Chapter 16 Hikers who hurt themselves.
“My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.” Aldous Huxley
I suffered a serious injury to both ankles three years back. It was right in the middle of a very stressful time at work as well, where I was working on a major project. It happened at Chimney Rock, MD. As I jumped onto the lower rock as soon as I landed the pain was severe, and I knew fairly quickly that I had done some serious damage.
My wife and some friends were with me, as was my son. Luckily, my cell phone was working and I called 911. I was eventually shipped to a shock and trauma center in Baltimore via helicopter. Being flown in a helicopter while attached to one of the carriers was a terrifying experience, and it was also very cold at the time, so I was afraid of hypothermia. My thanks to all the brave folks that helped me that day and got me to safety. Also to the doctors who performed surgery and repaired my ankles. As a result, my ankles now have quite a few pins and screws in them.
This prompted me to think about what would happen if the cell phone had not worked, for example. Since I could not walk, and my wife carrying me down the hill would be out of the question, it would have been very tough. The light was fading, so it would have meant her leaving me alone in the dark and seeking help after climbing down the mountain.
Native Americans had a solution for dragging goods over land called a travois. I think a modern version of this could be used for simple rescues for hikers. What you need is a sled – it should be very light and made of extremely tough material. That way it could be dragged over even rough terrain. With the number of light hard materials available today it should not be too hard to design something like this.
In my case, my wife could have assembled this sled, let’s call it “hikers sled” and I could have maneuvered onto it with my hands. Then you tie a rope to attach to the sled and you drag the injured person down the mountain. I can imagine a simple device like this could save quite a few lives.
Anyone hiking with more than one person could make use of the hikers sled, especially those that try the more dangerous and adventurous hikes. There could also be situations where someone suffers a bear attack or something and they can’t move. I know you are not supposed to move people in situations like this, but if the circumstances are dire and you need to get them to a hospital, the risk of just getting them onto the sled might be worth it. Once on the sled, the ride would not be too disturbing, depending on the terrain, of course.
The simultaneous requirements that the sled be lightweight and tough might initially make it a fairly expensive proposition. But the price would come down as more and more people saw the value in it. It’s good to be prepared in the outdoors.
As a result of my misadventures, I have become far more cautious in the hikes I tackle. My wife, however, feels no such inhibitions. The tougher the hike, the better. The steeper the rocks, the more of a thrill she gets out of it. So I worry about her and my son a lot, because she encourages him to take similar risks in hikes. I always imagine the worst when we are out on some of our tougher hikes- probably because of my traumatic accident.
A hiker’s sled is the answer, I think.
Discuss and enjoy!