Have you ever rescued anyone?

[Dugan]

A few years ago a group of us rescued a beagle named Buddy on a winter "run" thru knee- and thigh-deep snow on the southern portion of the Long Trail. We had stopped to regroup when we heard a strange howling sound a couple hundred feet away. One of the guys investigated and returned carrying the starving dog. We fed him ClifBars and took turns carrying him out, 7 or 8 miles to the next road. (We didn't do any more running that day!) The pooch was wearing a tag with a phone number. Apparently Buddy and his sibling had gone off chasing a moose just before a big snowstorm hit a few weeks earlier, and they became disoriented in all the snow. The other dog was never found. The owner was overjoyed to be reuinited with Buddy and bought us a few rounds at a bar in North Adams that night.

Sad though it may be, what I've read about some hunters is that a dog that does not come back is not a dog worth saving. In other words, if pup does not come back, they leave pup out there. I do not agree nor do I condone this as training/breeding criteria, but there are those who do.

Good for you for savings this pup.

 

[Snowflea]

Buddy was a pet, not a hunting dog. (Did you make that assumption because he was a beagle?) He and his cohort apparently were loose outside the house when they picked up the scent of a moose and took off.

 

[Dugan]

Buddy was a pet, not a hunting dog. (Did you make that assumption because he was a beagle?) He and his cohort apparently were loose outside the house when they picked up the scent of a moose and took off.

My apologies - yes I did mistakenly make this assumption. It was mostly based on that he is a Beagle, and also because fall and winter are a common time for this to happen.

Regardless of the circumstances, I'm glad you were able to help him - and even happier to hear that Buddy was reunited with a caring family.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Some rescues off the top of my head not directly involved with SAR or other agencies.

Young lady that blew out a knee near the flume. Helped with the carryout on steep terrain and more importantly with communications. No one had a phone that worked there so we used amateur radio to get help.

Camping out near the Franconia ridge. A Mom and her son “experienced hikers” according to mom got caught out at night without light or water or food. They missed their turnoff and had no map. Offered to let them stay with us for the night. They wanted out so I gave them directions and some headlamps, food and water. Pleasantly surprised to find they did drop my stuff off at my truck. Not exactly a rescue, just assistance.

Woman with multiple bones broken in her foot. Stayed with her until we got a message out and then helped with the carry out including carrying her across the river.

While my wife and I were driving to Willey house we just passed Arethusa falls trailhead when a call went out to Bartlett fire. Girl passed out on the trail, unknown condition. Bartlett already had two ongoing calls so they couldn’t respond. The call went mutual aid to Conway. I looked at my wife and asked her if she would mind. Thank god she had a book to read. I grabbed my city med bag as I didn’t have my SAR bag with me at that time. This bag in not really made for long carries over uneven terrain and it comes complete with oxygen cylinder. I went as fast as I could to where she was. She had passed out and regained consciousness. I evaluated her, fed her, watered her and then carefully walked her out with Conway ambulance personnel when they arrived with all their gear and stokes to carry her down with. We packed everything into the Stokes and let her friends carry the Stokes and gear back down.

Keith

 

[percious]

I rescued a man who had climbed Everest off "High Exposure". True story.

-percious

 

[catskillhiker]

Broken ankle on Balsam lake Mt

My son, Karl, and I were taking a QUICK run up and down Balsam Lake Mountain. We went the steep side to the tower and then start a jog down the other side. As we went I found a pair of new Nikon binoculars, a can of bear mace and a 60+ year old women with a broken ankle. Her male companion had gone for help but I sent Karl ahead just to be sure. I am a NYS-EMT-B so I stayed with the patient until the forest rangers, the Millbrook-Arena Fire Department and Margaretville ambulance arrived. They were able to get a four-wheel drive pickup and a "gator" to the intersection of the Balsam Lake Mountain Trail and the Dry Brook Ridge Trail. We carried the patient in a Stokes basket to the waiting transport. Had she been injured on the other side of the mountain, my ambulance corps from Livingston Manor would have been responsible. Access on our side is considerably more difficult!

 

[SteveHiker]

I helped carry someone (who posts here, but I won't name names) out from the Mt Morgan trail last year. Good thing it was only a half-mile or so. Oh, yeah, and that he wasn't hurt that bad, too.


