If you had a chance would you help... could you help?

i was inspired to write this post this morning because of a recent new reader saying she was happy with the blog and learning from it! you know who you are little reader compliment giver... this post comes with a story. so should we do the educational content or the super fun highly true marginally fictionalized, the imagination can effect the memory, real life account of mountain rescue???!!! your right the stories not that good.

so here is how you make... F! fine ill tell the story. it's actually not that good though i talked a big game, so here goes. following nursing school i spent a month in squamish being a bum... as you can see in the picture to follow. Dr. George Wiggins... (it's fun to make fun of him) decided to come up and and play climbing bum with me for a week. we decide to do a summit climb, and george really want to run up the ultimate everything. i think this was my eight lap up this 20 pitch fun fest, i was happy to do it again. we topped out in the early afternoon having made excellent time.



the anecdote begins on the hike down from the north north summit. shortly after entering the treeline, some guy in a state of panic comes running up the trail saying a woman has collapsed. i grumble something about not wanting to be a nurse and doctor... "Jeorje" remains professional. soon we find the lady with several people crowding around, including her family and some lady claiming to be an ER nurse. WE DO NOT identify ourselves as medical professionals.. but we offer our assistance. george asks for some details in a very doctorly way.... so much so that some people are picking up on the fact that this guys got some knowledge to spit. ER nurse? ...no clue. But she's spewing what she thinks like she needs to get out words to make room for her next breath. things like "pulse is strong, breathings good" are said. George and i each do a little assessment. the ladies breathing is shallow and tachy (read fast), her pulse is weak and thready... these are things an ER nurse should know... weird. but she's in control of the seen. the people all around us begin debating what to do. George continues to watch the lady and ask questions about what happened. medical history stuff. i then turn to our climbing rope... why you ask? so i look at the situation and i know this woman needs to leave. i know george will watch her, but we have no supplies to do anything anyway. turns out she was stung in the chest several times by bees and is allergic. so we need to move her. while people yack back and forth, i make a rope litter... the sideways glances from on lookers was also humorous as you could almost see them thinking "what the hell is the mowhawk kid doing!" it was fun as i knew how to do it but had never been in a situation were i needed to. but thats when the fun ended.... No! she didnt die you guys watch to much TV!! about the time i was finishing my magnum opus, a Wilderness EMT came stomping down the trail. apparently he was doing a rescue for a hiker on the summit. he had his full kit.. benedryl included so the woman got exactly what she needed. then he hit the radio and called for a team to get her out. the funny part was at this time, george and the "ER" lady had begun to "cordially" debate the best treatment. EMT walk up and george backs off. then i say to the EMT "are you assuming command of this seen?" he looks at me a little funny... lady looks at me really funny!... then he calmly says yes as he looks at my litter. then i say, "do you need further assistance from us?" he says "no... you guys are good, thanks for the help" i look at the lady and say "see you guys down the trail". it was funny if you were there. george and i pack up and bail... after i untie my awesome rope litter! a little while later the lady catches up. she begins asking who we are and we tell her. turns out shes not an ER nurse. she's a clinic medical tech at a ski lodge. kids dont pretend your something your not... be proud of who you are! and when two other people say the best thing for a person is to lay her down so that her dropping blood pressure can continue to profuse the brain, and that her easy of breathing is not as important... go ahead and do what they say! ...or kill people. yeah whatever... no biggie.

so wanna learn how to make a rope litter now?! i knew you did! you need a rope and... you need... a rope. it nice to have a sleeping pad and two poles but thats extra.



next flake the rope into piles with the ropes midpoint on top and in the middle...like so.



then from the midpoint make ten bites... the zig-zags you simpletons... in each direction from the midpoint. the number isnt too important. it just needs to be long enough for your victims height. the bad is nice to help with the width. but figure on about 2.5 ft.



then put a couple of overhand knots in the last two bites at either end... that four total kids.



next with the left over tail your gonna make clove hitches around each bite . space them about four to six inches apart. as seen in the picture. do this down the entire length of each side.



you should know have something that look a lot like this.... if you dont.... start over!



next thread the tail through the loops youve created. work all the way down and then come back threading through again.





the rope should snake back and forth 3 to 4 times.



When youve done this down both sides as many times as you have rope, tie off the remaining minimal amount of tail at the overhand knots. if you have two pole you can thread them through the loops as well to make your litter more stable. If you have the pad it can be placed on the pad to make it more comfortable. now... go save some lives!