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Seeking help moving Tahquitz Rescue Litters on Sunday at 10am
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Anyone free to help re-stage Tahquitz rescue litters Sunday? WHO: Anyone willing to help carry weight up a trail WHAT: Rescue litters are metal carrying baskets for hurt climbers. Three of them had been sitting in the Idyllwild fire station ignored. This effort is to put them up near climbs so they can actually be useful. The litters weigh up to about 40lb each. The plan is to have 2-3 people per litter to carry them up the 1 hr climber approach trail. About 800ft gain over about 1 mile. If you have a pickup truck, we may also could use your help to transport them from the Idyllwild fire station. WHEN: This Sunday at 10am. WHY: Doing good for the climbing community. This summer I saw someone break his ankle on Fingertrip and we didn't have the litter to carry him down. HOW: If free to help, just comment or DM. Also let me know if any questions |
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This is great, but aren’t there litters stashed at suicide and after you come down friction facing south?
And also good luck / bump Awesome to see folks trying to do some crag service |
Cole Darbywrote: There were three at Tahquitz. They were donated by the SCMA. The problem is after a rescue, they are picked up by and stored by the Idyllwild Firestation. In the past, people like RJ Secor and other members of the SCMA would personally haul them up. A lot of these people have passed away or are retied from climbing, and the Stokes Litters have been sitting ignored in the fire station. They use to be at Tahquitz Rock and the intent is to stage them where they use to be.
I'd rather get them done now rather than setting this task aside and forgetting about it. There had been log chain of communication involving the Idyllwild Fire Department about who owns the litters, who can pick up the litters, and all that jazz. Literally 4 months of intermittent back and forths. I'm willing to give it a go now and do as much as we can.
I know of at least two people who were carried down to the Humber Park lot on the litters-- one guy was rescued more than once. They are used. The only problem in the life cycle of the usage is that people fell out of practice of putting them back on Tahquitz rock after they've been used in rescues. They have literally been around for the past 10-20 years. More recent climbers haven't seen them around recently since no one bothered to or knew to put them back. There was one in the North Gully trail, one at the Tahquitz rock friction decent, and one at Tahquitz lunch rock. Earlier this spring, I was around when a guy deck on fingertrip. (Looked like new trad climbers. There was so much rope drag that his partner never even felt the rope go taut. Either that or it was ridiculousy poorly protected.) He was in shock and either had a really bad sprang or a break. There were literally six of us sitting aroud helping him out. We looked for the Stokes litter to carry him out-- and there was none to be found at lunch rock. This is what started very long email chains and asking around hunting these litters down. Now that we have them, I really want to put them back on the rock. At worst, they sit around as decoration never to be used ever again. At best, they help people down the mountain-- maybe helping with the time to treatment, maybe saving them $$$ in avoiding a helicopter ride, maybe saving the Idyllwild Fire Department and RMRU $$$ and money in avoiding an unnecessary rescue.
No worries. Nothing is so holy that they're above open musing, questioning, or elaboration. |
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Copy that Good on ya for getting after all that I did see one on my way down pretty recently, I wanna say after getting off friction, but don’t remember exactly and I know there is one at suicide, but looks like it needs some new cord to secure it to the tree that’s it’s buddy |
Nic Nic wrote: Yeah! Todd M. was very cool in helping drop them off today at Humber Park. A few of us will be carrying them up Sunday. |
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Helicopters aren't easy fixes, any heli rescue poses significant danger to anyone involved - ESPECIALLY near escarpments and rock formations, which cause changes and shifts in wind patterns. There are quite a few rescues that have ended in tragedy from a bird going down or a cable snapping. Self extraction on a long and tedious trail like those found getting to T&S aren't just ways to show how manly and tough they are, they can cause debilitating injuries and increase the risks caused by ischemia among other things - not to mention head injuries which can go from seeming mild to extreme TBI and swelling in a short time. About 10+ years ago there was a high profile rescue on suicide during a hailstorm where a young climber fell on P2 of captain hook, hitting and knocking out his belayer before falling the rest of the way to the base. Clark Jacobs was around the corner, luckily, and cleared his airways and stabilized the victim enough that a litter could be used for the carry out as a gnarly thunder and hailstorm made heli extraction not possible (also of note during this rescue was the extreme shortage of helpers to carry the litter and the additional risk of hailstones, large enough that many rescuers had contusions as well as the victims). A litter is a vital tool for reducing collateral damage as well as providing climbers an ability to use our wilderness first aid training with proper equipment, AND any time we can have conversations and work WITH the local fire departments they can better assist us and are more aware of our own resources. (in an ideal world a litter would be carried by 12 people minimum, allowing for rotations and rest breaks - consider getting your WFR or WFA if you are unsure how to pack a litter) |
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hey me and my buddy will be there tomorrow morning. well gladly bring one up on our way up. That was actually my partner that decked on FT. it had been a year since he last climbed and felt he was still way above 5.7. Didn't expect the slippery rubber from the heat. placed like one cam and actually fell to a ledge instead of his last pro (hence the rope sliding down). Luckily his insurance covered the bird but without it the ride would have run him so much fucking money, litter would have been the move. |
Stin Manwrote: Heli rides are free, I confirmed that with the operators. 99.9% of the time best to take the helicopter, those guys love the practice anyway. I saw them pluck a dude who has having a panic attack. Darndest thing. Litters are kinda in a narrow niche at Tah, not necessary for a sprain (can you imagine 12 people carrying a litter down the trail for a sprained ankle?!) and with the heli so close not suitable for an open fracture, unless the heli obviously can't make it of course. Thanks for navigating the bureaucratic BS James, I was going to drag the one over from Hinterlands when I got the chance, this is way easier. One more thing: THERE'S NO FALLING AT TAHQUITZ! |
Tradibanwrote: I was curious as to why the heli guys haven't offered to deliver the Litters as part of "practice" besides the concern that they would then become responsible for the Litters. |
Gumby Kingwrote: Cause they have more important shida-do. |
Tradibanwrote: Dafaq is a shida-do? |
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We were able to haul up the Litters to Tahquitz Rock! Thanks for all those who helped! James V., Derek S.: For helping track down the litters themselves. Todd M. for picking them up from the Idyllwild Fire Station and stashing them for us at Humber Park. (And John T. for being on standby in case we needed extra trips.)
Austin, Megan E, Keven P, Steven S., Alexander S. for accompanying and helping haul up the litters! (They ended up not being so heavy-- maybe 20lbs each but navigating that approach trail, uphill, was less-than-easy).
For those who are curious or may end up needing them: we stashed the Litters at:
- Lunch Rock: on top |
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Nice work James! Thanks to all who helped. |
