On a single Fourth of July day, maybe 10 years ago, Glen Lakes Fire Department Chief Bryan Ferguson responded to four different calls for rescues at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

As memory serves, they were all ones that could have been prevented – issues like going barefoot on a scorching sand hike, not bringing enough water and not being physically capable to take on the 450-foot drop to Lake Michigan.

The number of rescues like that have dropped drastically in recent years in large part thanks to the prevention efforts of volunteers, who check in with visitors before they start their journeys at key problem areas. Still, officials are prepared for an influx of visitors expected this Fourth of July and summer season, and they’ve got advice for those who think they are ready to take on the dunes.

From the more than $2,000 a visitor might shell out for a rescue, to the plunging rescue numbers, to the socks used for some park dilemmas, here’s what to know:

Yes, it can cost you more than $2,000 to be rescued at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

It depends who helps you and how, but if the Glen Lakes Fire Department gets called to the scene and machinery gets involved, you may have to shell out serious cash to reimburse officials for their efforts.

A sprained ankle at the top of an overlook, for example, probably wouldn’t cost you, Ferguson said. However, if you need to be taken out on an ATV or carried by hand by firefighters, that may fall into their “basic rescue” category, which costs about $652.

The next level up is a “specialized rescue,” which can cost $1,630.

If mutual aid is called out, a boat is needed, or the U.S. Coast Guard has to break out its helicopter, visitors could shell out $2,280 for the “advanced technical rescue,” Ferguson said.

Tricky hikes at Sleeping Bear Dunes

Though spectacular in backdrop, the 3.5-mile-long trail at the Dune Climb and the plunging 450-foot drop at the Pierce Stocking Drive Lake Michigan Overlook tend to cause visitors the most trouble, said Merrith Baughman, park director of interpretation and visitor services.

The Lake Michigan overlook drop is incredibly steep, about a 40-degree angle coming back up, Baughman estimated.

The hours-long trail at the Dune Climb is also deceiving, said Andy Blake, Leelanau district ranger and park search and rescue coordinator.

“What people do is they climb up to the top of the dune, and they think they’re going to be at Lake Michigan, but all they see is more sand dune. So, they keep going and going …. and now they have to come back through all of that,” he said. “And it’s extremely challenging to hike. It’s a desert-like environment, there’s no shade …. they just get exhausted.”

Number of rescues drop at Sleeping Bear Dunes

In 2016, the year before the Preventative Search and Rescue, or PSAR, volunteer team officially launched, there were 31 searches and rescues at just the trail at the Dune Climb and the overlook, Blake said.

Last year, there were eight rescues at those two locations, Blake said. There were 36 rescues conducted parkwide, which includes the Manitou Islands and the water.

To put things in perspective, last year the park saw more than 1.5 million visitors, according to National Park Service statistics.

Officials are also seeing a change in the type of help needed. Some rescues are for ill-prepared visitors, and some are for visitors who might be well-prepared but, say, fall and hurt themselves.

That’s where PSAR plays a big role, Blake said. The latter category was the theme last year.

Socks at the ready

The PSAR team is run by Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes in conjunction with park officials, said Jesse Lewit, program coordinator for the Friends group. They have about 20 volunteers and try to focus on weekends and holidays.

They traditionally focus on the two main tricky hikes, but as of last year have started volunteering at park beaches when alerts are issued for hazards with rip currents.

PSAR members will approach park visitors who appear to be attempting one of the journeys, make sure they are aware of how hard it is and that they have enough water, Lewit said.

“We will never tell anyone not to go,” he said.

But they’ll sometimes even tell a visitor to walk 50 feet and back in the loose sand of the overlook to make sure they are up for the full thing, he said.

Lewit starts training in March for the summer season so he can walk down the bluff in his orange volunteer shirt to help people who reach the bottom or stop halfway back. He’ll bring water to help them, too.

Volunteers who walk the trail at the Dune Climb tend to carry socks on them, too, to help rescue the visitors who decide to try it barefoot, Lewit said. They’ve seen people get blisters from the heat of the sand.

One person drowns offshore of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

This year, there have been no search and rescues at the key problem areas but three across the park, including a fatal kayaking incident Saturday, Blake said.

In that case, Eric Tyler Gabryel, 28, of Capac and a companion had launched from the Glen Haven area and their kayaks took on water, according to the Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office. Gabryel’s body was located Tuesday.

Gabryel did not use a lifejacket, Ferguson said.

How to prepare for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

It’s a well-repeated statistic amongst park staff, rescuers and volunteers that Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore once was reported to have ranked higher than places including Yellowstone National Park for the number of emergency rescues. The Free Press has reached out to Yellowstone to check more recent statistics.

“I personally think it’s the accessibility,” Ferguson said of the ranking however. “You can drive your car about 200 feet away from a sand bluff and go down it. (In) Yellowstone, it might be a day hike to get some dangerous place.”

While rescuers are thrilled to see lower numbers of need than in prior years, they also have tips to prepare potential park explorers. And those shouldn’t dissuade people from taking in the park in a safe way.

“Come and enjoy the park – there’s so many ways to enjoy the park,” Baughman said.

Tips:

• Wear the proper clothing: loose fitting, light colored and have a hat.

• Wear proper footwear.

• Wear sunscreen.

• Bring lots of water.

• Bring snacks, usually something sugary and something salty, Blake said.

• Tell someone where you are going.

• Tread carefully, not running on dunes, walking on ridges or on steep slopes at risk of collapse.

• If you call 911, tell the operator what state you are in, as Wisconsin cell phone towers sometimes pick up calls, Baughman said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Rescue numbers drop at Sleeping Bear Dunes