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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Jul 10, 2009 - 11:10am PT
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Wow, glad to hear that she's doing better.
Heal up, Julie, our prayers are with you!
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Jul 10, 2009 - 11:23am PT
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Hi you guys,
Viren, Nice job getting the story down. Cathartic for you, I can tell. Remarkably coherent for coming out so soon and all in a rush. Pretty vivid too, even the parts where you were not even nearby, on the buttress right after the fall. And the long night drive burning tires and brakes. So smart to turn your bike around and avoid a second accident.
Julie, Hope you can hear this thru the fog of pain meds. Only time I've been in the hospital overnite was after decking from 40' and breaking my back. Thought I was making perfect lucid sense to my visitors at the time (thanks for being there, Alan) and had to be told later, and gently, that I was really a mumbling fool.
Anyway, broken back fully healed. Back to guiding for part of my living the whole 23 years since. So, so grateful not to be dead or in a chair. Remembering to be grateful for that most every day that I climb, even decades later. I'm glad to hear that you are recovering to the point of walking so quickly. Just bouncing back.
It's clear to me that being in excellent shape before my fall was the single best help in healing up fast. My sports med doc sent me out of the hospital the next day with, "Do anything you feel like, but for the next six weeks just don't fall or you could get crippled." Three weeks later I taught a tele ski course (it had been scheduled before). It's the only time in my life that I skied for an entire week without falling.
And before the six weeks was up I was back to easy bouldering in the Buttermilk, which is where I had fallen.
My mind, however, didn't heal so fast. I remember six months later at the Needles backing off a well-bolted 5.8. Whimpering and cursing my cowardice. I was just terrified of falling. So when you do get back on the rock, cut yourself all kinds of slack. There's no hurry, and you could look on this as an opportunity to just climb in the shelter of a tight toprope from your loving husband. You guys are lucky to have each other.
And yeah, the head for leading eventually came all the way back. I was on that very climb again just last fall with my son and a couple of friends, coaching a new leader and doing the usual guide thing with 80'runouts. And being super aware and careful and watching for breakable knobs and hedging my bets on them and even putting in pro just in case. Smiling ironically at myself for climbing like an old lady, but then not really caring about that and just being so grateful to still be climbing with 50 years of it under my belt and a healed-up broken back.
Best of the best of luck to you both. And keep in touch: we want updates on how it's going.
Cheers,
Doug Robinson
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GDavis
Trad climber
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Jul 10, 2009 - 11:29am PT
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Wow! Definitely was gripped, so stoked that things turned out OK! Wishing the best for a healthy and steady recovery, this will (sooner than you think, I bet!) be nothing more than another yarn to spin when you're both 'old climbers.'
Very awesome that the party ahead of her were so helpful, its amazing if not prophetical that often when these horrible accidents happen, there's someone nearby who just so happens to be someone that has some training (or a mylar blanket even!) and can assist in keeping that person warm and stable until the cavalry comes, perhaps one of the most important aspects of a rescue!
Greg
(will wear a helmet next time I simulclimb)
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jul 10, 2009 - 02:06pm PT
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hey there ...bump for those that may want to email julie... or had not seen this...
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Jul 10, 2009 - 02:11pm PT
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Best wishes to Julie for a fast recovery!
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kev
climber
CA
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Jul 10, 2009 - 02:14pm PT
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Get well soon - you'll be back before you know it!
kev
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
a greasy pinscar near you
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Jul 10, 2009 - 03:36pm PT
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I know you'll be the world's best PT patient, right? Being thankful is a blessing we sometimes didn't even know we needed, thanks for the reminder. Good luck with it all.
Rob
the other sunrader in el portal
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Viren Perumal
Trad climber
Toyota Motorhome....
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2009 - 04:35pm PT
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NPS Accident report of the same incident...
July 1 – Dispatch received a cell phone call reporting that a climber had fallen on the standard Southwest Face route on Cathedral Peak. The climber, a 29-year-old woman, sustained multiple traumatic injuries and was in and out of consciousness. She’d fallen 30 to 40 feet to a large ledge while attempting a 5.7 bypass of the chimney section that most routes funnel into. Her partner was about 90 feet below. A rescue mission was immediately launched by a helitack crew in the park’s contract helicopter. Hasty and climbing teams also headed toward the scene of the accident. Aerial recon confirmed that another climber was with the woman on a large fourth class ledge three pitches from the base of the peak. A park medic was inserted onto the ledge via short haul with a litter and medical and packaging gear. The climber was packaged and short hauled off the ledge with the medic to the catch team in Tuolumne Meadows. The patient was then put inside the helicopter, flown to Crane Flat helibase, and immediately transferred to a PMI medical helicopter with flight nurses. The elapsed time from the launching of the park helicopter to the transfer of the woman to the PMI helicopter was an astounding 40 minutes. A second technical operation was conducted by the Tuolumne Meadows SAR team to help lower the patient’s partner and the climbers who assisted her. Ranger was the IC.
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Jul 31, 2009 - 01:23pm PT
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Blessings to her and her family. Props to all those that aided and rescued.
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