for full size click here …
http://www.backpacker.com/media/originals/1013_V_Victimology.pdf
from http://www.backpacker.com/articles/17859
;)
Topic
What does the typical Search and Rescue victim look like?
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Let me guess, hawt young women are the least likely to need SAR, because there are always guys like Eric looking out for them.
Perhaps women are just smarter?
women dont have to impress other women with testosterone inspired feats
;)
interesting, thanks
"Dayhikers outnumber backpackers in the
parks, but that’s not why they dominate SAR
missions. Instead, it’s because they’re often
not carrying basic survival equipment, like
extra food and shelter"
and
"Common errors: pressing
on in bad weather,
getting summit fever,
and leaving the trail"
Well if it's in Backpacker….
"Let me guess, hawt young women are the least likely to need SAR, because there are always guys like Eric looking out for them.
"
That was funny!
Wet, cold, muddy, bug-bit, sunburned, frostbit, thirsty, hungry, exhausted and scared poo-less.
I see people on every day hike who are headed up the trail in the mid-afternoon without a shred of gear— not even a water bottle— wearing cotton sweats and flip flops. Don't they know how DARK it gets on the backside of a mountain in dense forest?
And the college girls who asked for directions to Gothic Basin and had no map. When I asked why, they said they had one on a cell phone, but it GOT ERASED.
What is the mirror on a compass for?
To see who is lost :)
I see people on every day hike who are headed up the trail in the mid-afternoon without a shred of gear— not even a water bottle— wearing cotton sweats and flip flops. Don't they know how DARK it gets on the backside of a mountain in dense forest?
And the college girls who asked for directions to Gothic Basin and had no map. When I asked why, they said they had one on a cell phone, but it GOT ERASED.
interesting that you should say that …
heres a story i posted a while back about a run up the chief … for the good part jump to after the photo
it was early last nov and it looked like the last good weather window for a run up the chief … i really wanted to go up the buttress as i hadnt cleaned it yet … lo and behold one of my partners L (lets call him that) had never done the chief … now i had run up the butt face 3 or 4 times in oct each time with a different person who had never been up in 5-6 hours, but they werent strong enough for that 10c pitch … since L is an 11+ sport climber, i thought "sweet well run up really fast and well fire the crux easily" ….
so we get out to squish, and decide that the fastest way up is banana peel … now L had done some easier multi and trad before, so i wasnt too worried … we brought no packs to stay fast … get to banana peel. he leads the first, i lead the second … he then takes the crux, its slightly wet at the base but no biggie … he gets there must spend a good 15 min playing with 2 cams … now the thing about L at that time is that he gets really scared above his pro when hes not in the right headspace, i remember in skaha once there was some "sport aiding" when hes not on his game … he makes a move, climbs, up, climbs down, looks again … repeat process for another 10 min …feet start popping … i have never heard of anyone falling on banana peel … im thinking "oh shiet were gonna have to suffer the shame of a fall on the easiest climb in the world" ,,, eventually he makes the move … sweet !!! no shame
we fire off the rest of banana peel … we do move a bit slowly since L isnt that experienced in longer multi, 3-4 hours gone … as a comparison the first time i ever did banana as a total noob, i did it in ~ 2-3 hours …
get to the top, do boomstick … for some reason that seems to take quite a bit of time … who knows
hike up to the base of the buttress … i go up the first 60m pitch … L then start leading the second pith … takes a while as hes doesnt climb too much trad, but hey, its 5.7 ;) …. he gets to the top and seems to take awhile to set up a belay …. next think i hear is
CLINK CLANK CLUNG down the hill …
i distinctly recall thinking to myself "fcuker better not have dropped one of my cams ,,,, anything but an effing cam" … which turned into "f*#k it if he dropped a cam it better not have been one of my zeros (which MEC no longer sells), better be an effing camalot" … and finally "shiet if he dropped my reverso, how the eff is he gonna belay (i lent him my reverso)"
finally after a good 30 min … i hear "on belay" … i just assumed i was soloing … i get to the top and see him with an effing body belay … lesson learned, make sure yr partner knows how to munter …
OK so i give him my belay device and use a munter myself …. i give him the 5.9 crux of the butt face … by this time all my dreams of doing the buttress clean before the end of the season turned to vaporware … eff it, 2 more easy pitches, how hard can it be …
he fires off the 5.9 sport like crux fine … did i mention he was a sport weenie ;)
i take the next pitch …. now i usually never put pro in before the first bolt … but damn everything is going wrong and i dont want my second to fall on a 5.4 traverse before the bolt …. so i throw in a camalot and extend it with a sling … get through the chimney .. and i cant effing move ….
