Hiker fell into ‘no man’s land’ and broke her ankle — a small item in fanny pack strapped to her waist saved her life
The importance of being prepared when venturing outdoors cannot be stressed enough. Unprecedented situations catch victims off guard and suddenly, a backup or precautionary item becomes their saving grace. The Inyo County Search & Rescue Team shared the experience of a female climber who was stranded on Mt. Williamson. Stuck on the second-highest peak of California, she had lost her backpack when she fell, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Luckily, she had two items in her fanny pack and one of those items became the reason she is alive.
The climber was stuck in a remote part of the mountain. After falling around 30 feet, she sustained injuries, the main one being a broken ankle. It was noted that the fall was so bad that the bone was “visibly protruding through the skin.” Unfortunately, the woman lost her backpack during the fall. It contained everything that could have massively helped in the next few hours — clothing, food, water, etc. What remained with her was her fanny pack and the two items in it. The hiker was at one of the worst places to be. An Inyo SAR member named Ben, who is also a professional photographer and has seen the terrain of the mountain, said, “My first thought was, ‘What a terrible place to be stuck.’ It’s sort of a no man’s land.”
Howie Schwartz, a mountain guide in Bishop, added, “There’s really no trail. It’s a moonscape. You have to be more savvy and physically fit to pull that trip off. It’s brutal on people.” To add to this, the temperatures were shifting. In the hours she was stranded, the woman had to endure rain and biting cold in addition to her bleeding wound. Her situation could have been a dead end. But it wasn’t — because of her fanny pack. All the hiker had on her was a plastic lighter and a Garmin inReach Mini — a satellite texting device used by hikers. It was this singular device that helped her send an SOS message along with her coordinates, giving her a life-saving hope.
The emergency was sent to 75 members of the search and rescue team and though they got started on the process, it was easier said than done. Difficult terrain meant it was hard to locate the woman and even harder to get her out. After the helicopters were unable to make their way in the unpredictable weather, the team had to call air support. “We know we can’t just wait. We know the clock is ticking on this subject. She’s lost blood and sustained trauma. She’s going to have to lie there all night and she could die from exposure, especially in the rain,” Ben explained.
A Navy helicopter from an air station in Kern County flew all the way to the mountain with the Inyo SAR members. “We weren’t able to get to her with the way the winds were,” said Todd Brethour, helicopter pilot with CHP’s Office of Air Operations Fresno Air Unit. It had been around 24 hours since the climber was stuck. The team could see her, she could see them, they could yell to and back but they couldn’t get to her. “I can only imagine it’s an emotional roller coaster for her. She’s thinking each time that she’s going to get rescued, and she hasn’t been,” Ben remarked.
Finally, after multiple attempts and 28 hours, the woman was safely hoisted up into the helicopter with strenuous efforts from the teams. California National Guard Sergeant 1st Class Anthony Poppick recalled, “I remember her saying, ‘Thank you so much. I didn’t think I was ever going to get off that mountain.’ That was pretty powerful.” The rescuers attended to her broken ankle on the spot and she was taken to the hospital for other minor injuries. The teams commended her determination and courage saying, “Despite the severity of her condition and the remote location, she remained calm and responsive while awaiting rescue.”
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