Fall is my favorite time to hike. The crisp, clear air and fewer people on the trail are ideal for steeper treks to spectacular views. But it’s also the time of year when I am reminded of the importance of emergency preparedness and training. Many years ago, I broke my leg and dislocated my shoulder on a fall hike in the backcountry of Mount Rainier. I’d just completed my WRF (Wilderness First Responder) certification and suddenly became my first patient. Thankfully, my 12-year-old daughter had helped me study, and she kept her cool despite the adults freaking out. I will never forget her doing a sweep for blood and assessing my pupils while calmly enunciating, “Are you okay?”
As the trail maintenance season has (mostly) ended, I miss hearing the jubilant voices of our trail crew staff, who come to the office on Wednesdays to resupply. They have so much energy and joy; I feel happier just by being in the same room. In a time when so much about the future is difficult, they are inspiring and make me hopeful about what is possible when we work together. This summer, some worked together to save a man’s life.
All our trail crew leaders have a first aid certificate or the more extensive WFR (Wilderness First Responder) certification, which provides training in treating backcountry injuries when help is significantly delayed. “The primary first aid emergencies our trail crews could face are the big lacerations, contusions, and traumas that come with chainsaws, axes, falling rocks, and the like,” says Sterling Collins-Hill, PNTA’s Western Washington Regional Coordinator. “Crews provide the best care they can while staying within the scope of their training and make decisions based on facts.”
For more information on Wilderness First Aid Training and outdoor leadership programs, check out:
The value of one crew’s training was tested when they discovered a man lying on the rocks with what appeared to be only hours left to live. If you haven’t heard the story about the man missing for a month in the North Cascades,you can read about it here or on our blog. Remembering how, when I fell, the people I should have been able to rely on could not provide meaningful assistance, I wondered how these young folks managed such a difficult situation.
Trail crew leader Miles Cottingham thought he heard something unusual as they crossed the Chilliwack River, and instinct told him to check the area. “Nikoli and I were in the river first, so we approached the man together. Though we were both standing together, I have to credit Niko with seeing him first. If he had not been so eager to come off the trail when I made the call to, we might not have been so fortunate. Having multiple pairs of eyes and ears on the job was undoubtedly our greatest strength.”
He attributes the successful rescue to the team’s ability to immediately assess what needed to be done and smoothly delegate and carry through responsibilities. “Jude was shortly behind with our first aid kit, so he and Niko stayed with him while I juggled our communications devices, keeping him engaged in the process and remaining by his side in shifts.”
Miles immediately activated an SOS Beacon on hisGarmin device, but “the majority of the rescue was coordinated on our radios. This two-way system entailed a couple of hours of talking and listening with our NPS project partners in the vicinity, Rangers back at their office, Puget Sound Medical Staff, Air-to-Ground monitoring from the helicopter itself, and other helpful personnel from places within the park complex.” Injury, scene assessment, and clear communication are critical in any emergency, and Miles’ WFR training prepared him to relay information that enabled rescuers to be immediately effective when they arrived
The man’s physical and mental state was disturbing. A starving person is not a vision you ever forget. Miles acknowledged the difficulty in remaining calm and objective, “Our most challenging aspect was psychological – I periodically checked in with folks to gauge their capacity, reminding them that maintaining a calm demeanor was a key part of the procedure.”.
After the whirlwind of the dramatic rescue and the ensuing media blitz, everyone was left in a bit of a daze with what had to be difficult memories. They are, after all, young people who hadn’t ever dealt with something like this, and this would have been a hard situation for anyone to process. We’ve all been concerned about their well-being and have kept in touch, checking in and offering different types of support. The crew’s resilience in dealing with the aftermath of the rescue is a testament to their strength and determination.
I asked Miles what piece of training was most important in this situation, “As Crew Leads, we become accustomed to staying vigilant to the needs of those around us, so choosing to investigate seemed just an extension of that.” Had he not trusted his gut, things may have turned out quite differently.
”In the future, I will remind my crews to zoom out occasionally to regain that circumstantial awareness. It is so easy to hyperfocus on the details of the hitch and lose sight of our surroundings. Beyond the work itself, we are simply humans in the woods relying on our sensory instincts.”
Trail crew leader Miles Cottingham thought he heard something unusual as they crossed the Chilliwack River, and instinct told him to check the area. “Nikoli and I were in the river first, so we approached the man together. Though we were both standing together, I have to credit Niko with seeing him first. If he had not been so eager to come off the trail when I made the call to, we might not have been so fortunate. Having multiple pairs of eyes and ears on the job was undoubtedly our greatest strength.”
After the whirlwind of the dramatic rescue and the ensuing media blitz, everyone was left in a bit of a daze with what had to be difficult memories. They are, after all, young people who hadn’t ever dealt with something like this, and this would have been a hard situation for anyone to process. We’ve all been concerned about their well-being and have kept in touch, checking in and offering different types of support. The crew’s resilience in dealing with the aftermath of the rescue is a testament to their strength and determination.