Jul. 7, 2006 - Defining Moments (A Mountain Rescue)
My second oldest son turns 14 in 8 days, but he won't be home for his birthday. He is spending 2 weeks in Jackson, Mississippi studying (read "dancing and discipleship") with Ballet Magnificat. It is his first big trip away from home and I really miss him! He's not one to call home, so I just grin and bear it.
By coincidence, my oldest son turns 16 in 3 days, and he also won't be home for his birthday. He's in another Jackson -- Jackson, Wyoming -- in the midst of a 2 week hiking vacation with another family who has invited him for the second year in a row.
A few days ago I got a phone call. Evidently there had been an accident in the mountains and Ben had acted very heroically to get help for the victim.
He and Bill, my friend Jim's brother, were on a day hike in Hurricane Pass near Jackson Hole (in the Grand Tetons). Bill is in his 40s and is experienced in mountain climbing. They had already hiked about 8 miles in, but missed a boat they expected to take back, so they had started back along the trail.
Expecting to hike just to the boat and then eat, Ben hadn't eaten yet that day. Also, on one climb he had lost some of his drinking water and they knew they were going to run short.
They weren't too concerned, however, because they knew the trail back and they just needed to get back before dark. But having mostly salty foods (jerky, etc.) they didn't eat so as not to get thirstier than necessary.
As they were crossing a snow field, using their ice axes for stability, Bill suddenly slipped and started falling. He "self-arrested", using his ice axe to catch himself, but then began to fall again. A second time he stopped himself, but then he began to fall for a third time. On the third slip, he toppled and began sliding face first down the mountain. When he finally stopped his face was smashed into a rock and bleeding. He had cuts and bruises all over his body.
Ben quickly made his way to Bill, sliding on his stomach down to where he had fallen -- about 30 feet below. Bill immediately let Ben know he was okay (even though he really wasn't) so that Ben wouldn't panic. Ben could only see blood all over and didn't realize at the time that most of the injuries were confined to his face. I think his life flashed before his eyes!
Ben was very glad to have the main first aid kit along -- by Divine Providence alone. He went to work on Bill, utilizing the training he received over 2 years before through Civil Air Patrol -- so deeply ingrained he recalled it easily. Once Bill was stabilized, they began the arduous trek back. Bill was in severe pain, so Ben gave him Tylenol and changed his
bandages several times.
When they were a mile from camp, Bill told Ben he could go no further. He was just too weak and in pain. Ben left him on the trail and hurried on alone. When he reached the base camp, only Jim's wife, Lori, was there. Ben dropped his pack and jogged back to find Bill. By this time he had walked and jogged 17 miles that day over rough terrain. He was at his physical limit, but had to go on and he knew it.
When Ben got to the place where he had left Bill -- he was gone. He couldn't believe it! Had he become disoriented and wandered off on his own? There was only one thing Ben could do -- and that was to walk the mile back to camp again.
Upon arrival, he and Lori borrowed a car to go and find a ranger. On the road a vehicle approached and Ben said he really prayed it was a ranger. Not only was it a ranger, but he had Bill with him! They headed for the hospital.
Bill was treated for a broken nose and fractures to the cheek bone. He received 7 stitches for a deep gash below his eye. The frame of his sunglasses had cut into his cheek, but the lense was broken and had probably saved his eye by acting as a shield. He had cuts and bruises all over his body, but he was in good shape otherwise.
Later that night, Ben couldn't eat -- although he was hungry. He couldn't keep anything down and he was shaking. All in all, he had walked 18 miles... with no water for the last 4 before reaching camp. The adrenaline he had been running on finally wore out. But in the morning he was fine.
There are moments that define for me what education really is. This is one of those moments! It was Ben's passion for learning about survival skills, search and rescue, first aid and CPR -- that prepared him for this very important life adventure. It was true education -- deeply learned, deeply digested. And the knowledge was there for him when he needed it. The physical training gave him stamina and confidence to go way beyond his normal physical limits.
Bill is very grateful to have had Ben along on that hike. He almost had gone alone. Ben had to guide Bill back on the trail. The bleeding and pain caused Bill to nearly be walking blind. Ben kept his cool and went into rescue mode.
I'm very proud of my son. Thinking about other scenarios for how this could have turned out is pretty scary. It made Ben think about how much he loves his family and how grateful he is for the life God has given him. It gave him a good lesson in the fragility of life. As a young driver-in-training, it will make him think more about safety on the road. This experience can't be bought in a box... and it doesn't come from a textbook! He knows now he is not invincible. Short of a personal life and death experience such as this one, it is hard to convince a teen of that fact.
Oh -- and the next day he spotted a wolverine! Supposedly they haven't ever been spotted in that area. A photographer who works for both National Geographic and the New York Times was on hand and confirmed the sighting based on Ben's detailed description of the wolverine's unusual hinged joint in the legs and the way it moves, etc. His study of field guides and familiarity with North American mammals really paid off! The park service took a report about it and they will be forwarding it to the appropriate agency. They took Ben's phone number and said to expect a phone call about it in a few weeks. They were very interested.
And I must mention one other interesting item! Ben was shopping in town at a t-shirt shop and neatly re-folding t-shirts as he looked for one in the right size. (It really bugs him when people leave a mess -- he didn't get this trait from his mother! Haha!) Anyway, a lady came up and must have assumed he worked there. She asked for his help in finding a certain size. He said "yes, ma'am" and began to look for what she needed while he continued shopping for himself. She had gone to another area of the store when Ben found what she was looking for. He brought it to her, near the check-out clerk and a manager who was standing nearby. The lady thanked him and then complimented the manager on what a fine staff he had working there, especially THAT young man. The guy said, "Um... thanks... but he doesn't work here!" Then she said, "Wow... well, he ought to!" The manager turned to Ben and smiled. He told him he has a job there if he wants it. Ben told him he lives in Michigan, so he'd have to pass. But he had made a sale and was pretty proud of it.
Teachable moments... defining moments... to me these are the elements and evidence of a real life education. On the days when I'm just not sure we are doing "enough" I will remember this trip and breathe a happy-mom sigh of contented relief. :-)
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