Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
General => General Chat => Topic started by: Samm on June 09, 2012
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I had an unexpectedly interesting day today. I was on a training event with North West Mountain Rescue Team in the Mournes today. Planned on doing some technical work on Eagle Rocks. Dandered up the Glen River Valley and then set off from the path to cross the river up to the rocks. River was quite high cause of recent rains so finding a safe crossing point was proving difficult but one of the team had made it across, so with the aid of an out stretched arm I tried to leap onto a mid stream rock. Unfortunately I landed on a slippy bit, my legs went from under me and I smashed down onto the rock to the accompanying sound of crunch. Immediately I knew my ankle was gone. With some help I made it to the bank though every movement just brought about pain and nausea. I watched helplessly as the team worked to get me back across the river and down to safety. With our stretcher being away being serviced they wrapped me in the casualty bag, think the warmest, cosiest sleeping bag imaginable, with handles. So, safety rope set up, they carried me across the river, sacrificing their own dry feet and on up to the track. By now they knew it was a long way back to the vehicle, so a stretcher and extra manpower was needed. The Mournes team was called in to carry out a joint removal effort. So they duly arrived with stretcher and extra manpower. From this point on I was wrapped up so heavily and high on entonox that I don't know what happened! But a huge thanks to members of both teams for their sterling effort of carrying me off the mountain. Down and into the Mournes team ambulance down to the waiting ambulance and off to hospital. Thankfully nothing broken, but lots of pain and no ability to put any weight on it.
Accidents can happen to any of us. Just remember that when they do there are volunteers out there that come and help for no personal reward. So, thank you very much to our two mountain rescue services.
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Glad to hear nothings broken! ;D but you're lucky to have our own Landy liam (MMRT ) close by to assist,hope it's not too sore tomorrow ???
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Yeah, I was Liam's first callout. Don't think he was expecting a familiar face to be lying in the stretcher!
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Ah Sinead! your're having a bad run! well wishes xx
I did wonder why Liam looked entertained on the fb pic :)
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Yes that was an interesting first callout for me, couldn't believe it when i heard a wee voice from the stretcher saying "Hi Liam", you looked quite cosy on the stretcher, the happy gas must have been working well, glad to see you remembered about the offer of free pint(s?), but did you count how many people were there before you said that ;D
I did wonder why Liam looked entertained on the fb pic
i'm off to fb now to see this pic :)
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(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd496/landyliam/2012/facebook1Small.jpg)
oh dear, eveyone looks so serious, except me 8) i think thats when i asked you were you going climbing on hen tomorrow :)
(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd496/landyliam/2012/P1170302LargeSmall.jpg)
you can see that new path should make strecther carrying easier, but it would actually need to be twice the width
(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd496/landyliam/2012/P1170312LargeSmall.jpg)
we split into 2 teams, one team carrys, the other walks ahead 100-200 metres and waits to carry the next leg, you reallly need at least 12 people for a stretcher carry (6 on each team) as the terrain makes it very difficult to sustain long distances, the majority of mountain rescue work is carrying heavy loads (no i don't mean samm :-* ) for long distances.
(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd496/landyliam/2012/P1170319LargeSmall.jpg)
always glad to see the ambulance waiting at the end of a stretcher carry
(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd496/landyliam/2012/P1170299LargeSmall.jpg)
NWMRT & MMRT land rovers
(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd496/landyliam/2012/P1170323LargeSmall.jpg)
samm getting another dose of happy gas
(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd496/landyliam/2012/P1170327LargeSmall.jpg)
might look like a lot of effort for a busted ankle, but when in the hills you can't take any chances of shock or hypotheremia becoming another problem
(http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd496/landyliam/2012/P1170328LargeSmall.jpg)
packing up the landy so we're ready for the next call, could be minutes, days or weeks away, we never know...
shameless plug to the 2 NI Mountain Rescue Teams:
http://www.mournemrt https://www.facebook.com/MourneMRT
http://www.nwmrt.org/ https://www.facebook.com/NWMRT
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Glad to hear your ok!
I heard about this yesterday on Cool fm. Hope your not off your feet for to long.
How far up does that new path go??
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Samm,
sorry to learn of your misfortune but just think of the mileage that you will get of telling the story, "Well you see I was on this training day, yes a training day for responding to things that can happen to people when they're out on the hills and there was this river which I had to cross and........." Hope recovery is swift.
Liam,
well done to you and the rest of the team members.
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Hope you get better soon and 'Hurrah' to the rescue teams, If it weren't for them we would be snookered up in the hills!
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Good luck Samm for a speedy recovery and some well deserved karma for Mr Liam...
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Last time we spoke you were waiting to hear if you got 'picked' so well done
Nope, not yet, still a trainee at the moment, i just happened to be in the area at the time the call came in. Assessments are later this year, not saying when in case i fail and get all embarrassed ;)
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So a question for everyone. I got confirmation that I haven't torn my achilles, just lots of ligament damage and general irritation. My doc gave out to me for using crutches that I had at home, that current thinking is that you have to immediately start full weight bearing on it. What do people think of this for lower limb injuries? I can see the advantage of keeping movement in it to stop it seizing up and scar tissue forming and to retain as much proprioception as possible, but in conjunction with crutches thus getting as much of the full range of motion back as quickly as possible but not stressing it out with full weight bearing.
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Nasty Samm, muscle and ligament damage aint fun to have, will be a wee while yet before ur bounding over rocks again....
Big up the rescue team, stirling job lads!!! I like the way the rescue team even has their own action photographer ;D