Climbers rescued after 8 hour ordeal

M Appelquist wrote:

Buck, What did you carry with you/wear that day? Good time to share.

I have limited multi-pitch experience, but have been doing 15-25+ mile day hikes with 3-6,000 feet of elevation change: my pack has headlamp, small flashlight, windbreaker, raincoat, fleece, puffy, winter hat and mid-weight gloves, whistle, compass and map: before water and snacks about 6-8 pounds. 

My concern is not delayed, I want to be at least uncomfortably survivable overnight if I twist an ankle.

IIRC we had rain gear, food bars, head lamps, fleece caps and tops, toilet paper, water(not enough), and the regular climbing stuff, rope and rack. We were not the only people benighted, it was late May in the Valley and we could see a string of headlamps trying to descend in the dark. We finally found a nice enough ledge to wait until morning. No rescues were asked for or received. It was I think 1998? The log was still there, if that can place the time better.

EDIT: We never finished the climb, we decided to bail at least 4-5 pitches from the top.  

I spent the night descending from Royal Arches and missing the North Dome gully and rappelling in the dark in 1978.  We started early but were slow, it was pitch dark and we couldn't see where the rope ended up without headlamps.  It was May, T shirts and shorts, shivered so much all night we both thought that the Earth had stopped turning, the stars over Half Dome didnt seem to move.

Great learning experience. Never made a simiar mistake in the years since.

Ward Smithwrote:

I spent the night descending from Royal Arches and missing the North Dome gully and rappelling in the dark in 1978.  We started early but were slow, it was pitch dark and we couldn't see where the rope ended up without headlamps.  It was May, T shirts and shorts, shivered so much all night we both thought that the Earth had stopped turning, the stars over Half Dome didnt seem to move.

Great learning experience. Never made a simiar mistake in the years since.

Wow! We did the same thing a year earlier when we were total noobs! In our case it was early September and we bivied on the tree ledge with the spring at the end of the route, then North Dome Gully the next morning. We did it in 22 pitches, which is what the guidebook at the time said.

Old lady H wrote:

SAR here is overseen by the county sheriff. It's his call to charge someone. That's possible in theory, but never done in practice. 

in this instance, this is incorrect. SLC SAR is an accredited MRA team and NO MRA team is allowed to charge for their rescue services.

Just clarifying to make sure there is accurate information out there.

curt86irocwrote:

in this instance, this is incorrect. SLC SAR is an accredited MRA team and NO MRA team is allowed to charge for their rescue services.

She was referring to Boise I believe. 

Marc801 Cwrote:

She was referring to Boise I believe. 

same is true for IMSARU.

There are very few areas in the US where SAR teams or agencies having jurisdiction will actually charge someone. NH is one of the few that i know of, but there may be others scattered around.

 personally, i don't think anyone should be charged, regardless of the reasons they got themselves into the situation. here's a good quote from a friend of mine on a neighboring SAR team (I'm paraphrasing): "When you call 911, the fire dept. doesn't charge you to come and put out your house fire, even if you started it by doing something stupid and negligent. Why should SAR be any different?"

curt86irocwrote:

same is true for IMSARU.

There are very few areas in the US where SAR teams or agencies having jurisdiction will actually charge someone. NH is one of the few that i know of, but there may be others scattered around.

 personally, i don't think anyone should be charged, regardless of the reasons they got themselves into the situation. here's a good quote from a friend of mine on a neighboring SAR team (I'm paraphrasing): "When you call 911, the fire dept. doesn't charge you to come and put out your house fire, even if you started it by doing something stupid and negligent. Why should SAR be any different?"

Yeah, sorry if it wasn't clear. IMSARU is also a Mountain Rescue unit. As such, they are first responders, requested by the sheriff. Regular dispatch protocol and command structure.

As with a house fire, the first responders are there to respond. Sorting out if you are an arsonist, or a practical joker, or just a stoopud noob climber, doesn't matter until you're scooped up....one way or another. All I meant, is that if there is something chargeable, like a totally false call out, maybe, just maybe, it might get charged, ticketed actually, by a policing agency. But climbers being stoopud isn't gonna do it. Intentional malice, I'm thinking, but I've never heard of it with SAR, just mistaken calls from concerned people. Climbers need to remember that part, too, especially if you're backcountry. Have that info CLEAR with those people who will worry about you. Even then, that's not anything that would get ticketed, and gets considered a practice run by the SAR peeps. 

Remember, not everyplace is a busy location for SAR missions (few places justify paid SAR), but these volunteers train hard all the same, often getting in more rescue training than the rescue guys in the paid agencies, who spend most of their time as parmedics or whatever. Being called out is what SAR units train for, and the mission they dedicate a big part of their lives to. IMSARU trains with other agencies, including the military dudes who are the backcountry helicopter go to for rescues.

Some of this is reimbursed, and there's prodeals for equipment, that sort of thing, but it's still up to them to make this thing go. 

The last couple years have not been fun for fund-raising, yet people still went outside to epic all the same. Training never ceased, anymore than your local fire department had people stay home.

So?

It's almost the end of 2021. If you can do so, and haven't already, maybe consider a donation to your local SAR people.

Do your best to never need to make that call. But do it, if in doubt.

And hope people who love you never have to read about you in ANAM.

