It occurred to me today that I have not been reporting what we hear on the park radio. I have noticed that I am not tuned into it. There could be a lot more going on in the park than I realize since I am not paying close attention.
I can say that we have heard of three motorcycle accidents so far. Yesterday, there was a lost 15-year-old boy who hiked on ahead of his family up the Alum Cave Trail to Mt. LeConte. The family had not seen him all day. A team was formed to look for him on the likely trails. It was about dark when a ranger reported "Got him" at Newfound Gap. He had followed the wrong trail back out. Today, a man slipped and fell on a slippery floor and hit his head against the wall. That was probably in one of the toilet buildings. With this humidity and rain, they can be very wet inside. An ambulance arrived and they checked the man. He was going to go to the hospital or doctor in his own car.
It seems there are bear reports every half hour. Rangers and volunteers try to shoo a bear back into the woods and attempt to keep bear/human interactions and traffic backups to a minimum. Boss Larry assisted a woman hiker who said she was followed on a trail by a mountain lion. Larry was convinced the woman was believable although the park officials do not think there are any mountain lions left.
May was relatively quiet for Andy and me. There has been so much rain that many campers do not show up. A large percentage of them leave before their reservations are over. We have had a good number of day visitors hiking up to the Midnight Hole, but we have given up trying to control the parking when things get hectic. Also, people seem to be going to park in the horse camp on their own without us having to tell them. The group site has had no-shows at least half the time.
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