Accident at Darkside sat.

[DriskellHR]

I only counted 3 that had been clipped (I may have missed counted but i really dont think i did. But it was busy up there at the time)

I heard that Mike was above bolt 4 when he fell. Did he skip a clip or the rope unclipped itself from the 4th draw?

good question. I doubt he skipped a bolt he seemed much smarter than that. I also could be mistaken as I said before. The scene was tense.....

[shotwell]

I only counted 3 that had been clipped (I may have missed counted but i really dont think i did. But it was busy up there at the time)

I heard that Mike was above bolt 4 when he fell. Did he skip a clip or the rope unclipped itself from the 4th draw?

good question. I doubt he skipped a bolt he seemed much smarter than that. I also could be mistaken as I said before. The scene was tense.....

Yes, the scene was tense. I also recall three bolts being clipped, no draw on the fourth. The report of fall distance given to the paramedic was 'from where the rope is,' which the paramedic assumed to mean the third bolt. Distance estimate at the scene was 30 feet.

[lena_chita]

I only counted 3 that had been clipped (I may have missed counted but i really dont think i did. But it was busy up there at the time)

I heard that Mike was above bolt 4 when he fell. Did he skip a clip or the rope unclipped itself from the 4th draw?

Since I was the source of your information, and my information was second-hand hearsay, while DriskellHR was actually on the scene, I think it would be best to stop and wait for other people who were at the scene and had time to count draws, inspect the setup, etc. before taking this any farther.

I hope to hear more in due course, from bystander witnesses and the belayer, when he is ready, because this hits so close to home for me, and the urge to speculate and to figure out what went wrong is so strong. But getting multiple rumors circulating won't help.


MY thoughts go out to Mike and his family. And thank you to everybody who helped out with the rescue. The Darkside trail is not exactly easy to navigate, let alone when carrying a litter, and when time is of essence. If anything can be said to be lucky about that day, it is the fact that there were so many people to assist with the rescue. Thank you again!

[clif]

Best wishes Mike. My thoughts are with you and the good souls that help you through this time.

And to all of you who quietly, anonymously, and time after time make the best of hard situations, rescue moments of loss- I wish I knew all your names, and thanks for the help, personally.

[anticlmber]

brent perkins, johnny knowles, driskell, pete mcd, james, tom, tyler, donny from c&s and the leeco sar, ems, aajay, mike, and a few others i din't get to thank personally and some i forgot, thank you very much. i hope this community is always this good.

[ynp1]

why does this stuff always get posted on here so quickly??? dont you think it would be better to let the people more involved post this if they want too (or mike)???

i was on the other side of this one time, and i really didnt want a bunch of people online analyzing the mistakes that were made, or were not made. i know people have questions, to help others in the future, but i think it can wait a few days or weeks before it is brought up.

anyways, i hope the best for Mike!!!

[the lurkist]

Maybe it can wait, but it has to be discussed. The burden of suffering of the family and the belayer must be unbearable, but the community has to come to grips with this inevitability, and try to come up with mechanisms to prevent it.
Dustonian mentioned belay certifications--> given what is on the line, folks taking it a little more seriously with a purposeful and systematic approach is not a bad thought.

[krampus]

agreed lurkist. Not only is it human nature to be curious, but its important to understand how things fail and safety breaks down. That way we can be better prepared ourselves.

[Meadows]

I heard one of the challenges for the emergency crew was getting to the crags. We are working on getting a document for the emergency crews with non-climber directions ("we're at the Darkside" doesn't work for SAR) and GPS coords.

I will also be posting the information in the next week or two on the PMRP kiosks for the respective crags in the area.

For areas without kiosks -and there are many- I strongly recommend having directions with you if you're not carrying a guidebook.

[mike_a_lafontaine]

One note on GPS coordinates, if anyone does this, use the UTM NAD 27 setting on your GPS. UTM data is much easier to decipher than lat/long. The NAD 27 datum is what is used on official USGS maps and what most SAR groups used, at least it is what we used at CMSAR up in northern Michigan.