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Alaska hiker rescued from under 700lb boulder in frigid creek

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Alaska hiker rescued from under 700lb boulder in frigid creek


A hiker in Alaska miraculously survived after he was trapped facedown in a frigid creek for three hours under a massive boulder.

Kell Morris was hiking with his wife below a glacier outside the city of Anchorage when a rock slide sent him plunging into the creek. A 700lb (318kg) stone came to rest on top of his leg, pinning him in place.

His wife positioned his head out of the water and called for help from rescuers, giving them the exact coordinates of their location.

After a few days in hospital, he walked away nearly completely unscathed.

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The accident occurred on Saturday near Godwin Glacier. Mr Morris says that the rock that pinned him in place landed in a “trough” of other rocks, protecting him from being crushed but preventing him from being able to move.

A rescue crew arrived by helicopter and had to use tools to lift the boulder.

They were also working against the clock: the glacier-fed creek was rising as the heat of the day caused ice and snow melt to occur more quickly.

“I thought, I’m not going to last long in this water,” Mr Morris recalled in an interview on Wednesday with the Anchorage Daily News.

“The water had gotten up to my chin,” Mr Morris said. “I was going in and out of consciousness. I’d been shivering, but I stopped shivering every once in a while.”

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His wife Jo Roop, who works as a police officer for the city of Seward, made sure he was able to hold himself out of the water in a press up position so she could hike to find enough mobile phone service to call for help.

She still retained her sense of humour during the ordeal, he told Alaska Public Media (APM), recalling: “She graciously tells me, ‘don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.’”

Ms Roop was able to provide exact GPS coordinates for their location, according to rescue officials.

In a stroke of luck, a volunteer firefighter overheard the radio call for rescue while working for a sled dog tour company. He was able to divert a helicopter used for shuttling tourists to pick up rescuers and take them to the accident site.

But the helicopter was not able to land, due to the rough terrain.

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“The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely,” the Seward Fire Department said in a statement posted to Facebook.

Rescuers used inflatable airbags to lift the rock, and a National Guard helicopter brought Mr Morris to hospital where he was treated for hypothermia.

Now recovered, Mr Morris says he suffered little more than bruises, and is already back on his feet.

“I’m walking and, you know, if there was a band nearby, I’d go dancing tonight,” he told APM.



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Alaska

Kasilof River Sockeye Salmon Limits Increased

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Kasilof River Sockeye Salmon Limits Increased


 

Spawning Coho. Image-BLM

(Soldotna) – To allow anglers additional harvest opportunity of Kasilof River sockeye salmon, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is increasing the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon, 16 inches or greater in length, to six fish per day and twelve fish in possession; however, no more than two salmon per day and two in possession may be coho salmon, in all portions of the Kasilof River open to salmon fishing. These provisions are effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 26 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2026.

The biological escapement goal on the Kasilof River is 140,000-320,000 sockeye salmon. Through June 23, a total of 117,665 sockeye salmon have passed the Kasilof River sonar site. The current escapement of sockeye salmon into the Kasilof River is proceeding at a rate that is projected to exceed the biological escapement goal.

In addition to increasing the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon, ADF&G issued emergency order 2-RS-1-32-26 expanding the area open to the personal use dip net fishery on the Kasilof River.

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For additional information, please contact the Soldotna ADF&G office at (907) 262-9368.



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Crews continue making progress on Delta Fires

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Crews continue making progress on Delta Fires


A White Mountain Crewmember feels for any remaining heat along the Rapeseed Fire (#275) outside of Delta Junction on June 24 2026. Photo/ Sam Porter

#222 Granite Fire– The Clackamas Crew joined the Southwest Type 1 Crew and TCC Squad A on the Granite Fire today. The fire is now 85% contained. 
A thermal detection drone was flown over the fire to identify any remaining heat. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place and will continue tomorrow, meaning aircraft and drones that are not supporting firefighting operations are prohibited from flying over or near the incident. 
Crews are also checking windrows for remaining heat. Windrows are rows of trees left standing to reduce wind erosion on farmland. Firefighters will pile and burn dead or downed trees, as well as hazard trees with burned roots. 

#257 Barley 2 Fire– All personnel have been demobilized from the Barley 2 Fire after it was declared contained and controlled. The fire will remain in monitor status. This will be the last update for this fire unless significant changes occur.

#268 Moosehead Fire– A boat is transporting TCC Squad C to the Moosehead Fire, where they are gridding the interior and checking for any remaining heat. 

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The White Mountain T2IA crew stand in an arc, gridding the fire, looking for any smoke or heat. Photo/ Sam Porter

#275 Rapeseed Fire- The Rapeseed Fire is 80% contained. The White Mountain Type 2 Initial Attack Crew is constructing sawline and cold trailing the fire’s edge to locate and extinguish any remaining heat. 
A Nodwell continues to provide an effective way to transport personnel, equipment, supplies, and water through the remote, sensitive terrain while supporting suppression efforts. 
 
#223 Pogo and #226 Shaw Fires continue to be in monitor status. 

Map of Delta Area Fires. Click to download or enlarge
‹ More Firefighters Heading to Ambler for Jade Fire

Categories: Active Wildland Fire, Alaska DNR – Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DFFP)

Tags: #FireYear2026 #2026AKFIRESEASON, 2026 Alaska Fire Season, Delta, Granite Fire, Moosehead Fire, Pogo Fire, Rapeseed Fire, Shaw Fire

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Characteristics of Leadership: Recklessness – Alaska Business Magazine

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Characteristics of Leadership: Recklessness – Alaska Business Magazine


Picture it: an 800-mile engineering marvel traversing Alaska’s rugged wilderness. An immense zinc mine powering Northwest Alaska’s economy. World-class sustainable harvests feeding global markets with seafood.

The Trans Alaska Pipeline System, Red Dog mine, and the Alaska fishing industry: These massive ventures represent high-stakes investments in infrastructure and resources that have transformed Alaska into a powerhouse of global energy, minerals, and food. Today, we call these ventures inspired, but that label masks a fundamental nuance and common misconception: there is a distinction between the risky and the reckless.

That line between bold visionary and reckless gambler is usually written in ink only after the dust settles and the checks clear. Winners are often labeled as geniuses while thousands of leaders who made similar bets but went bust are ignored. When you see any winner in the marketplace, their strategy can look like a guaranteed blueprint for success. This is survivorship bias in action, obsessing over the front-runners while ignoring the graveyard of those who made the same choices. Recklessness is a classic leadership trap, in part, because it is very easy to mistake good luck for repeatable strategy. Our brains are wired to find patterns in chaos, even when they don’t exist, and when a gamble pays off, it is easy to invent a story to explain why it worked. This explains, in part, why high-risk behavior is often rebranded as “visionary” in the business world.

Understanding the mechanics of recklessness can help a leader spot the difference between a smart move and a predictable bad one. It is the contrast between a high-wire artist using a safety net and having practiced the route, versus one who just hopes they don’t fall. The first one is making calculated moves, and the second is wishing for the best.

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