I hemmed and hawed about responding to this call-out…and even replayed the message a few times. But in the end I decided that helping a mountain biker with a broken femur get out of the woods safely was quite a bit more important that hearing what Stephen Koch had to say about moving fast in the mountains…sorry Stephen.
The call came in at about 5:40pm, just as I was trying to get motivated for a trail run after visiting the dentist for a cleaning. It didn’t take me long to get out the door, and I drove back Mosquito Creek to the staging area. A hasty team of medics were being dispatched just as I arrived and it didn’t sound like the patient was very far from the road…maybe a mile. Some teammates and I started putting together the wheeled litter, getting ready for the evac. We left the staging area after getting a report from the medics when they arrived at the scene, to make sure we had everything we needed.
After a 20 minute hump uphill with the litter, we saw the patient, who was by now attached to a backboard. We got the middle aged women loaded on the litter after not too long, and we were on our way. We had a couple four-wheelers and chainsaws with us that really came in handy as well, cuz the trail had multiple, substantial size trees across it…blocking a smooth ride out. Carol, the patient, was a trooper though…not complaining at all, even though she rated her pain level at seven out of ten. The route was all downhill, and we mainly had to just keep some pressure on the break and do an occasional lift over an obstacle…but it was mainly what we call a ‘swoop and scoop’. She was in the ambulance and headed to the hospital by 8.
Carol had been riding with two other women when the incident happened. Her riding partners had gotten out in front of her when she hit a big rock and when down. It took her friends a little while to realize what was going on, and they said Carol laid there for a good hour before they where able to get back to her and call for help. Luckily, they got cell service from their location, and the rescue operation began.
Good luck with the recovery Carol!!!!
Thanks Steve . Couldn’t get there due to Family commitment. Keep the online debriefs coming.