Self rescue in Bloodhound mini-slot

[jwurst]

Last Tuesday I had some family out in Bloodhound canyon, selected because it is simple, short, and has some short rappels to keep the kids entertained.

At the coaxing of my father-in-law, my mother-in-law took a line that was less than ideal, IMO. She slid, tried to jump, failed, and came down on her ankle. She cried out in pain. When I reached her I could see that her foot was pointed downward with a sharper bend at the ankle than seemed natural. We did some gentle testing and found that she could not bear any weight on it at all--a probable break.

In probably the biggest bit of luck, coincidence, or providence I've ever experienced, this was only the 2nd day I had ever carried a SAM Splint. I bought one after reading, here on Bogley, about three ankle injuries in Zion in one day. There was no material for an improvised splint for miles around and it is unlikely such a solution would have worked well enough for an injury this severe. That splint most definitely saved a call to SAR. We could not have moved her without it.

The victim's ankle was taped and the splint was applied. She remained in good spirits and was aided by a liberal dose of tylenol and ibuprophen. She smiled for some of the pictures the kids were taking.

I scouted evacuation options while my wife monitored her mother's condition. Bloodhound has lots of escapes and I found that our best option was only about 100 yards up canyon above three big slides. We were 1 mile from the car and it was only 10:30 AM. We were fortunate in many ways.

My mother in law could crawl if someone helped her hold her leg steady by holding it up just below the knee. We taped gloves to her knees to serve as knee pads. We had two adults assisting her from below on the climbs and two adults and some kids operating a pull rope from above. We slowly worked our way up the climbs and then up to the rim. Walking on the flat stretches required the assistance of two adults and a lot of practice. Her bad leg couldn't touch anything at all. Her harness was a big help, especially her leg loops. We made 0.45 miles in about 2 1/2 hours, almost half way with all the hard parts behind us. The only obstacles left were distance and cactus. It's probably not a good think to drop your crippled mother-in-law into a cactus patch. I didn't do it. I'm just saying...

Then, without asking or consulting, my father-in-law took off across the desert and retrieved my Suburban. The keys were under a rock next to it--I never carry keys in a canyon. He drove it the remaining 0.55 miles across the desert, running over plenty of brush and cactus. It's a move I have mixed feelings about. Yes, it worked. Our effort was substantially reduced. But it also damaged the land and risked damage to the vehicle, a critical piece of the next phase of the evacuation. I wouldn't have done it, but I do understand his desire to make his wife comfortable and to rescue her from the injury that he undoubtedly blames himself for.

Once in the car I was out of the decision making process. We went back to camp at Sandthrax because my mother-in-law didn't want to go to the hospital. She knew that they couldn't really fix anything until the swelling went down. But she eventually agreed to go, I think mostly because she needed crutches to get to the bathroom. They went to the hospital in Price. X-ray images revealed that she had two fractures. From what I hear, the doctor was fabulous, very understanding and encouraging, a canyoneer himself. He was impressed with our dressings and recommended they stay until Friday as planned because it would be hard to travel on it. My mother-in-law says the SAM Splint was more comfortable than the fiberglass job the hospital gave her, though she got used to the new one after awhile.

Something like this could have happened at any time on any of my many past trips. We were fortunate that we were well prepared for it when it did happen. I guess I am posting this to encourage others to be prepared because it can happen to anyone. I'd also like to here comments and critcisms and what sorts of gear other people carry that might be useful in such situations. I would like to have had some instant cold packs, but I don't know if those could stand up to canyoneering abuse. "Squeeze to activate" sounds like a problem.

[spinesnaper]

I love self-rescue stories. Heck, I love rescue stories.

Ken

[ewestesen]

Way to be prepared! I still haven't had a chance to use my SAM splint. Darn... well... no... that's a good thing.

[Scott Card]

Well done. Sam splints are so helpful.

I have often wondered if everyone in the party had harness if this would work. If the victim were light enough and/or two people were strong enough, put one person on each side of the victim (all wearing a harness) and then tether to the victim with a biner around each hip belt (on the side of the victim) and then hook together. The victim would just sit in her harness with arms around the shoulders of the two who are clipped into the victim. If you get tired or sore, just switch sides. The victim merely has to put her good leg down to give rest to the carriers. Anyone tried this type of set up? That would beat a two person fireman type carry for a lower leg injury. Seems like it may work, I don't know. I think I will try this next time I am out with a group rappelling or canyoneering.

[ratagonia]

Awesome. Sam Splints are so good, I carry one all the time, two when guiding. Yes, i know how to improvise, but the Sam Splint produces a solid, effective splint very quickly, with minimum hassle.

Good to hear stories like this, especially after all the "other" stories. Do you have First Aid training? What level, when where?

Tom

[jwurst]

Do you have First Aid training? What level, when where?

Minimal, just a bit through Civil Air Patrol way too long ago and not thorough enough. I would like to get some good training and I think I can justify the cost. I have read some good books on the topic--helpful but not ideal.

In this case, though, we benefited from my wife's 25 years of soccer experience which has included just about anything that can happen to a foot or ankle.

[jwurst]

I have often wondered if everyone in the party had harness if this would work. If the victim were light enough and/or two people were strong enough, put one person on each side of the victim (all wearing a harness) and then tether to the victim with a biner around each hip belt (on the side of the victim) and then hook together.

We tried tying a mountaineering coil with the rope and then splitting the coils half over one person's far shoulder and half over the other person's far should with the knot part of the coil hanging in between, forming a seat. It worked but it was really hard work. My mother-in-law is not petite. We made progress that way but eventually went back to just helping her walk with one leg. That worked pretty well when we were in sync and hard when we weren't. I don't know if hooking harnesses together would work or not. The victim might hang too low. Dave Black's Canyoneering book has some ideas on hauling people. Unfortunately I gave my copy away as a gift. I would like to look through that section again.