A Rescue on Old Rag and a Race

The hiking scheduler (me) and the cycling event scheduler (also me) failed to coordinate when it was time to fill out the spring Old Rag Mountain Stewards (ORMS) schedule for this year.  Early in the year, we signed up for the Air Force Cycling Classic Crystal Ride (more on that later) on June 12.  Somehow, I completely ignored that when I put us on the schedule for ORMS on June 11.  We talked about trying to reschedule ORMS, but we were someone's ride and we didn't want to leave them shorthanded on Saturday.

We figured we could hike up the Saddle Trail and take it relatively easy.  After all, rescues are rare and we had already had a few this spring, so it didn't seem likely that we would have another.  The fact that we needed to haul the rescue gear back to the cache after last Sunday's rescue didn't seem like it deviated too much from that plan.  We got a ride up to the top of the fire road.  We had to carry the litter and several packs from Old Rag Shelter (the lower one) up to the first aid cache.  Since there were four of us and it is only a mile-and-a-half, it wasn't going to be a difficult carry.

Just as we were about to set off, we received a call that there was an injured hiker on the upper Saddle Trail.  That changed things a bit.  Now we were a mile-and-a-half below the first aid cache with some of the gear we would need above the first aid cache.  We were also slower because of the extra gear.  That being said, the injuries didn't sound too serious, so we figured that we wouldn't need to do a carryout.  We split up the gear between three of us, the lead Steward went ahead, and we moved as fast as possible up the mountain.  We dropped the extra gear in the cache and then continued up to the patient. 

Soon after arriving at the patient, it became clear that they weren't going to be able to walk out.  The lead Steward made the call that we would carry the patient.  SSW Spouse and I headed back down to the cache to get the litter and the other gear we would need to transport the patient safely.  When we returned to the patient, the two Stewards who had come up the Ridge Trail had made it there as well.  About the time we were ready to move the patient, the rest of the carryout team began showing up.  I think we wound up with a total of 15 people or so, which was a good number since there were several spots where the litter needed to be passed down, rather than carried by one team.  Halfway down, a thunderstorm rolled in, soaking everyone but the patient (we used a tarp to keep the litter dry).

We actually finished pretty early.  We received the call around 11 a.m. and the patient was loaded into a vehicle at around 3:45 p.m. and then into an ambulance a little while later.  That sounds like a crazy long time for someone who needs medical treatment, but five hours is a really fast carryout on Old Rag.  There just isn't any easy way to get someone down off the mountain.  Every time I am involved in something like this, I am reminded what a great team ORMS and the Park Service are.  Everyone pitches in to make a big job safer and go more quickly.

We arrived home fairly tired, but not too worn out.  The alarm clock went off bright and early Sunday morning and I woke up a little stiff from the carryout, mostly in the arms.  We had to pick up another friend for the Air Force Cycling Classic Crystal Ride, which is a great event.  They close a 12 km loop from Crystal City up to the Air Force Memorial.  It is an opportunity to ride on roads that are never otherwise open to cyclists.  Riders get different colored medals based on how many laps they complete in 3.5 hours.  Last year, I completed six laps and I was hoping to do better this year.  I actually felt pretty good on the bike and wound up doing six again, but quite a bit faster than last year.  Sometime during lap 5, though, my arms started aching.  Carrying a litter and then holding the bike was a lot for one weekend.  All in all, it was a great ride.  One of the things I like about big cycling events is the variety of bikes that people ride.  The majority of people ride standard road bikes, but one guy did the ride on a penny farthing, making him much stronger than I will ever be.  Another rode an elliptical bike, which looked like it would be awkward and weird, but he didn't seem to be having any trouble with it.  We stuck around to watch the pro races in the afternoon, making for a good end to a tiring, but rewarding weekend. 

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Hydrangea arborescens (Wild Hydrangea).  This is one of the most common shrubs in the park).

 Tadpoles in a small stream.  Click to enlarge for a better view.

 An old spring on Old Rag.

Sculletaria sp.  (Skullcap).  I don't have time this morning to determine which Skullcap this is.  I'll take another look at it tonight.

 The men's professional race at the Air Force Cycling Classic.  This and the next picture were taken with my phone.

Another shot of the men's pro race.

A Quiet Day on Old Rag and an End-of-Day Rescue

The rain promised a quiet day volunteering on Old Rag with Old Rag Mountain Stewards (ORMS).  It was overcast and rainy when we left DC, but at least it was relatively warm.  Cold rain is my least favorite weather.  It brightened somewhat as we drove and by the time we arrived in the parking lot, it was just dry and cloudy.  Only a few people showed up to hike, but many of those that were there seemed a bit surprised by the weather.  One person actually asked if we knew what time the sun would come out and what time the thunderstorms were supposed to start in the afternoon.  If only I did!

We hiked up the Ridge Trail as a group so we could do training on plants and flowers:  one of my favorite topics.  The forest in the lower areas of the mountain is transitioning from spring flowers to summer flowers, so there aren’t as many flowers as there were a few weeks ago, but some of them are pretty interesting.  The spring flowers are out in full force higher up on the mountain.  

By the time we were approaching the first false summit, we could hear thunder and it had started to rain.  The Ridge Trail is very exposed above the first false summit, so we pitched a tarp in  a
sheltered spot and continued training while the storm howled around us.  We stayed there for about an hour, until the storm moved on to the foothills east of Shenandoah.  As we put away the tarp and started climbing again, we were treated to some amazing views of the clouds and the storm.  The rain cleared the air and the lighting was perfect:  Green leaves contrasting against the purple sky.  As we approached the summit, it became clear that another storm was moving in, so we didn’t linger.  

