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Hiker fell and injured his back
By Kevin Walker
Just as I was finishing my lunch
hour (that was a first) my dad, Walt Walker, came
in with news of a rescue in the Snow Creek area.
While we were driving to the roadhead, located
near the Snow Creek community, Walt told me that
two men in their early twenties were hiking up
Falls Creek, when one of the men fell off a lower
portion of the large water fall and injured his
lower back area, needless to say he was unable to
make it out on his own.
Walt and I
were the first to arrive at the roadhead. Shortly
after that Capt. Ray Canova arrived with the
informant. With all information and gear packed,
Walt and I climbed into Don Landells' waiting jet
Ranger and headed towards Falls Creek. With the
temperature climbing into the 112 -115° range combined with rough air, Don
was unable to make the ol' chopper fly slow in
the canyon, so making tight orbits over the falls
we proceeded to look for a place to set down.
While doing so, Walt spotted the man on a boulder
near the edge of one of the many cascades that
make up Falls Creek. Don was unable to find a
place near the hiker, so ... up to the ridge.
There was just too much turbulence in the area to
set down in the canyon.
As Don headed
for base, Walt and I made our way down a
(correction: the only) chute leading to the
canyon floor. It didn't take long in descending
the narrow chute, but we knew if we had to indeed
transport the man back up, it would take a long
time ' because everything from gravel to fifty
pound boulders were loose, and with our help, on
the move. As we neared the bottom of the chute we
came across what would be our only problem of the
day. It was a pair of boulders (automobile-size)
lodged in our way. I then set up a belay, and
Walt climbed down past the boulders. just as Walt
said, "off belay" a large rock cut
loose from above and tumbled down past me and
over the edge where Walt had just descended.
After all of the debris stopped
sliding, I yelled down to try and get a response.
Walt called back up in £&#chinese&£# to find out what was going on.
Luckily he had ducked under an overhang and the
rock went on past him. Walt told me to stand by
while he went down to check on the young hiker.
Jim Fairchild had just called from base camp
asking for men and equipment assignments, when to
my surprise, Walt and the hiker had returned to
the base of the boulder and were ready to be
helped back up. Walt said that we would need four
more men and call-out ropes.
After that,
things went real well, the young man was just
very, very sore (I man considering) and was able
to wait. Once help arrived, we assisted the hiker
back to hard-resting Don Landells and his
chopper. A couple flights out and ... mission
complete. One fatality though, a call-out rope
slightly crunched, thanks to one particular rock.
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