Man injured back sliding on snow
By Joe
Erickson
We were called
to Idyllwild to rescue an individual with an
injured back on the Devil's Slide Trail. The
trail switch-backs up the steep slopes and in
many sections a hiker can see the trail
criss-crossing below. Many imprudent hikers will
cut trail taking a short cut to the next portion
of trail. Robert Schuppe and Michael Schuppe were
hiking own the trail midday. Robert decided to
slide down the icy snow, on his rear, until he
came to an uncomfortable stop in a gully.
Complaining of
back pain and apparently unable to help himself
out, his friend made his way to him injuring
himself slightly. A woman and man were day hiking
and came across the injured hiker and brother.
They helped as best they could, making a bit of
shelter with a tarp, they got a small fire going
near him. The weather was getting nastier so the
woman continued down. to get help.
And help she
got. Some members of the U.S. Forest Service
hiked up to aid this young man. He was made as
comfortable as possible and they got another fire
going to warm the rest of the folks.
RMRU was
called around 3 p.m. We zoomed up to Humber Park
hoping to get this guy down and out of the
increasing weather. We couldn't make it to the
trailhead because the snow was accumulating
pretty quick.
The sheriff's
deputy drove Kevin Walker, Craig Beasley and I in
his 4WD to Humber Park - where we started hiking
into what was alternating rain, sleet and snow.
We had called
for extra help from the associate members due to
a low turn out of members. (The low turn out
because many members were still on their way home
from the previous two missions.)
As Craig,
Kevin and I rounded a turn we could finally see a
fire up ahead and hurried on to the scene. What
we saw was some cold people trying to warm up and
dry off by a good sized fire on the trail. The
subject was down maybe 30 feet in a small gully;
clothes, sleeping bags, tarps stuffed around him
in an effort to keep him warm. Water and some
debris were flowing past him further complicating
his predicament.
In first aid classes people learn to
not move someone with back injuries
unnecessarily, but after assessing the situation,
Kevin, Craig and I decided this guy was in more
danger and discomfort from the cold and wet than
from his injuries. We examined him and decided
that with his help and much of his own effort we
could walk him up to the trail where we had a
warm sleeping bag and some shelter on a platform
waiting. In ten minutes his wet clothes were off
and dry ones on and himself in the sleeping bag.
We had help
putting him in the wheeled litter and we all took
turns carrying/ wheeling him down the trail and
out to an awaiting ambulance.
We went by the
hospital after eating a meal and he was being
released. He walked to a motel where he and his
brother were to be picked up the next day by
family members.
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