Years ago, I gave a sweatshirt to a fallen hiker on the side of the trail to help keep her warm, but her companion shooed us away after, which I thought was strange (I think help was on the way, but still). I never got it back, but I assume it's not in style now anyway.

 

[amstony]

I have been lucky, never had to help someone down a trail or come across an injured hiker, but have loaned gloves or extra gear to hikers in distress. However, I would help if necessary.

I however was helped off the trail on September 1st by Alpinista, whom could have ran past me and abandoned me on the side of the trail with busted and bloody fingers and a bloody side and knees, but she chose instead to escort me back and drive me very quickly to the hospital.

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Wife

I thought I was gonna do a rescue this June when my wife twisted her ankle at the foot of South Hancock. She has a a bad ankle from a bad sprain in college. After a few minutes on the ground and me trying to decide what to do, she stood up, announced that her hiking boot had saved her from a bad sprain, and proceeded to whoop my ass on the climb to the summit of South Hancock. We took a break and had some lunch. She said she was alright to go on and off we went. I was concerned, but I figured she knew her own abilities, although I was worried about the hike down from North Hancock. We got down and on the way out she stopped and soaked her ankle in the ice cold water of one of the brooks along the way. We were about a hundred yards from where the trail crosses the highway and she went down again. This time a root had tripped her up. This time it was bad, she was in a lot of pain. After writhing in pain on the trail for a while, she again stood up, and then proceeded to limp down the trail, cross the highway and make the short climb to the waiting car. We stopped in Lincoln and bought a bag of ice, poured it in the cooler and in went her already swollen and discolored ankle. We went home and she never went to the ER. She's a lot tougher than me.

KDT

 

[1ADAM12]

Here is my story!

 

[alpinista]

I have been lucky, never had to help someone down a trail or come across an injured hiker, but have loaned gloves or extra gear to hikers in distress. However, I would help if necessary.

I however was helped off the trail on September 1st by Alpinista, whom could have ran past me and abandoned me on the side of the trail with busted and bloody fingers and a bloody side and knees, but she chose instead to escort me back and drive me very quickly to the hospital.

Thank God no mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was needed!

BTW, hats off to Mongoose who was with me several years ago when I took a tumble on the Kinsman Pond Trail, hitting my mouth, nose and forehead on a rock. He graciously swapped his lighter pack for my heavier one (that guy knows how to pack light!), and somehow convinced me that I didn't look like the train wreck I'm sure I did resemble! After the Fall

 

[Artex]

I saved a guy from drowning once when I was in high school. Got him on my surfboard and paddled him in. I guess he got caught in a riptide and then cramped up. Everyone at school the next day thought the guy was ungrateful because he didn't offer me any money and that I was an idiot for not asking.

 

[Maddy]

A number of years ago I met approx 9 adults and young children coming down the Bucklin Trail on the back side of Killington. They were from PA, had no water, no backpacks, and no clue.
I was heading up with two dogs and the usual gear. It was 90 degrees in the shade. I didn't like the looks of this so I asked them where they were headed? They replied "back to our car". Now the alarms went off in my head because I knew mine was the only car at the trailhead. I asked them where their car was parked and the person in charge casually replied "at the gondola base!" I was in the state of shock and I knew I had to give them the very bad news. They were incredulous at first but they finally realized that I was not making this up. I recommended to them that they hike back up from whence they came, and from there they could ride the gondola back down.
I gave them water and hiked up with them. I tried to explain that there are many trails on these mountain and they don't all lead back to the same spot. I also tried to educate them about such things as maps, water, and day packs. I have never forgotten what one of them said to me as we were climbing up the steep part. He stopped, a just stared like he couldn't make sense of the entire situation. He then said to me "you do this because you think this is fun???"
I don't think they needed my hiking tips because from the looks of them, I think they had just experienced their first and last hike.
I also rendered first aid to a dog who had a nasty cut on her paw this summer. She was bleeding a lot and could not weight bear. I fixed her up good and she hiked back out with her owners, hopefully to be taken directly to the animal hospital.
I was assisted by a skier when I injured my knee on the Tuckerman trail. I was working my way back down but the word got out that their was an injured hiker. He was really nice. He took my pack and helped me with my Akita. He told me that he really didn't want to ski anyway which I seriously doubted, but I was very grateful that he cared enough to come and help me.
Over the years I have redirected a number of "lost" hikers who had no maps and no clue. Two of the more interesting ones I named "Dick and Jane". They told me they were "following the dots" but they had no idea where the dots were taking them.
I was also helped back to the Mizpah Hut by a thru hiker who came upon my friend and I on the Webster Cliff trail as the sun was setting in the West! We had hiked down the wrong way and I injured my leg when I took a nasty fall. He carried my pack and walked right with us letting me lead so I could set the pace which was of course very slow. We got to eat cold mashed potatoes and peas for supper but they tasted pretty good after that big mess.
I also saved a lost dog who was starving.
That's about covers it all.
These stories are very interesting. You just never know what you might run into up there.

