Climbing, Coronavirus, and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 4/16/20

Northwest:

--There have been some serious tick reports at Mt. Erie. It appears that this is a biggish year for them. Or perhaps the lack of people has made them more focused on the few that are there.

--Tow trucks are towing cars at trailheads in North Bend to help enforce the city's stay-at-home order. North Bend tails include those for Mt. Si and the popular climbing area, Little Si. There are also rumors of towing on the national forest near Snoqualmie Pass (though those have not been confirmed). To read more, click here. To read a thread about the rumors, click here.

Sierra:

--Wildlife is returning in droves to Yosemite National Park, now that there are no people there. To read about it, click here.

--Here is a video of Yosemite, without people:



Desert Southwest:

--13 KTNV is reporting that, "Las Vegas police are stepping up patrols near Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area as people pack the public lands in the area. The Saturday before Red Rock’s scenic loop was closed, BLM officials say 10,000 people entered into the conservation area where there are only 800 parking spots." To read more, click here.

--Rock and Ice is reporting that, "A climber with a broken ankle was rescued Sunday from an area east of San Diego, near Descanso, in the Cuyamaca Mountains, according to an official with Cal Fire San Diego. An adult male believed to be 18, Cal Fire Captain Isaac Sanchez said, had fallen approximately 20 feet in the accident." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--A climber was killed after his belay line was severed by rockfall. From Rock and Ice: "Wade Meade, a 29-year-old ski patroller at Park City, Utah, died in a climbing accident on Wednesday, April 8, in Big Cottonwood Canyon, outside Salt Lake City." To read more, click here.

--A climber was rescued from the Second Flatiron in Boulder last week. To read more, click here.

--Teton Gravity Research is reporting that, "More than twenty furloughed members of Vail Ski Patrol are in training to assist their local emergency medical services in the face of an expected surge of COVID-19 cases." To read more, click here.

--Zion National Park is now closed.

Notes from All Over:

--Outside is reporting that, "Sierra magazine and Type Investigations obtained an internal memo from the National Park Service’s Public Health Department to its deputy director of operations warning of dire consequences to the health of both park employees and local communities from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the memo, written on April 3, the department recommends that the National Park Service lock down all of its sites immediately." To read more, click here.

--Bear Tooth Basin Ski Area intends to reopen on May 30.

--Here is a running list of outdoor brands helping with the fight against COVID-19. Let's remember this!