Man From Michigan Fined for Climbing Mount Rushmore

This is why you just can't take some people out in public... because they end up sitting on George Washington's head.

A climber from Michigan was caught and fined for scaling Mount Rushmore and perching himself atop of the first presidents head. Ayman Doppke, of Dearborn, was spotted earlier in August on Mount Rushmore. He at one point actually slipped down the cliff itself.

According to WXYZ in Detroit, dispatchers were called on August 19th and reported “a climber being seen on Mount Rushmore on the top of George Washington’s head” was creating a “hazardous condition” by climbing an unsafe slope, falling and forcing law enforcement to track him down.

Doppke has already faced the judge where he plead guilty to illegally climbing the mountain. Charges, however, were dismissed for disorderly conduct and violating an area closure. He was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

Doppke suffered minor injuries when fell 25 feet and tumbled down a loose gravel slope in his attempt to make a quick and easy escape from rangers. In court documents, Doppke admitted he ignored signs that said “federally closed areas” and climbed around razor wire near the top of the monument.

The carving of Mount Rushmore began in 1927 and finally was completed in 1941.Rushmore's granite faces tower over 5,500 feet above sea level and each President's head is as tall as a six-story building. In November of last year, Donald "Nick" Clifford, believed to be the last living carver of Mount Rushmore passed away. He was one of over 400 men and women to work on the massive monument.

To add some perspective on how times have changed, Clifford worked there from 1938 to 1940, earning just 55 cents an hour.