CLIMBING -- Among several recent search and rescue operations in the region to aid hapless hikers and climbers, Sunday's mission on Mount Hood rises to the top.
A woman whose leg was broken by rockfall was rescued by a National Guard HH-60M Black Hawk crew that made the hour flight to the mountain out of Salem. The crew performed what Portland Mountain Rescue volunteers said was the first air evacuation from the summit of Mount Hood.
According to reports, the helicopter hovered 100 or 200 feet above the summit, pulling Casey Ferguson, 27, up in a basket.
But Ferguson's ordeal is worth contemplating.
Rockfall broke her tibia and fibula just 100 feet short of the summit. Other climbers assisted in first aid, splinting and carrying her to the summit, where they used cell phones to call 911.
Luckily, the weather was decent so climbers could use their jackets to insulate her from the cold. Although the dispatchers were positive at first, she was on the ground in pain for 7 hours before a paramedic climbed up with a sleeping bag and pain medication. She'd been there that long without so much as an Advil. And the climbers were getting damned cold on top of the 11,240-foot peak without their jackets.
Confusion among dispatchers on which rescue unit to call delayed the helicopter arrival for a full 10 hours.
Again, one can't overemphasize the luck of good weather.
What's in your pack for the next climb? Pain relievers, sleeping pad... a few things are worth their weight in gold in an emergency.
- See a detailed story about the Hood rescue form Oregonlive.
