I mailed this letter to respective recipients on 3/28/2018 by certified mail. The USPS records shows the letters were delivered and confirmed by recipients’ signatures on 3/26 and 3/23 respectively.
However, so far I’ve not received any response and,therefore, decided to publish it.
Marek R. Damm ************, San Francisco, ***** Email: *******@*** Mobile: 415-*******
March 19, 2018
Headquarters (Supervisors Office) Terri Simon-Jackson, Acting Forest Supervisor USDA Service Center Shasta-Trinity National Forest 3644 Avtech Parkway Redding, CA 96002 (530) 226-2500
I'm asking to remove and replace with actual facts inaccurate statements contained in the recently published 2017 annual Shasta Ranger Report: "July 26, 2017 - Clear Creek Route, lost climber, female, 36 year old:"[1] (and other inaccurate records).
I am also asking for public apology due to psychological suffering and damage my family and I have been experiencing since the first time I got involved in this event (July 26, 2017)[2] till present.
On July 28, 2017 at 10am I learned via phone from her friend (Heather Bakner) that Charity Stevens, who was reported as missing two days earlier, was still not found by the official Search and Rescue team and without any hesitations immediately rushed to pursue my personal search to find, hopefully, still alive woman. I found Stevens the same afternoon alone on the mountain, sitting on rocks and shivering nearby a tent of a hiker who at that time was above that location attempting the summit. I called 911 and notified authorities I found Charity Stevens and took care of her (giving her liquids, food and all my jackets). Then the owner of the tent, "Elaine", arrived and was shocked to see the lost hiker found near her tent.
The official Ranger Report inaccurately stated that it was "Elaine" who found and assisted Stevens.
Various levels of authorities knew about my personal search pursue and engagement for the lost hiker, Charity Stevens. I made two 911 phone calls: the first on July 27 1:58 AM to report her missing, and the second on July 28 7:06 PM to report I found her. In person I contacted Shasta Ranger Station twice (early morning on July 27 and 28) expressing my concerns and offering help in the search. Also on July 28 while already on my personal search mission, I contacted the Sheriff at his Pilgram Creek base and then two rescuers I met on the mountain. Rangers and the Sheriff had my contact information.
Because of lack of acknowledgement by authorities the fact that Marek Damm found Stevens, I wrote a report titled Why I Rescued a Woman on a Secretive Mountain of Mt Shasta and published it on SummitPost.org on August, 26, 2017, in which explained my role in crucial steps.[2]
On Feb 21, 2018, Mount Shasta & Castle Crags Wideness Climbing Ranger Report 2017 with inaccurate statements was published on Facebook.com in Mount Shasta Avalanche Center & Home of the Climbing Rangers.[1] On the same day I received the first public accusation for "disingenuous" claim I found and helped Charity Stevens and later received more notifications about discrepancies among both reports.
On Feb 23, 2018, I posted my initial inquiry to review and correct inaccurate statements in the Comments section of the Shasta Ranger Report.[3] Sadly, my post was removed the next day without any explanation.
On March 8, 2018, I published additional report, How Charity Stevens Was Found on Mount Shasta, explaining the role of "Elaine" in this event. "Elaine" did not find Stevens. "Elaine" found out about Stevens being found, assisted and taking care of by me when she came back from her summit attempt.[4]
Till the annual Ranger Report release, I've not found any publication by authorities stating any name of a person who found Charity Stevens and assumed publishing such a detail was not customary or obligatory.
Sincerely,
Marek R. Damm Mountaineer (climbed Mt Shasta over 100 times)
1) Current and corrected paragraphs from The 2017 Ranger Report
2) References and quotations of my previous similar personal search in June 2005
[1] Nick Meyers & Andrew Kiefer (Compiled), Mike Burns (Narratives), Mount Shasta & Castle Crags Wideness Climbing Ranger Report 2017 (p23), July 26, 2017 - Clear Creek Route, lost climber, female, 36 years old: (p25, §19-§20), Feb 21,2018, https://www.facebook.com/shastaavalanche/photos/pcb.10157058430035828/10157058428200828/
[2] Marek R Damm, Why I Rescued a Woman on a Secretive Mountain of Mt Shasta, Aug 26, 2017, https://www.summitpost.org/why-i-rescued-a-woman-charity-stevens-on-the-sacred-mountain-of-mt-shasta/1005738
[3] Marek R Damm, To Mount Shasta Avalanche Center & Home of the Climbing Rangers, Feb 23,2018 https://www.facebook.com/notes/mountaineering-connections/to-mount-shasta-avalanche-center-home-of-the-climbing-rangers/1430265027101089/
[4] Marek R Damm, How Charity Stevens Was Found on Mount Shasta, Mar 8, 2018, https://www.summitpost.org/how-charity-stevens-was-found-on-mount-shasta/1016390
c Shasta McCloud Management Unit Caroyln Napper, District Ranger Mount Shasta Ranger Station 204 West Alma Mt. Shasta, CA 96067 (530) 926-4511
Enclosure 1: Mount Shasta & Castle Crags Wideness Climbing Ranger Report 2017 (p23) Section: July 26, 2017 - Clear Creek Route, lost climber, female, 36 years: (p25, §19-§20)
... She told me she located a tent which she stayed outside of until the party returned from their hike. Stevens told me a female by name of Elaine, unknown last name, returned to the tent.[§19]
Stevens told me she explained her situation to Elaine. She told me that Elaine told her she was part of Search and Rescue from Seattle and would assist her. (It should be noticed that Elaine stated she was on a SAR team out of Seattle but unbeknownst to Stevens, Elaine was NOT part of, or aware of this search.) Stevens told me Elaine fed her and provided her with hot chocolate. I asked Stevens if she saw helicopters flying around all day. She told me she did but since she was with someone from Search and Rescue she did not think they were for her. A male subject named Marak arrived at the tent. He was aware of the large scale search for Stevens and called 911.[§20]
She told me she located a tent which she stayed outside of until the party returned from their hike. A male subject named [Marek Damm, a mountaineer from San Francisco Bay Area,] arrived at the tent [before the owner, however]. He was aware of the large scale search for Stevens and called 911. [moved from the bottom]
"Stevens told me she explained her situation to [Damm]. She told me that [Damm] told her [he] was not part of Search and Rescue [but on his personal mission to find her] and would assist her. [removed] Stevens told me [Damm] fed her and provided her with hot chocolate [and jackets to keep her warm]. I asked Stevens if she saw helicopters flying around all day. She told me she did but [removed] she did not think they were for her. Stevens told me a female by name of Elaine, unknown last name, returned to the tent."
