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Mount Adams, Washington Mission Report by Alan Givotosky Field personnel: Mark Cooksley, Alan Givotovsky (OL), Graham Johnson, Tod Lokey, Duane Perham, Marv Perrin and Mike Puhrmann. In-town coordinator: Gus Bush. Saturday, July 10, 2004 Tom Sharp from Pierce County DEM sent a page at 1830 requesting assistance for Yakima County in the carryout an injured climber at Mt. Adams. Bush sent an OL page at 1849 and a group page at 1939. Responding members met at the Cache at 2130 and packed up the wet gear that was drying from the Unit’s swift water training earlier that day. Cooksley, Givotovsky (driver), Perham and Perrin were in the Unit rescue truck while Johnson, Lokey and Puhrmann drove in a personal vehicle with a Unit radio in order to maintain communications during the long drive to Mt. Adams. U.S. Forest Service Road 23 out of Randle was open and in good condition. Sunday, July 11, 2004 Lunch Counter at about 9050 feet. They recruited over a dozen volunteers to help with this transport. The patient was now safe and comfortable in a tent accompanied by her husband and monitored by the rangers. A team of EMTs from Central Washington Mountain Rescue (CWMR) and Portland Mountain Rescue were already headed to the patient. Operation Leaders from CWMR, Portland Mountain Rescue and Tacoma Mountain Rescue conferred to develop a plan for the carryout. Johnson and Lokey along with two CWMR members were sent up the trail at 0340 with a litter package. All remaining mountain rescue personnel then headed up the trail by 0420 with gear for lowering the patient back to snowline. We took two 300-foot ropes (still a bit damp from swift water training), pickets and a scaled down rigging kit. A CWMR team was stationed at the top of the Crescent Glacier headwall at about 7800 5 feet to set up systems for lowering at this steep section while the rest of us continued to the subject. The mountain rescue EMTs reached the patient around 0600. They determined that the patient was stable and splinted her lower right extremity for a suspected broken ankle. The litter team reached the patient at 0700. By 0800 all mountain rescue personnel were on scene. The subject was packaged in the litter and carried to the top of the first system around 0900. The initial snow slope was not very steep but it was still rather firm with broad sun cups making for a potentially fast and unstable surface. Three attendants were positioned on each side of the litter and utilized attached slings to pull and steer the litter. A 300-foot rope was hand belayed by six rescuers while a separate 300-foot mainline was lowered via a brake bar rack. After a lower of one rope length in this configuration we determined that it would be safe to eliminate the mainline on this slope. So the two ropes were joined with a resulting 600-foot belay line for the litter. This made for a rather quick but controlled descent down the snowfield to the Crescent Glacier. The final section to the top of the headwall was a bit steeper so a brake bar rack was integrated for that pitch. Up to this point the subject had a couple of short drink breaks while in the litter. Once at the top of the headwall the medic requested that the patient be unpackaged and allowed to take a break out of the litter. A flat platform was chopped in the snow at the base of a rock band at the top of the headwall, the litter was secured and the patient was assisted onto the surrounding rocks. Meanwhile, a second system was installed below the top of the headwall. Approximately 30 to 40 minutes later the patient was ready to be repackaged. Two members of the Crag Rats joined us around this time. Lowering the litter down the headwall utilized a two-rope system. Due to the steepness of the slope only two attendants were holding slings attached to the downhill end of the litter. This decreased stress on the anchors but provided plenty of steering control for the litter. The mainline was controlled via a brake tube and the belay line via tandem prusiks. At the second station a brake bar rack was utilized for the mainline and we maintained a tandem prusik on the belay. Attendants requested a third station, so equipment from the first station was leapfrogged downhill to rig another mainline and belay. After completing this 300-foot run the terrain became less steep so we reverted to the previous system of six attendants with the litter and a 600-foot hand belay. At a final short steep section the brake tube was used as a belay. Afterward the litter was guided on the very low angle snow with three attendants on each side and one at the rear. Upon reaching the trail at about 1230 the medic again requested a break for the patient. She was unpackaged and assisted out of the litter. About 30 to 40 minutes later the patient was repackaged and the litter placed on the wheel. At this point members of Skamania, Klickitat and Yakima SAR assisted with transport of the litter to the trailhead. The subject reached the trailhead a little after 1500 and left the scene in her personal vehicle with her husband to be transported to a hospital for further workup. TMR was released at 1600 and began the long drive down the mountain. We stopped in Morton for a hasty but well- deserved dinner and arrived at the Cache at 2130. |
