TR : Joshua Tree - Broken Leg (Non-climbing related epic)
Jason Huckaby
This is a small portion of my J. Tree / Red Rocks trip this
summer. In the interest of everyone.. I've only included
the introduction and the one day that I thought would
interest people.
This was my first experience with injury, I'm now going to take
the first-aid kit every trip!
JH
--
___________________________________
Jason Huckaby
Portland, ME USA
Joshua Tree - April 1999
HOW THE TRIP WAS BORN
I was climbing in the gym, mid-January, when a regular belay
buddy said "I'd love to go out west this spring". That was
really all it took to get my interest peaked. I'd been to
J Tree the previous year with my girlfriend, but was dismayed
at the lack of climbing interest my girlfriend showed while
there. This year, it's gonna be different.. no whiny
girlfriends "I'd really like to go hiking today instead
of climbing" - NOT!
All climbing.. all the time.. hard stuff.. YEAH!!
I checked into tickets to go to San D. CA. They were
available for only $300 from Portland! A great deal. That
really cinched it. There were five of us committed to going
on a trip. With the exception of myself, the rest of the crew
worked at the local rock gym.
THE CREW - from Portland, Maine
Jason H. 28
That's me. I've been climbing for about three years. A friend
and I decided to go to the local climbing gym one day, and
I've been hooked ever since.
Josh C. 24
The "glue" that held the group together.. he was always
the one that was offering encouraging advice and supportive
shouts while on lead and off.
Jeremy G. 22
The strongest climber of the group. He seemed to lead
5.11s effortlessly, something I strived for.
Shawn T. 29
Even after spending a week with Shawn, I am still left trying
to figure this guy out. A strong climber and an honest and nice
guy.. wierd hair (was all shaved except ponytail, now looks
normal however).
Tom Gagnon 22
The "newbie" climber. He was my partner for the week and
my gambling coach in Vegas. Tom has a lot of potential
as a climber, for a newbie.. he did great!
We haggled over where our destination would be.. it was
finally decided that Red Rocks and then J Tree would be a
perfect combo. Since I'd already been there, the route
finding and "hot spots" would be easy to find. After
getting cheap airline tickets, and "eliminating" the
chance that any of our girlfriends would come.. the
plans were set.
----------Day 1----
Consisted of the trip from Maine to J Tree.. and setting up
camp.. we did not even get to climb the first day.
---------Climbing - Day 2-----
We awoke to a cold morning of gray skies. Rain was on
it's way, it was only a matter of time. It had rained briefly
during the night. Hardly a proper way for desert climate
to act! We decided to go back into town and have some
breakfast and wait for the sun to shine. We would also visit
the "warmer" climbing area of Indian Cove.
After a visit to the local Denny's (and a visit to their very
clean and flushing toilet) we were off to Indian Cove.
Indian Cove is the most "remote" site because you must leave the
main section of the park to get there. It is not connected to
the rest of the park except by hiking trails. It also has some
very decent climbing and is generally warmer because it is at a
lower elevation and is sheltered by the surrounding cliffs.
I drove into the park, took a left and entered the ??? area.
I had camped there the previous year. We peered thru the window
of the truck and I pointed out a good 5.8 that we might want to
try. We all piled out of the Surburban and looked around upon
arrival.. we were dying to climb. I picked this spot because
I feared the weather would turn nasty.. and most of the climbs
are short or top-roped problems anyway. The sky did not look any
more promising.. still gray and overcast. Rain was on it's way.
We were going to climb despite the ominous looking clouds.. Josh,
Tom, and myself would be the first to rope up at J Tree. While
digging our gear out of the truck, I sadly realized that I had left
my harness at the campground! Damn! I warned the two that there
were no anchors at the top and a class 4+ downclimb was the only
way down. Since I had no harness, I was condemned to boulder.
We stood at the base and looked up at "Princess". It was a moderate
5.8, a perfect warm-up for the trip. Josh & Tom seemed to be
taking a long time to getting ready for the first pitch. Unpacking
gear, putting on a harness.. flaking out the rope.. etc.. etc. It
was the first time our gear had seen the light of day since we left
home.
