regret. www.themoreheadnews.com/editorials/x1250992717/Thanks-to-Red-River-Gorge-rescuers
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Post by Trix on Dec 19, 2013 7:20:22 GMT -5
Sent a few pics. Sorry so long.
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Post by Trix on Dec 7, 2013 1:40:54 GMT -5
I'll have a look this weekend.
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Post by Trix on Nov 21, 2013 23:10:32 GMT -5
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Post by Trix on Nov 19, 2013 16:09:08 GMT -5
Video Link: www.wkyt.com/news/state/headlines/Kentucky-Reptile-Zoo-responds-to-NC-emergency-232410751.html------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ Monday, November 18, 2013 SLADE, Ky. (WKYT) - A North Carolina Man needed anti-venom for a dangerous snake bite over the weekend and officials there asked the Kentucky Reptile Zoo for help. There are 1600 snakes at the zoo. They have a room full of Asian Cobras, the same type of pet snake that attacked a North Carolina man. Zoo Curator Kristen Wiley says the cure for a bite from one these is made in Thailand and can be hard to get a hold of. The Powell County zoo is one of a few places in this part of the country that keeps it in stock. "We are working with these animals and so when we have to ship it to a private individual. That means that our safeguard is no longer here," Wiley said. The bite victim will be okay and didn't need their anti-venom. She says this latest anti-venom request was just like the other requests. "This gentleman Unfortunately followed the trend. Which is intoxicated and in the middle of the night," explained Wiley. The zoo expects their anti-venom to return Tuesday. This was the first time the zoo sent anything out this year. The most they've ever shipped in a year is three units.
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Post by Trix on Oct 18, 2013 6:41:10 GMT -5
Colors of the season Oct. 18, 2013 @ 12:15 AM DAVE LAVENDERHUNTINGTON — While fall foliage's splendor is like a slow train coming here in the Ohio River Valley, around the region, and at higher elevations, good color can be found just a daytrip away. And at higher elevations around the Mountain State and further north in Ohio, peak color and primetime leaf peeping season is on. Here's a closer look at the best color and some good road-trips. A GOOD ROAD TRIP: Just two hours southwest of Huntington, head into the heart of the Red River Gorge, which has more natural bridges or arches than any place east of the Rockies. Visit Natural Bridge State Resort Park on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19 for "Natural Bridge by Moonlight" - a one-time event under a full moon. Guests will be able to ride the sky lift and view Natural Bridge at night. Starting each night at 7 p.m., guests can purchase round-trip sky lift tickets, ascend over 400 feet on a 10 minute sky lift ride and walk out to the arch to enjoy the ambiance of a moonlit viewing of the Natural Bridge, Lookout Point, and the valley surrounding the Middle Fork of the Red River. Adults (ages 13 and up) can purchase round-trip tickets for $15 each, and the cost for children (ages 4-12) will be $10 each. Guests should call ahead 800-325-1710 in case of bad weather. For more information, call 1-800-325-1710 or visit www.parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/nbCOLOR FORECAST: Go online at www.kytourism.com and click onto the ColorFall icon or call 800-225-8747 Read More: www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x817235855/No-Headline
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Post by Trix on Oct 17, 2013 11:06:33 GMT -5
karenoel, Greg is the Man! He works harder than any of us on all things RRG! We are so very lucky to have him working at RRGtoday.com We here thank him too!!
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Post by Trix on Oct 16, 2013 5:50:52 GMT -5
A legislative perspective by Rep Greg Stumbo Speaker of the House From a historical perspective, it is not much of a stretch to say that some of the Western Hemisphere’s first farmers were Kentuckians. That’s because the Red River Gorge not too far from here is just one of a few hotspots in North and South America where archeologists say modern agriculture took its first steps. Early bands of pre-historic settlers found its soil and climate ideal to domesticate such wild plants as the sunflower, whose seeds added both flavor and nutrition to their food. With September being the first-ever Kentucky Archeology Month, and October set aside as Archives Month here and across the country, fall is the ideal time to highlight stories like this that underscore the rich cultural history Kentucky is famous for. While the finds at Red River Gorge are relatively new, Kentucky can also lay claim to one of the country’s first archaeological digs. In the northern part of the state, at what is now Big Bone Lick State Park, early settlers found the bones of such large pre-historic mammals as mastodons, which were drawn to the area because of the salt but got trapped in the marshy soil. Read More: www.floydcountytimes.com/news/opinion/2649258/A-legislative-perspective
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Post by Trix on Oct 7, 2013 7:04:53 GMT -5
Federal Government Shutdown Forces Campers in Red River Gorge to Evacuate People who went camping in the Red River Gorge in the past few days say government workers told them to leave. Members of a wedding party say firefighters even forced them out on the day the bride and groom had planned to wed. LEX 18 News reporter Ivory Hecker has the story from a privately owned campground where many of those campers have moved. NOTE: Video includes RRS Member Pam RussellPam Russell
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Post by Trix on Oct 5, 2013 5:53:42 GMT -5
Gorge Yourself Posted on October 4, 2013 By Robbie Clark The Red River Gorge might offer some of the best outdoor opportunities, but there’s also something for your belly A quick jaunt to the Red River Gorge area, only about an hour away, for a day trip or a weekend camping getaway is a popular recreational pursuit for people in Lexington. The vast canyon system, with its sandstone cliffs and ridges, makes the area inside the Daniel Boone National Forest a renowned destination for rock climbers, and for those taken with thrill seeking, there’s over 600 miles of hiking trails of varying difficulty – just about all of them offer some sort of striking vista along the way. (And even still, if hiking is too much, there’s always the Sky Lift at the Natural Bridge State Park which can cart you to your airy destination.) And there’s also the food. Along the side roads off of the Mountain Parkway, a number of restaurants and diners, from greasy spoons to eclectic organic cafes, have become almost as popular of destinations as their surrounding outdoor environs. Notoriously managed and staffed by laid-back climbers trying to make a buck in between their time on the face of a cliff, these “off the side of the road” establishments are personable, and satiating, pit stops after a day’s hike. Read More (which includes Red River Rockhouse and Miguel's Pizza): southsidermagazine.com/2013/10/gorge-yourself/
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Post by Trix on Oct 5, 2013 5:48:51 GMT -5
Thanks Russ, a lot of frustrated people out there right now. "they should not charge us to camp for a year ..." that's not a bad idea!!