Best, Helen

Glad to see so many stories about being benighted on Royal Arches.....me too as a young climber. We busted our ass to clear the death slabs before dark, and then made our way down in the dark by tossing rocks and listening to judge the distance between ledges as we rapped and down climbed the giant boulders. We hit level ground about midnight.....cold, hungry, thirsty and a bit ashamed that we left the ground without headlamps.  

I can still remember leaving the ground at 8am thinking there is no way we don't get up and down before dark. Wrong! Since that day (night) I carry a headlamp everywhere accept single pitch cragging.

I guess the point is, we would have never called for a rescue unless we thought death or major injury was a highly likely. I am 61 now and still getting it done in the mountains; but I wonder aloud. Is self proficient not the highest priority of today's climbers?

Be it climbing, trail running, hiking or biking 

Or any of the countless things we do.

Marc801 Cwrote:

Wow! We did the same thing a year earlier when we were total noobs! In our case it was early September and we bivied on the tree ledge with the spring at the end of the route, then North Dome Gully the next morning. We did it in 22 pitches, which is what the guidebook at the time said.

In 1977 I was in a group of 3 that topped off the s face of Washington column at dusk.  No rapping the route in those days.  We staggered over to the top of north gully and set there all night in a light rain.  Got down no worse for wear the next morning.  well maybe a little worse…

curt86irocwrote:

same is true for IMSARU.

There are very few areas in the US where SAR teams or agencies having jurisdiction will actually charge someone. NH is one of the few that i know of, but there may be others scattered around.

 personally, i don't think anyone should be charged, regardless of the reasons they got themselves into the situation. here's a good quote from a friend of mine on a neighboring SAR team (I'm paraphrasing): "When you call 911, the fire dept. doesn't charge you to come and put out your house fire, even if you started it by doing something stupid and negligent. Why should SAR be any different?"

Well I think most of us are paying for the fire department - taxes or whatever - whether we use it or not.  I take the opposite stand - I think all rescues should be charged for regardless of fault.  The actual cost is the same regardless if the recipient was an idiot or not.  Then most people will have some form of rescue insurance. Maybe part of health.  Like your ambulance rides are paid for

Eric Engbergwrote:

Well I think most of us are paying for the fire department - taxes or whatever - whether we use it or not.  I take the opposite stand - I think all rescues should be charged for regardless of fault.  The actual cost is the same regardless if the recipient was an idiot or not.  Then most people will have some form of rescue insurance. Maybe part of health.  Like your ambulance rides are paid for

What makes you think ambulance rides are paid for by health insurance?

Eric Engbergwrote:

Well I think most of us are paying for the fire department - taxes or whatever - whether we use it or not.  I take the opposite stand - I think all rescues should be charged for regardless of fault.  The actual cost is the same regardless if the recipient was an idiot or not.  Then most people will have some form of rescue insurance. Maybe part of health.  Like your ambulance rides are paid for

You think "most" people will buy rescue insurance??? Climbers certainly don't. Hunters? Fishermen? Mountain bikers? Old ladies walking a paved path in a National monument? Don't forget the "search" part. That includes extraction when someone simply drops over.....somewhere.

It's in your taxes already, the part labeled emergency services for the responder SAR funds that are available, and maybe county Sheriff payroll from county tax, or also EMS. Whatever.

Your analogy of the fire department being paid for by everyone, use it or not, is also true for search and rescue callouts. All part of 911. Climbers also have the opportunity to support the voluntary SAR units directly, if they choose to do so.

Whether you use it or not.

That's the point of pooled resources, in this case taxes, everyone pays in, for the extremely rare few who need that service.

I'm more than willing to do both, pay property taxes and also contribute directly to SAR, even if it's your sorry dumbass self who does something stupid. 

I like to think you'd do the same for my sorry dumbass self on my "well that was less than optimal" day, if that ever happens, eh?   

H.

Eric Engbergwrote:

Well I think most of us are paying for the fire department - taxes or whatever - whether we use it or not.  I take the opposite stand - I think all rescues should be charged for regardless of fault.  The actual cost is the same regardless if the recipient was an idiot or not.  Then most people will have some form of rescue insurance. Maybe part of health.  Like your ambulance rides are paid for

There isn't a good blanket reduce insurance.  Even the AAC didn't pay up with their past plan. 

Marc801 Cwrote:

What makes you think ambulance rides are paid for by health insurance?

They generally are - I guess it depends on where you live and what kind of insurance you have.

Always have one  head lamp.  Often two.  

This is the backup light I always carry in addition to my headlamp. It’s bright, very small, weighs little and attaches to the same ring as my small multitool and whistle.

https://amzn.to/3GqPQlm

Of course if you're overdue, you probably shouldn't do this...

A hiker in Colorado, who was lost for 24 hours, ignored rescuers' phone calls because "they didn’t recognize the number," authorities said last week.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hiker-lost-24-hours-ignored-rescuers-calls-because-they-didn-n1282381

BTW, if you are running iOS 13 or above*, remember to turn off "Silence unknown callers" in your phone settings before heading out for an adventure.

*: I know nothing about Android phones

Eric Engbergwrote:

They generally are - I guess it depends on where you live and what kind of insurance you have.

https://www.consumerreports.org/medical-billing/your-ambulance-ride-could-still-leave-you-with-a-surprise-medical-bill-no-surprises-act-a2373503204/

My understanding is free “rescue” ends when they deliver you to an ambulance, air ambulance or hospital. From there on you are charged for the emergency/medical care. You can refuse any of the medical care and ambulance folks will check you out for free but they won’t treat or transport you for free.