Shawn and Jermey decided to take the guidebook and explore around
the corner, there is a lot of climbing in this one small area. I
explored and bouldered with them while Josh and Tom worked the
first climb of the trip.
Josh scampered up the climb with little difficulty. He quickly
setup an anchor and had Tom, on belay, seconding. When Tom had
reached the belay stance, the rain had decided to begin. Since
there were no anchors, a rappel from their position was difficult
(meaning... gear would be left behind). We watched from the dry
comfort of the suburban as they struggled to make the least
expensive rappel anchor to rap back to the desert floor.
Our short day of climbing had abruptly come to an end.
We decided to drive and search for some overhanging rock that might
be dry and good for bouldering. We went to entrance of Rattlesnake
Canyon and found one such wall. We bouldered there, then drove on
to explore more of the park. I wanted to show the crew each area
and what we might be able to climb. It would be good for me to see it
as well, since I had not had much of a chance to view it the previous
year.
We left Indian Cove and drove back into the main section of the park,
into the "Real" Hidden Valley. I remembered some neat caves
in the rocks there and thought it might be a good day to check those
out. We started exploring some passages, to the right of the main
parking lot. We explored through a labyrinth of openings and caves
that seemed endless. I lost track of my companions as they wove through
the rock. They were jumping from boulder peak to peak.. I did not dare
take the chance. I searched for a way around.. finding more obstacles
and more caves. It was pretty neat. I could hear the others.. "Wow..
check this out!!" "Cool!!" They seemed far away in the tunnels. I
eventually saw them, high above. Apparently, the tunnel led to the
top of the rock formation. We all descended from our high points and
went
back to the car to get some water.
We decided to roam the innards of the "real" hidden valley. I was
anxious to show everyone around and see more of the park. We grabbed
our shoes (for any potential bouldering) and went into the area. The
view at the entrance is spectacular. The tall rock formations surround
you as you enter and immerse you overwhelmingly. There is a lot of
climbing in this one small area.
Upon entering the valley area we took a left. The area was deserted,
we were the only car parked at the entrance. We hugged the valley
walls and explored. We wanted to see some routes.. and check
out the large formation in front of us, we later learned to be "The
Sentinel". We hiked over the rocks, they were a little slippery from
the recent rain. Josh decided to Solo to the top of the Sentinel
formation while we hung back and watched with amused grins. The
rock was still too slippery for my comfort.
We followed the right side of the formation on our decent.. and
looked down into the "crevasse" formed there, it was about 12' deep.
It looked as though you could jump over this crevasse with a daring
leap.
I decided against the leap. I looked behind me to say something to the
Group when I see Josh getting a running start across the rock to go for
the leap! I remember this moment more clearly than any other during
our trip... Josh leaps, lands a little short on the opposite, sloped
side
in a crouched position, grasping for any hand holds. The wall is
blank.
He slides off the ledge, cat clawing the entire way, and down into the
abyss.
My first reaction was to laugh. "Ha-ha.. you big dummy!". I looked
down into the abyss to see Josh, lying on his side, not moving, smack
in the middle of a large rock. It was about a 12' fall.
"Don't move Josh!!" I said I hurriedly ran down the base of abyss
and worked my back into see Josh. He was still not moving... but
conscious.
"I think I broke my leg" he replied. I could not believe it!
"Are you sure.. what makes you think so?"
"I felt it."
My initial reaction was disbelief. How could Josh have broken his leg
in such a short fall? What I was not aware of was the angle of his
calf.. which was obvious from above. He now had one extra bend in his
leg that was not supposed to be there. Taking a closer look at his leg
removed any doubt.. it was broken.
Sean and Jeremy ran back to vehicle to go get help. Tom and I stayed
with Josh to wait. I made Josh as comfortable as possible.. putting a
crazy creek chair under his head and covering him with every stitch of
clothing we had available to keep him warm. Tom was above, keeping a
lookout for rescue help. We switched places and I kept the lookout
for help.
