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Show Kansas hiker spent a night on a fin A rimrocked Arches National Park hiker was rescued from a sandstone fin in the Windows Section, Sec-tion, Thursday, after spending the night on top of the butte. The hiker, Mark Eklund, of Wellington, Welling-ton, Kansas, was assisted to safety in a 7-hour technical rescue by three National Park Rangers. Eklund and his companion, compan-ion, Bradly D. Peterson, from Bell Air, Kansas, climbed the rock formation forma-tion Wednesday afternoon and were unable to descend. They spent the night on the cliff, and Thursday morning, Peterson Peter-son made a hazardous descent and reported Eklund's plight. Arches Rangers, Mike Meyer and Jim Stiles, assisted by Wyatt Wood- small, a Glacier National Park Backcountry Ranger visiting Arches, ascended the rock formation and assisted Eklund to safety. The ascent and rappell was a 7-hour technical climbing effort. Unit Manager Larry Reed said Eklund and Peterson were inexperienced inexperi-enced climbers and un- equipped for sandsto climbing. They wore U nis shoes, cutoffs, andh no helmets, ropes, other safety gear.' 1 commended Eklund on 1 decision to remain in 1 ' rimrocked position ur help arrived. Petersen j descent was a perilol venture requiring seve: ! dangerous leaps a: maneuvers. j ' The hikers' motorbik ' were sighted in the ar Wednesday afternoon a reported to the Arch staff. Rangers scouted the area Wednesday r ternoon and reported the Arches staff. Range scouted the area un !' dark, but receiving 1 - response, assumed t: bike owners were bac packing. Arrangemen,' were being made f another quick sean-Thursday sean-Thursday morning whi:i Peterson appeared to i'? port Eklund's situation. Neither man was injiT ed. They had run out water at 6 p.m. till preceeding evening, an' Eklund was dehydrated 1 the time the rangt-rescue rangt-rescue team arrived. -also suffered minor abr-sions abr-sions and burns from h : climbing effort the pr; vious day. |