Relic from Legendary Canyon Hiker and Park Ranger, Ken Patrick, found near base of Mt. Hayden Sunday, November 18, 2001 Grand Canyon National Park

Ken Patrick, topping out of the Tanner Trail after the search for missing NAU student, Boyd Moore. June 1, 1955 - Read his trip report

. On November 18, 2001, a group of locals including NPS Ranger Greg Moore were climbing Mount Hayden near Point Imperial on the North Rim. Around 10:00 am, Bonnie Taylor found an old metal film can at the base of Mt. Hayden - on the southwest side. Inside the can was a pencil stub and a very fragile note written on yellowed paper. It reads: October 3, 1963 Sunday 10:25 / 5:00 p.m. First Attempt Bill Hoy Leader Ken Patrick on Rope Jim Fain, Ground Man (Observer) 3/4 way to top. Ranger Moore brought the find to the park's Museum Collection where Ken Patrick's note has been rehydrated and preserved in an archival sleeve. "Ken Patrick came home to Grand Canyon National Park on August 9, 1973. It was the place he loved more than any other. The place where he came as a small boy when his father, "Slim Patrick," was manager of the Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. He grew up there, grew to a broad shouldered man who stood over six feet tall and was "western" from his boots to his Stetson. At the Grand Canyon he learned to guide the "dude strings" of visitor carrying mules down the trails. He learned to play the guitar and often sang to visitors as the string moved up and down the trail. Later his western band entertained in the park lodge. Ken Patrick had a "touch" for both machines and animals. After guiding mules, he learned to drive bulldozers with equal skill and got his first job with NPS in 1963 as a heavy equipment operator. But music had become his real interest and for several years he lead his band, the "Kensmen," to such famous western entertainment centers as Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe. He was still recording music at the time of his death. However, the musician's life meant too much time away from home and the western land he loved, so Ken joined the Arizona Highway Patrol and later returned to NPS as an equipment operator, then uniformed ranger at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. There were few jobs in running a park that he couldn't handle. From Organ Pipe he transferred to Point Reyes and to the tragic rendezvous with a murderer the foggy morning of August 5, 1973. Ken Patrick was the first ranger murdered in the line of duty in the history of the National Park Service. He Loved to hike and explored on foot many of the seldom seen areas hidden in the side canyons at Grand Canyon." - Tom Wilson, NPS, 1973 The Ken Patrick Memorial Trail on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park begins at Point Imperial and runs 10 miles along the canyon rim, ending at the parking lot for the North Kaibab Trial. Allow between 6 and 8 hours for a one-way trip. Read Ken Patrick's 1955 Tanner Trail Reconnaissance Report Return to Photographic Exploration

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