We tried to reassure Josh.. but there was not much to say. It was a
dumb accident.. and the end of the climbing trip for him. He was
probably the most excited person about the trip. My mind kept flashing
back to his mother snapping pictures of him at the airport, right before
we left. Josh was so happy to be leaving on this adventure. She must
have taken 5-10 pictures of his big smiling face just before we left.
The other thought that occupied my mind was the fact that at least it
was
not more serious. I tried to remind Josh of this, but it was little
condolence... it just plain sucked, and that was that.
Between Josh's moans coming from the crevasse.. I kept a sharp ear and
eye
for any sign of a rescue party. I took a high stance on the Sentinel so
I could get maximum view. Finally, about 30 minutes after Sean and
Jeremy
had left, I heard a siren. I never felt so relieved to hear one before.
"I hear a siren!!" I yelled down.
From the time I heard the siren.. it took a ranger almost 10min to reach
us. The time from the accident, to the first rescue person was only
about
30 mins. Very quick response time. I was instantly relieved when
ranger
Dave Smith appeared in the distance. I waved my arms like a madman to
catch has attention.
"OVER HERE!!"
He hustled over to my location and I directed him to Josh's location.
He
started talking in his walkie-talkie.. our location, Josh's condition..
etc. Josh had had rescue training, so he was familiar with Dave's
medical
lingo. They discussed rescue and other small talk until the ambulance
personnel arrived.
The medics finally arrived! It was about thirty minutes after the
ranger
arrived. They immobilized him and made the call for a medical
helicopter.
I thought a helicopter was a little extreme for a broken leg.. the worry
was
more for cost. Josh worked at a medical insurance company... so I knew
he
had great insurance.. but still, a helicopter! I also asked them to
give
him morphine.. or some pain killer for the trip out.. denied!
The carry out was interesting. There were a total of about 10 people on
site to help. The litter weighed about 30 lbs, add Josh in it, the
total
was probably about 200lbs! The entire journey consisted of passing,
hand-thrus and the medics pumping Josh for information.
"Do you have any allergies?" "What is your address?" "Who can we reach
to notify of your condition?"
We maneuvered around rocks and over small ledges, hand carrying and
passing
thru narrow openings in the rock. We finally got out to the dirt path
and
they put the litter on a tripod with a large ATV tire on the bottom,
making
the journey much easier.
We returned to the parking lot where an ambulance was waiting.. and a
helicopter around the corner. They loaded him in the ambulance and
drove him the 1/2 mile to the waiting helicopter. With a roar and a
whoosh, he was gone shortly after... off the deck in a way that nobody
had planned.
With the crisis over, we all looked at each other.. stunned. Now
what!?
A million questions... and no answers.
What was Josh's condition? Do we pack his stuff? Where was he flown
to?
Would he be able to complete the trip.. maybe in a tent? Would we
have to drive back to Vegas to have him fly out.
We drove back to the campsite to gather our thoughts. We decided that
we
should gather his stuff in case he had to fly out immediately. We
grabbed
a change of clothes.. his wallet, packed most of his gear and set out
to visit him at the hospital. They had flown him to the Palm Springs
hospital, about 1 1/2 hour drive from J Tree.
The drive to the hospital was a long one. We were amazed that a member
of the crew had been injured. A dark cloud had been cast over the
trip.
Bad juju! I don't think any of us were very anxious to get on the sharp
end now. For myself, there was also a mixed feeling of guilt and
selfishness. I felt really bad about the accident.. but still wanted
to continue the trip to the fullest extent possible, without leaving
Josh in a strange hospital.. alone. It was a wierd feeling. I hoped
that Josh would be able to rejoin us for the remainder of the trip...
but realized that was not very likely.
We got a little lost, but found the hospital and, eventually, Josh. He
was
in pretty good spirits. We escorted him to his permanent hospital room
from the emergency room. There was not much to say. He would have
surgery
tomorrow and till then.. he was stuck. We would visit the next day. We
would know more about his condition after the surgery.
The drive back to J Tree consisted of listening to Tom snore himself
awake
and discussing Josh, life, and the secrets of the universe. We all
slept
in another unusually cold evening in the desert.