and another

[weber]

Another climbing accident in the Red. Climber took a lead fall on Rikki Tikki Tavi at the Animal Crackers Wall in Muir. Broken foot. Nothing else serious.

Thanks again to the Wolfe County SAR Team, seven members of which, ironically, were in Muir at the time of the accident taking a Rescue 3 International course in Technical Rope Rescue that I was instructing. The guys dropped what they were doing and were on scene in minutes. Liz, a WFR, was already there treating the climber. He was splinted, litter carried out of the valley and sent off to UK Medical.

The emergency communication system worked smoothly again. Volunteers monitoring the emergency FRS channel responded to help carry the litter, and the emergency road provided quick transport out of the Valley. Thanks again to the Access Fund for helping fund improvements to this road.

And a big thank you again to the Wolfe County SAR Team for the fast response.

A reminder to all of you who climb in Muir (and there sure is a big bunch this year!) There are absolutely NO guarantees whatsoever that emergency services will be available to you if you are climbing here if the ground comes up and bites you. In the past two years there have been five incidents in which the emergency communication stations and emergency road have worked well in providing a quick response. The county EMS services cannot help you if you have an accident back on Muir's walls. You will need assistance from volunteers - fellow climbers, the WC SAR team, and the Webers (IF they are available) to get you out of here to the EMS ambulance or helicopter.

Rick

[cliftongifford]

Although it's never good to hear of an accident, it's good to know there's a finely-tuned system in place to help victims get out of the valley. Props to Rick and everyone out there that make themselves available to those in need! I hope for a speedy recovery for the guy/gal that's hurt...

[toad857]

I've seen a number of signs like these in Hawai'i. Many of them have additional tallymarks that folks have scratched in since the sign was put up... it was a very poignant way to communicate the danger...

..i think something like that (for serious accidents at Muir) would be very effective right at the beginning of the trails after the parking lot.

[Mark W]

There is a sign similar to that at Abrams Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Something about seeing such a sign right next to where you'll be swimming makes it a little harder to have the "It won't happen to me mentality" that most people have after reading a warning on a website.

I agree that something like that outside of Muir (or any climbing area) would be good.

[krampus]

I think that a sound system should be constructed throughout muir, every time someone decks a sound bite of "another one bites the dust" resonates throughout the valley, then the climbers name, the climber's belayer's name, and details of the incident get posted next to the rest rooms for a week so that everyone who got to jam out to queen can get all the gossip straight from the source. Fear of shame is an amazing teacher.

[Clevis Hitch]

given a long enough time line the attrition rate is 100%

[rhunt]

Maybe this will be the year where more people will learn how to prevent accidents than learn how to deal with one when it happens.

[krampus]

maybe I should stand 8 feet from the base of the clif when I'm belaying