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Post by Trix on Oct 4, 2013 11:32:42 GMT -5
Jiggy Gal is right! Plus we learned that those USFS personnel that have been 'furloughed' cannot openly volunteer their free time to help out!! Wow, what a mess!
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Post by Trix on Sept 30, 2013 6:29:35 GMT -5
Crews rescue climber after 40-foot fall in Red River Gorge Story Link plus Video Feature: www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/Crews-rescue-climber-after-40-foot-fall-in-Red-River-Gorge-225743081.html--------------------------------------------------------------- Chimney Top Rock where 17 people have fallen to their deaths in the past 40 years. People climb over the railing, jump across a 70-foot-deep chasm from the near rock to the point and usually fall when they attempt to jump uphill to get back to the near rock and back over the railing, said Tim Eling, Red River Gorge manager, U.S. Forest Service --------------------------------------------------------------- WOLFE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - The Red River Gorge can be a beautiful place, but for one climber this weekend it became a dangerous one, as well. "Yeah, very scary, very lucky. There were some rocks and tree roots at the bottom of the route he was climbing," started John May of the Wolfe County Search and Rescue squad. The climber, whose name wasn't released, was seen climbing an area known as "Pistol Ridge," and it's reported that he was doing it on a rock face without any bolted anchors. Instead rescuers say the man was using a temporary anchor in the crack of the rock, and that's when they say things went wrong. "It just pulled loose," described May, "It kind of appeared that he may have been not that experienced with what he was doing, because it was kind of sketchy what he did there." Volunteer rescuers say the climber's gear failed to hold him sending him falling 40 feet, yet somehow he survived. "Oh yeah, 20 feet, ten feet depending on how you land, can be a fatal fall. So this gentleman is very fortunate," explained May. The rescue effort wasn't very easy, either. May said his team joined in with teams from Powell County and Menifee County to get to the injured man. May said it took them nearly four hours to get down and back on the tricky trails. "This subject was located on a mountain top, it was probably a mile to a mile-and-a-half up the ridge. (It is) A very narrow trail, very rocky," he said. In order to get everyone safely out, the crews had to work their way along the cliff using ropes for safety and a basket to get the climber out. "We had approximately 24 people involved with the rescue and it took every single one of them just to get this gentlemen out," answered May, who said this was a serious fall but with miraculous ending. He went on to say that the climber did not appear to have life threatening injuries and was even alert and oriented when crews got to his side. "It's just amazing what the body can stand!" reacted May. The man was taken by ambulance for treatment, but May was unaware of what hospital he was taken to. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Climber Rescued In Red River Gorge Rescuers from Powell County and Wolfe County teamed up to help a climber who fell in the Red River Gorge over the weekend. Officials say the victim was climbing Saturday night at the Pistol Ridge Crag on a route known as the "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" when he fell. His fail-safe gave way, and he dropped about 40 feet to the ground. Officials say crews were able to get the hiker safely out of the rugged area without any problems. He was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. Officials did not release any information on his condition Posted: Sep 30, 2013 5:19 AM Updated: Sep 30, 2013 6:07 AM www.lex18.com/news/climber-rescued-in-red-river-gorge/---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.courier-journal.com/viewart/20130930/NEWS01/309300090/Hiker-rescued-from-Red-River-Gorge-online-extra-
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Post by Trix on Sept 26, 2013 9:12:37 GMT -5
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Post by Trix on Sept 24, 2013 4:14:14 GMT -5
For Immediate Release Contact: Kimberly Morgan 859-745-3100 Forest Service recognizes National Public Lands Day, waives recreation fees WINCHESTER, Ky., Sept. 23, 2013 – In recognition of National Public Lands Day, the Daniel Boone National Forest is waiving fees at several recreation areas. On Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28, no recreation fee pass is required for overnight campers in the backcountry of the Red River Gorge, at Barren Fork Horse Camp in McCreary County, or at Bee Rock Campground along the Rockcastle River of Laurel and Pulaski counties. On September 28 and 29, no recreation fee pass is required at the following locations: • Cave Run Lake – all boat ramps outside of developed campgrounds • Laurel River Lake – all boat ramps outside of developed campgrounds • Natural Arch Scenic Area, McCreary County • Appletree Shooting Range, McCreary County • Redbird Crest Trail, Clay and Leslie counties • White Sulphur ATV Trail, Bath County National Public Lands Day began in 1994 as a National Environmental Education Foundation program to celebrate volunteer service and recreation on public land. NPLD encourages volunteers of all ages to help improve the land and enjoy America’s great outdoors. To find a NPLD activity near you, visit www.publiclandsday.org/npld-sitesKimberly J. Morgan Public Affairs Specialist Daniel Boone National Forest 1700 Bypass Road Winchester, KY 40391 kmorgan@fs.fed.us Phone 859-745-3107 Fax 859-744-1568 www.fs.usda.gov/detail/dbnf/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5436994www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Some-camp-sites-celebrate-National-Public-Lands-Day-224956742.html
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