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July's
Membership Program!
El Paso County Search and Rescue She’d been walking for hours somewhere off Waldo Canyon loop toward Cascade. Lost. Alone. Trudging in a rainy mist with darkness coming on. She had a cell phone and a whistle – and with each she had alerted others to her predicament. Day turned to night, and the night wore on. Tad McClurg figures he was a quarter mile from her when he first heard the whistle. He blew his whistle in response. As he drew closer, he called out to her. Another hill and his headlight hit her. “You could see the relief on her face,” Tad recalled. “It was an overwhelming feeling.” It also was his first “find” as a member of El Paso County Search and Rescue. Tad will be the featured speaker at the July monthly meeting of CMC’s Pikes Peak Group scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, at All Souls Unitarian Church, 730 N. Tejon St. His program will focus on search and rescue missions and activities, and what you can do to be prepared in the outdoors. “When you’re out in the wilderness, it’s not like you can call 911 and three minutes later they show up at the door,” said Tad, who joined El Paso County Search and Rescue four years ago. “Up on a climb, if someone breaks a leg or blows out a knee, even if you’re in cell-phone range, the search and rescue group has to mobilize and hike to wherever you are. If you’re stuck out there and someone is injured, what would you do? How are you going to keep your friend from slipping into shock or going hypothermic? Can you stabilize them?” In remote areas such as the Crestones, “you could be looking at 12 to 24 hours before someone gets to you.” Even near civilization, the complexity of the terrain and the situation can complicate a rescue operation. An incident two years ago involved Tad in the rescue of a cadet who’d been gravely injured in a 200-foot fall on Eagle Peak above the Air Force Academy. The rescue operation involved “packaging” the cadet for a high-angle lowering over a cliff and then bringing him to a rock outcropping for pickup by a Black Hawk helicopter. The cadet has since made a full recovery. Only about half of the 140 calls El Paso County Search and Rescue receives each year require a full-team effort. “We get a lot of twisted ankles and dehydration on Barr Trail,” Tad said. The mountain unit has 65 members – all volunteers – and operates under the authority of the El Paso County Sheriff. Although the unit serves primarily El Paso County, it responds to requests for assistance from other counties. The dozen new members who are added to Search and Rescue each year must complete an 11-week training course. Not everyone is a “rock jock”, Tad says. Various volunteer roles help the organization operate: vehicle maintenance, training, fund raising and office work. Current members work well as a team, Tad says, and all share a desire to “help the community and be a part of something bigger than themselves.” Tad has always been a cautious hiker and climber, but joining Search and Rescue has made him more so. He advocates preparedness for outdoor enthusiasts and suggests they: Take a first-aid class and training classes through CMC’s Basic Mountaineering School (BMS) and High-Altitude Mountaineering School (HAMS); carry the 10 essentials (map, compass, etc.); wear the right clothing; and have the right fitness level. “Know where you’re going,” he said, “and let someone else know where you’re going and when you’ll return. Leave information in your car – highlight the trail you’re going on and route you’re taking.” When you go missing, “Search and Rescue will have a sheriff’s deputy open up your vehicle to look for whatever you might have left that would help narrow down the search area.” There is no “typical” type of person who ends up needing to be rescued, according to Tad, although some individuals do push the limits. As an example, Tad recalled an incident involving a hiker on Blanca Peak’s Ormes route. “The belief is he went up and tried to downclimb wearing hiking boots and without a rope,” Tad said. “He was probably doing things he shouldn’t have been doing. “But you also run into situations where someone did everything right – a freak thing,” he said. “You have all the experience in the world and aren’t pushing the limits, but still something happens. “Sometimes it’s just a bad day and a misstep. And you’re going to need a hand.”
Pikes Peak Group Avalanche Awareness School Safety
and Leadership Class Instructor:
Bill Houghton
Basic Mountaineering School (BMS) It’s time to start planning for the next climbing season and we have just the training program to help you get ready - Basic Mountaineering School (BMS). BMS is comprised of 5 modules. To attain PPG BMS certification, members must attend and complete all 5 modules. The course is open to all CMC members. This is an excellent course for anyone that intends to climb 14’ers or plans to attend more advanced mountaineering schools. Modules may be taken separately by those that just want that particular training or by prior BMS graduates that want to take a refresher class. Modules that have prerequisites may be taken by members that are not BMS graduates, but they must have completed an equivalent CMC course. For example, to attend BMS- 4 you must have completed the Pikes Peak Group (PPG) BMS-3 class or an equivalent class from one of the other CMC groups. To attain PPG BMS certification, members must attend and complete all 5 modules. *BMS
Module 1 “Outdoor Fundamentals” BMS
Module 2 “Land Navigation” BMS
Module 3 “Rock Climbing Fundamentals” Module
4 “High Angle Snow and Ice Climbing” **BMS
Module 5 “Alpine Snow Climbing” All students
receive a copy of “Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills” as
part of the tuition, regardless if you take only one module or all of
the modules. For more
details visit cmc.org |
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To
register for PPG BMS courses: For questions
or additional information, please contact:
Pikes Peak Group 2008 Backpacking Clinic Welcome to an introductory clinic on backpacking equipment and technique with a focus on backpacking in Colorado during the summer season. Students will learn backpacking fundamentals including equipment, technique, safety, trip planning, and CMC principals such as Leave-No-Trace. Following the classroom sessions there will be an overnight weekend backpacking field session, classified as a moderate. Students must be in good physical condition and have or acquire adequate clothing and equipment to participate. There are
no prerequisites for this clinic; it is open to all CMC members. Classroom
Times: 6:30PM – 9:00PM
Registration
will begin April 1, 2008, online at www.cmc.org. Enter username and password
in the Member's Area on the right side of the page
HAMS High Altitude Mountaineering School HAMS starts in October The annual Pikes Peak Group High Altitude Mountaineering School will start in October. This is a course designed for those climbers who want to go beyond the 14ers to take on high altitude (15,000' plus) and glaciated mountains. Classroom sessions will take place and include such topics as equipment, medical concerns, nutrition and menu planning, fitness and training, organizing an expedition, and group dynamics. Field sessions will be with an overnight will cover such topics as roped travel, crevasse rescue, climbing alpine ice, and winter camping. A graduation climb of Mt. Rainier will take place at the end of the course. Completion of Basic Mountaineering School (all modules) or equivalent experience is a prerequisite for the course. Costs for all lectures and field sessions is $100. For information contact Greg Long at 488-0353 or e-mail to at_90@yahoo.com. Register online at cmc.org. Mountain Oriented First Aid (MOFA) MOFA
Class will teach you the skills necessary to administer emergency first
aid in the back-country when help is miles and/or hours away. This course
is required for all those wanting to become trip leaders and a great class
for hikers needing to brush up on their first aid skills or those of you
who have never taken a first aid course before.
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