Enclosure 2: References and quotations of my previous similar personal search in June 2005
Press Release from: Klamath Co. Sheriff's Office MISSING CLIMBER REPORTEDLY FOUND ON MCLOUGHLIN June 24th, 2005 9:44 PM
Shortly after 5:00 P.M. Friday evening, Klamath County 9-1-1 received a cellular telephone call from a man near the summit of Mt. McLoughlin. The man, Marek Damm, reported that he had located the body of John V. Zazzara, 54, who has been missing for nearly two weeks.
Damm, who is from the Bay, area is a serious climber who knew the victim and has been camped near the summit searching for Zazzara since Wednesday night.
Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger requested a helicopter to be dispatched to the mountain in an attempt to confirm the report. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters had a helicopter airborne out of the Rogue Valley within minutes of the request.
Tonight, the helicopter crew was able to find and mark the map coordinates of the location of the victim as described by Damm. The crew was still unable to spot the victim.
Klamath County Sheriff's Search and Rescue along with the Lane County Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue team had a training exercise planned for first thing Saturday morning. At this point, the mission will transition from a training one to a recovery effort after Damm's report is confirmed.
Searchers will attempt to extract the victim by land. If the extraction is determined to be physically impractical or excessively dangerous, a request for the Oregon Army Guard Blackhawk helicopter based in Salem will be made at that time.
Damm's initial report is that it appears that Zazzara sustained major injuries when he fell on the south slope of the mountain and slid for some distance down a snow and ice field.
It is believed that the victim is in between some rocks and has likely been covered with snow during the past search efforts.
###
Contact Info: Sheriff Tim Evinger Mobile 541-891-9734
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News Watch 12 abc Zazzara's body found on Mt. McLoughlin
BY KATHERINE COOK MT. MCLOUGHLIN, Ore. -- The search for 54-year-old climber John Zazzara is over. After a two-week, multi-agency effort to find the lost Beaverton man on Mt. McLoughlin, Zazzara's best friend and climbing partner Marek Damm arrived from San Francisco to launch a search of his own. "I packed my stuff immediately because I felt he needed me," said Damm. "He was my friend and my best climbing partner, and I'm sure he would do the same for me." On his second night, Damm reached the summit and began his decent into the icy terrain. Damm planned his route according to where he thought his friend would have gone -- slightly off the trail and into more challenging terrain. Damm's intuition paid off. "I was hitting the perfect direction and suddenly I saw John on the rock," recalls Damm. "And then of course when I saw what happened, I started screaming." Damm called 911. Hours later, a helicopter flew overhead but couldn't spot the two men. In an unsafe area, Damm was forced to leave the mountain before nightfall without his friend, but with the knowledge of his fate. Damm says it appears Zazzara slipped on the ice, tried to stop himself, lost control and hit his head on a rock. Saturday afternoon, a Blackhawk helicopter operated by the Oregon Army National Guard air-lifted Zazzara off the mountain and flew him to Klamath Falls. After it is examined, Zazzara's body will be turned over to his family on Monday.
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SummitPost.org posted 2005-06-26 21:36:29 by SARPAL
General - Missing hiker found....
To John's family, we of the Klamath County Sheriff's Search & Rescue Team, as well as, the members of Jackson County's Team & the Lane County High Angle Team, all wish to pass on our feelings of saddness to you all. The worst part of being on a Search & Rescue Team is having to go from rescue mode to recovery mode. We want more than any other person to have every call out a short and successful one. But we really don't want to quit our search until all reasonable likely events are explored in depth. In John's case, after 2 full days with over 40 searchers working all kinds of leads, we took a break. When we started again it was to re-check several grey areas of concern. On Wednesday, Marek Damm arrived on the scene. We answered many, many questions from this very experienced climber, & on that Wednesday afternoon, Marek started his own personal search for John. Marek found John mid-afternoon on the south-west slope of Mt. McLoughlin, at the end of a snow field. With Marek's directions, a Team from Klamath County with assistance from Lane County reached John and was able to send John home to all of you, his family. You are very fortunate to have a fellow climber like Marek Damm who used his expertise (climbing) to seek out John. Please know the our whole volunteer organization was proud in doing our part in getting John home.
A few comments about the dishonestly fabricated Ranger Report reinforced by the video: Searching for and Revealing the Truth, Mt Shasta
Or just jump to the video: Revealing the Truth What Happened on Mt Shasta
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