Climbers, Stranded Visitors Rescued

On July 25th, park rangers on patrol in the Cascade Pass area were contacted by a climber who reported that a separate climbing party needed assistance – one climber was disabled due to a leg fracture and another had turned back due to signs of hypothermia. One of the rangers accompanied the reporting party along the start of an alpine route known as the “Ptarmigan Traverse,” while the other climber located and assisted the hypothermic man. During the assessment of the leg fracture and mission planning with the IC, a thunderstorm and deluge occurred. Due to the unstable weather in the region, a helicopter evacuation was delayed to the following morning. With bystanders caring for the injured climber, rangers hiked out, but found that the road servicing this popular trail had been washed out in a flash flood, stranding dozens of visitors.  This unusual event required a “road rescue” involving several rangers and maintenance staff to clear enough debris to safely get a few people out and supplies in to accommodate those stranded in the trailhead parking lot.  Early the following morning, two wilderness rangers were flown back and short-hauled the injured climber out.  Follow-up showed that the climber had multiple fractures in his foot/ankle and the hypothermic climber had fully recovered. The road remained closed for several days. Wilderness district ranger Kelly Bush was the incident commander.