seems like that the piece which i never usually put it has stopped the effing rope … hmmmm … well OK … i build and anchor out of a bolt and a tree …. and yell out to L … "tie yr self in short with a clove, backpack the loose rope and move to the piece" … i put him on belay …
waited for a good 15 min, no movement .. hmmmm … well it takes time to coil the loose rope … another 10 min … damn i hope he knows how to clove in short … much yelling insured … we must have spent a good hour on the easy 5.6 finish pitch … finally he goes short, takes out the piece and we fire off the top just as the sunsets … take the requisite fbook photos
all over? right? …. well L seems to have forgotten his headlamp in my car, usually as mentioned above i have a spare small petzl e-lite for instances like this, but for some reason i didnt bring it that day .. no worries i had my trusty petzl xp2 ….
so L moves ahead … and i follow … he trail runs as well so going down trails with minimal light aint that big of an issue … and ive done the descent enough by now to know it by heart …
we get down the ladders, and we next thing you know we hear
"OMG OMG OMG I DONT WANNA DIE !!!!" ….
well on the negative side i wasnt in the mood to do a rescue … on the positive side it sounded like some young girl … i started weight the possibility of a rescue vs the possibility of a body to warm my sleep ;)
we keep going down the trail and we see this weird blue glow … im thinking … "whaz dat, …. alien abductions, some nerds playing jedi on the chief, some mutant radioactive bear?" …
now to diverge slightly … years ago one of my friends W (lets call him that) went up the buttress with 2 complete newbs, aided the 10c pitch (he was a 5.9 climber at the time) and topped out in the dark … they didnt have a headlamp so they tied in W … and belayed him down the trail with a cell phone as the only light in case he fell off a cliff …
back to the story … when i saw a group of teenagers following someone holding a cell phone as a light like lemmings … im like "OMG no effing way … thats just like W" …
as we get close i noticed one screaming girl … and a whole bunch of guys …. sauuuusage fessst … there goes my hopes of warm tender flesh that night …. so L and i just pass em down the trail …
as we go down, 2 of the guys break off and follow us …. a fellow azn say "hey these guys are smart they gotta light!!!" (all i could think is what an effing disgrace too all azns everywhere, stupid to go out without a headlamp, thats a white person thing) … another shirtless white guy (it was close to freezing) said "yeah lets just follow em screw whats her name"
so L, i and these 2 guys head down the trail … im a pretty nice guy so i stay in the back and let the light shine down for them … for some reason L decides to go on ahead quite far … its now totally dark ….
finally we get to somewhere before the wooden stairs … wheres L? ,…. fcuk he ran down the wrong way …. he took the trail to the effing squaw or somewhere with no headlamp in pitch blackness … i start shouting "L where arrrrreee youuuuuuu?" … no answer … eff it …
in the meantime i hear from behind " I DONT WANNNNNAAA DIE …. OMG OMG OMG OMG…. IM TOO YOUNG TO DIE"
then shirtless guy start shivering alot … no shirt at freezing means hypothermia …
to recap … im stuck on the descent on the backside off a climb that should have taking no more than 4-6 hours, but took 8-9 … got my reverso dropped … i have the only headlamp between among 12 people … ive got a screaming chick behind me about impeding death … some shirtless guy i dont know in first stage hypothermia, which i really didnt want to spoon (for rescue) with should he go kaput … my partner running off to the squaw or god knows where in the dark with no headlamp … possibly falling off the waterfall …
well finally the gods had enough fun and took pity on us … L calls out … and we direct him back to us …. me and my posse start descending …. hypothermic shirtless guy find a dry jacket of all things on the trail and wears it, what are the odds, and he warms up … and the screamers start receding in decibels
we get to wooden stairs and pass by some hiking groups going up … they say "only one headlamp tsk tsk tsk" …. my only thought was "wait till you run into screamer chick and her harem!!!"
we finally get to the bottom, part ways with our groupies who thanked us for saving their azzes … and me and L went and got the best effing slurpee ive ever had at 7-11 …. L pays me for the dropped reverso …
now i still climb anyday with L … everyone has those moments, the trick is that he learns from em and is humble about it … hes gone on to flash up to 5.11 trad later on
hope that was entertaining … it all happened one nov day on the chief …
;)
"hawt young women are the least likely to need SAR, because there are always guys like Eric looking out for them."
Which is exactly when they need SAR. Or at least "R". ;0)
the common denominator for the victims I have encountered was inexperience and a correlated lack of preparedness. "Hawt young women" were pretty rare as victims, but we had some gorgeous (and highly competent) ladies who worked very well in our unit.
The only rescue I have ever done was a "hawt" young lady. Granted, she was with one other "hawt" young lady and their boyfriends. She was full on heat exhaustion. Inexperience and lack of preparation (1 liter of water per person hiking from the valley to half dome and back when valley temps exceeded 100) were absolutely the problem. My guess is that the ladies listened to the guys. They were trying you get her up and moving. I refilled their water supply. The only reason they were even willing to ask for someone to filter water is the other lady asked my wife for help. Ego played a big part also. Ego, lack of experience and lack of preparation all played huge parts.
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