*** Catalina Hiker Rescued ***

From: cweddle@astro.as.arizona.edu (Chris Weddle)
Newsgroups: misc.emerg-services
Subject: SAR CALL
Date: 11 Jul 1995 23:39:46 GMT
Organization: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ


Here's the latest SAR stuff from Tucson: Monday, July 10: Over due 73yr male
hiker in Catalina State Park. Reported to have gone out Sunday, July 9 on a
day hike. Very experienced and tends to go well equipped. No health concerns
of note. We were paged at 10:00. Teams started up the Romero Canyon and
Sutherland Trails from the bottom. The State Park folks already had a Ranger
headed up Romero. Personnel for 2 more teams standing by at end of pavement.
The team heading up Sutherland encountered the gentelman at the 2nd stream
crossing, resting in the shade. He was quite dry and hungry, but otherwise
alright. He was rehydrated and fed and escorted out of the field. Call ended
by 12:30.This gentleman had gone up the Romero Canyon Trail (which starts in
Montrose Canyon), over the ridge, into Romero and down to Romero Pools. He
lost the trail there, and spent some time looking for it. As light was
fading he climbed the massive ridge separating Romero from Sutherland to the
north.

His wife had stated that he would do something like this if he got lost and
wanted to spot a landmark. Overcome by darkness, he discovered that his
flashlight was not in his pack.

He decided to sit tight rather than risk travelling in this very steep and
cliffy country at night. In the morning he dropped towards the Sutherland
Trail, which kept the sun behind the ridge for a while. He eventually found
the trail and continued out on it. Well before this he had consumed all his
water and food, the last being a small can of peaches. While he had a signal
mirror, he had no opportunity to use it. The search went very quickly, with
minimal work required. Previously I reported on a victim who coded upon
reaching the Trauma Center. It has since been reported that this patient did
not code at all. Apparently, his status, when reported to us, was confused
with another patient having similar injuries. Our patient did sustain a
right pneumothorax, and spent 5 days in Tucson Medical Center. He is out now
and called the Mt Lemmon Fire Dept to thank the IEMT who worked on him. All
for now,

Chris Weddle


Member, but not speaking forSouthern Arizona Rescue Association, Inc.

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