 

[LivesToHike]

Can't say I have...

Not really. I've just lead out tourists who didn't have flashlights from peaks or forest at nightfall in Calif or up here in NH. That's just a matter of course.

One carry out (a recovery) on Lafayette many years ago, including a walk down agony ridge with a stokes litter that I'd rather forget - both for the somberness of the occasion, and how tough it was to physically do it. (My right knee and lower back still remind me to this day). In retrospect, I was glad to have helped out, but I would have rather it been a rescue.

-Mike

 

[Raven]

I'm bumping an 8 year old thread to see if anyone has anything to add. This had some interesting stories, but a lot of time has passed.

Anyone have any new stories?

 

[Tom Rankin]

Nothing dramatic, but we've helped put people back on the right trail, or turned them around when they had missed a turn off. I lent someone a small keychain light when I knew they would not be getting out before dark. I even got it back!

Maybe that prevented a rescue...

 

[sierra]

I rescued my Aussie BuddyBoy from a VA farm that was being foreclosed on, he was heading to a shelter ( not fun in the south). I consider this hiking related because he has been my steady hiking companion for almost 3 years now. Tirerless, well versed in 4 season's, very protective and if anything happed to me, you would find his bones lieing on top of mine out there.

 

[Mike P.]

Define rescue? Talking someone out of continuing up hill when the weather was bad, convincing a family at the trailhead, a walk to the falls was a better family trip then trying to drag them all up to a summit?

Just this past week, a 13 year old boy in our party went to go by me at a brook that was very slick with a natural slide down to a pool. I knew it was slick & went to grab something before I went out on the smooth slick slab. As 13 year olds are prone to do, he was in a hurry & walked right by me & slipped. he went down the slabs into the pool. His first though was to go back up from where he came. Told him to go down stream to the next slab where there was an even bigger slide. Pulled him out before the next slide but had to get him to step up on the edge of the bigger slide.

Pulled myself from some spruce traps & caught my wife as she bounced down the White Arrow one winter after catching a crampon one a steep spot. She bounced a few timed before I stopped her fall. A good Samaritan named Christian (honest) and I helped her back to the car.

 

[MadRiver]

Team Rotter Rescue has two rescues in Baxter. One ranger assisted the other hiker assisted. Both survived, though never to be seen again.

 

[Raven]

Define rescue?

Let's take a wide definition, so anything that was potentially helpful.

I have only one time had to actually assist someone in a serious situation, and it was not life or death...just the start of hypothermia above treeline on Adams with some pretty bad leg cramping. We got him moving, kept him warm and focused, took his pack, got below treeline eventually, and after some warm up time, he hiked out on his own with no issues. We were at the point of looking for overnight accommodations for him if needed however. Under the hut was looking good.

Most of my help has been with redirecting people back to the proper trails when they were off trail or were not oriented. I have also given up a few headlamps on Ammo Ravine when doing maintenance in the shoulder seasons to people who were a bit underprepared.

Another hiker and I came across an overweight, overpacked, over-hung (hung over), dehydrated, young man heading up Washington. His friends had left him behind on the hike from Madison to Washington. They were in good shape. We got him into warm clothes and off cold stone; fortunately, he had his whole wardrobe in his pack. We walked him up to the summit which we had notified via Cog Rail Car (he was right near the tracks), maybe 3/4 of a mile back up the hill. He had to stop from serious fatigue multiple times, but was going to be fine. I think he would have been fine had we not stopped as well, but those are the little things that I suppose can make a difference. Tell you what though, with friends like he had...