| difficult part of
the traverse and was about to reach level ground when he slipped and fell,
fracturing the small bone in his right leg just below the knee. He was unable
to walk and in pain. Henry Heusinkveld carried him piggy-back down canyon about
a half mile to a wide, level spot, where the victim's leg was splinted and he
was given Codine to relieve the pain. Fortunately, Dr. Frank Risely happened
along (Frank had just completed ascending the mountain via the original McLain
route). He checked the splint and gave medication to Krause. 5 more volunteers
agreed to stay with Ed Krause while the main party continued on out to get
help. About 1:00 p.m. our Ed Sweeting party reached the scene and learned of the second accident. Sweeting was in great pain from jarring his shoulder while walking, so we decided to remain here at "Broken Leg Camp" to await rescue of both injured men. Now there were 14 of us staying behind - the 2 victims and 12 volunteers. Frank Risely's group and the main party walked out of the canyon without further misfortune, and just after midnight (Monday morning), Frank crossed the border into Calexico and notified the authorities of our plight. The San Diego Mountain Rescue Team, aided by members of the De Anza Rescue Unit and the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team, started south before dawn that morning. Monday was a day of waiting at broken Leg Camp. About 2:30 in the afternoon we spotted a helicopter in the distance, and saw another one about 4:30, but neither one seemed to notice us. The day was cloudy and windy and a helicopter landing would have been impossible. Unknown to us, a rescue party armed with two stokes Litters had started up the canyon at 12:30 in the afternoon. Both Eds were kept relatively comfortable with Codine and Darvon (Sweeting was allergic to Codine). Tuesday dawned cold, clear and calm. At 10 a.m. a large Coast Guard helicopter began circling far above us, directing the ground rescue party to the scene. Half an hour later a shrill whistle announced the arrival of the advance guard of the rescue party. Right afterwards a small helicopter roared up canyon and, in an amazing exhibition of flying skill, set down at the lower edge of our camp. The sheer canyon sidewalls were not more than a few yards from the swirling rotor blades. Ed Krause was flown out first, then the copter returned and picked up Ed Sweeting. The two victims were landed on Santa Clara Dry Lake, then transferred to the large Coast Guard copter and flown to San Diego. By 11:30 a.m. the rest of us were packed up and moving rapidly down canyon, with the rescue party following behind us. By 5 p.m., just before dark, a11 12 of us were back at the Canyon Diablito roadhead, where the San Diego Search and Rescue's base camp group served us a warm dinner of stew and drinks. Our 6 day ordeal was over. In retrospect, I would like to warmly thank the volunteers in our party and make some suggestions. The selfless volunteers who gave up two days of work to get the injured Eds out safely were Peter Lyman and his 13-year old son David, Eric Schumacher, Joan Hack, Steve Cabaniss, Chuck Younberg, Bill Winkle, Wayne Vasey, Richmond Quackenbush and his nephew Jim Quackenbush. Assistant leader Jay Wiley deserves commendation for his splendid first aid work. Without Jay's first aid kit, we would have been in trouble. The three rescue units that cooperated in the successful evacuation deserve the thanks of the DPS and a contribution to their worthy cause. My suggestions are the following: |
|||||
|
|||||
| Page Index | Prev | Page 8 | Next | Issue Index |