1. This is horribly unfunny, as a climber is unjustly criticizing the Park Service.
2. This is horribly unfunny, as the Park Service delayed a rescue of avy victims.
3. Forget the facts, whatever they might really be, and focus instead on the inherent humor of passages like:
"We survived an avalanche together. They've got serious injuries, they're at 14,200 feet waiting to be rescued, and this helicopter is cruising around on the airstrip making some stupid bullshit-for-television show."... combined with the prospect of these two meeting up on Denali:
And quite the classy gal in college, arrested for alcohol-related charges twice within five weeks (while her father was President), for a total of three alcohol-related arrests in Texas:
"on April 29, 2001, Jenna was charged with a misdemeanor for possession of alcohol under the age 21 in Austin. On May 29, 2001, Jenna was charged with another misdemeanor - attempting to use a fake ID (with the name Barbara Pierce, her paternal grandmother's maiden name) to purchase alcohol. She pleaded no contest to both charges."http://www.adn.com/2012/06/25/2519237/denali-climber-claims-rangers.html
Denali climber claims rangers put celebrity before avalanche victims
Published: June 25th, 2012 02:28 PM
Last Modified: June 25th, 2012 02:28 PM
Last Modified: June 25th, 2012 02:28 PM
A professional Alaska mountain climber who was caught in a Mount McKinley avalanche June 12 that injured three other climbers claims their rescue was delayed while the National Park Service escorted "Good Morning America" correspondent Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush, about the mountain in a rescue helicopter. Florian Hill told the Chilkat Valley News(subscription required) the three injured climbers struggled to the 14,000-foot camp and obviously needed rescue but were told to wait for days to see if their injuries improved. Denali National Park officials deny the accusations, saying the climbers claimed they were in no hurry to leave the mountain.
Hill, who continued his descent after parting with the other three at 14,000, said he met Bush ... on June 14 at a camp at 7,000 feet, while he was still dazed by his injuries and by painkillers. "I was just thinking of the three guys who became my buddies. ... We survived an avalanche together. They've got serious injuries, they're at 14,200 feet waiting to be rescued, and this helicopter is cruising around on the airstrip making some stupid bullshit-for-television show."
Whether Bush was being ferried in the park's rescue helicopter was unclear [last] week. [Park spokeswoman Kris] Fister said Tuesday the film crew had used the rescue helicopter, but park spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin on Wednesday said Bush was using private aircraft.
The three injured climbers were finally flown off the mountain June 15 in what the park service described as a supply trip to the 14,000-foot camp.
Fister on Tuesday told the Chilkat Valley News that the park service's helicopter had been used to escort Bush for the TV segment. But Fister said the three injured climbers at 14,000 feet declined the option of being rescued. "Our staff checked, but they weren't in any hurry to come down," she said.
Read more at the Chilkat Valley News:Climber: Jenna Bush, not injured trio, given priority
Follow-up story here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/mckinley-climbers-slam-park-service-and-today-show-way-base
Bottomline:
-- The accusation is incorrect that flying Jenna Bush around in a Park Service helicopter delayed the timely air evac of injured climbers.
-- That is because Jenna Bush was not being flown around in a Park Service helicopter.
-- And the because the climbers were not in need of a timely air evac.
-- And because the accusation was never made.
But the article still has lots of entertaining tidbits, especially all the Park Service vs climbers infighting, and the infighting about the infighting, and...