A 25-year-old Pennsylvania man with plans to paraglide off the summit of Mount McKinley was taken off the mountain Wednesday after National Park officials repeatedly told him he was not allowed to carry out his idea.
The man's name was not released because of medical issues involved, the Park Service said.
The man was never violent but spoke very aggressively, said Park Service spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin. The Park Service was worried about his safety and the safety of others, she said.
More than a week before the forced evacuation, the man was flown in a small charter plane from Talkeetna to the Kahiltna base camp at 7,000 feet, a standard beginning for many climbers. From there, he hiked to the 14,200-foot camp. He was there for several days before the Park Service coordinated with the Army to remove him, strapped to a backboard.
About 1,200 people attempt to summit North America's tallest peak each year, McLaughlin said. Half make it to the 20,320-foot summit of the mountain in Denali National Park and Preserve.
Park authorities first became concerned about the man's well-being when he told people he would be paragliding off the mountain, a prohibited activity in national parks without special permission. He was on the mountain unguided and alone. He also demonstrated poor glacier travel techniques, flouted park rules about proper human waste disposal and littering, and talked as if he was preoccupied with death, the Park Service said.
His behavior was not like that of someone suffering from the fog of altitude sickness, said Dave Weber, a Denali mountain ranger with medical training who was with the man on the mountain. "This patient would go from very lucid normal conversation and normal tone of voice, and two minutes later be very different," Weber said.
At the 14,200-foot camp, the man set up his campsite with a bivvy sack, not a tent. His belongings became wet and frozen and he developed hypothermia, Weber said. He spent most of his day sitting on top of his sleeping bag in the snow.
Some of the other 100 or so people on the mountain also reported odd conversations with him, the Park Service said.
Despite having been told by park authorities that he was not allowed to paraglide off the mountain, he brought the gear with him anyway. When park authorities confiscated it at the 14,200-foot camp, he became very agitated and seemed to lose control, Weber said.
Medical staff at the camp, which included doctors and nurses, examined him and determined he needed to get off the mountain for his own safety and the safety of others. He could have endangered himself and required a risky rescue, McLaughlin said.
He resisted evacuation at times but then decided he wanted off the mountain, McLaughlin said. He was strapped to the backboard because park authorities were afraid he could become aggressive, they said.
Park authorities contacted his parents, who were concerned and supportive of the evacuation, McLaughlin said.
To climb North America's tallest peak, mountaineers need to register at least two months in advance and pay a $200 fee. Solo climbers fill out additional paperwork. But rarely do park authorities reject an application. Most climbers who can't handle the arduous climb realize so during training or are cautious and don't summit.
"It's a very challenging mountain for someone in perfect physical and mental condition, and for someone to come in with outside factors can make it challenging for anyone, even folks who are fit," Weber said.
The Park Service medical director prepared paperwork to take the man into 72-hour protective custody. He was transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
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By MEGAN HOLLAND
mholland@adn.com