We had also been listening to a situation develop in another, nearby, area of the park.  A hiker was injured and would likely need to be carried out.  Our lead Steward called and asked if they could use our assistance.  It turned out they did want extra help, so, having finished our patrol, we headed to the boundary trailhead where we were needed.  The challenge with the carryout:  four stream crossings.  By coming from the boundary, we were able to assess the crossings before we met up with the team (who had hiked down from Skyline Drive).  The river was running high and fast due to all of the rain this spring and the safety of the rescuers as well as the patient was our biggest concern.  We scouted the best points to cross, tied safety lines, and helped safely pass the litter over the river.  By the time the patient was loaded into the ambulance, we had missed pizza in Sperryville, but I don’t think anyone was too disappointed.  We were glad to have been able to help with the rescue and to once again work with the awesome National Park Service team.  Old Rag Patrols has a couple of pictures from the rescue.  I didn't have my camera along at that point.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 A red eft along the Ridge Trail.  The eastern, or red-spotted newt has three stages of life:  They start out as aquatic tadpoles like other amphibians and return to the water as adult newts.  In between, however, they have a terrestrial juvenile stage, when they are known as efts.  More information can be found here.  This little guy was about four inches long.  

 Viburnum acerifolium (Maple-Leaf Viburnum)

 Orobranche uniflora (One-Flowered Cancerroot). 

 Medola virginiana (Indian Cucumber Root)

 Saxifraga michauxii (Michaux's Saxifrage)

 Thalictrum dioicum (Early Meadow Rue)

Rhododendron prinophyllum (Hoary Azalea)

 After the storm, looking towards the north.

 The storm coming over Stony Man

 The spot where I always take a picture.

 Photina pyrifolia (Red Choke Cherry) on the summit.

 Clouds over Weakley Hollow after the storm.

 Clouds to the south of the summit.

Old Rag Mountain Stewards: Helicopter Rescue

The day started off normally enough for an October weekend.  The leaves have not quite peaked, so nearly everyone in the Mid-Atlantic was out yesterday to hike Old Rag.  The lower parking lot was completely full by 10 a.m. and they were parking people in the neighbor's field (there is an extra charge for that).  At least two large church groups decided to hike yesterday.  The weather was bright, sunny, windy, and a little chilly.  That would mean that it would be really windy and cold on the summit.

Four of us were working with Old Rag Mountain Stewards (ORMS) yesterday.  We split up at the closed upper parking lot, three of us going up the Weakley Hollow Fire Road and one up the Ridge Trail.  This is my favorite time of year to hike the fire road.  The leaves are starting to turn in the valley and the road is covered in those that have already dropped.  The poplars are a combination of green and gold.  Other trees have already turned bright red.  The underbrush has died away and it is possible to see into the forest for the first time in six months.  The dry, cool air makes the long uphill more pleasant than just a month ago.  There are a few flowers still blooming, mostly asters and goldenrods.  Further up, on the Saddle Trail, more leaves were changing and the very last wildflower of the season, Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel) has begun to bloom.  H. virginiana is the true sign that the growing season is over. 

Things were actually fairly quiet for a busy fall day when we received a call that there was an injured hiker near on the other side of the summit.  The volunteer on the other side of the mountain soon confirmed that the hiker would not be able to walk out.  We hurried up to the first aid cache, gathered equipment, and continued over the summit.  The half mile from Byrd's Nest Shelter to the summit might be the longest half-mile in the world when there is an emergency on the other side of the mountain.  We crossed the summit after what seemed like an eternity and made our way down to the injured hiker.

Once on the scene, we began the long process of preparing the hiker for a carry-out.  We assumed we would be in for a long carry, at least partially in the dark.  The hiker's location on the mountain was about as far from vehicle access as possible and in the middle of some difficult spots to get a litter over.  It was already 3:30, which meant we only had about three hours of daylight left.  Soon, National Park Service (NPS) personnel began arriving.  We were told that a helicopter would not be possible due to the wind, so we continued preparations for a carry out. 

Moving an injured person safely on the mountain, particularly in the boulder scramble, is a delicate operation that requires many people.  One injured person requires a minimum of 12 people for a short carry and 18 for a longer carry.  Six people are needed to lift the litter and each of them will need to be relieved regularly.  Carrying someone any distance at all is a slow, potentially dangerous process.  Given the late hour, we would be doing most of the work after dark, which is that much more difficult.

We were just about ready to begin the process when we got word that the wind had died down enough to attempt a helicopter rescue.  That raised everyone's spirits, especially the hiker's.  We now just had to move the hiker to a more open spot before the helicopter arrived, which would be in about 30 minutes.  We slowly moved the hiker down over several obstacles.  Soon, we could hear the helicopter in the distance.  We helped the hiker out of the litter so they would be ready for the basket the helicopter was going to drop.

Then the helicopter was circling directly overhead.  It was loud and the rotors blew everything around.  Ironically, the wind also picked back up at that point.  They dropped the basket and the hiker was helped into it.  Then, when the signal was given, they lifted the hiker up and took off across the valley, slowly reeling the basket up.  I would guess that they wanted to get far away from Old Rag's cliffs.  The hiker got a great bird's eye view of Weakley Hollow on their way up.  Then they were gone and it was quiet again.  We began the work of packing everything up and returning gear to the first aid cache.

We were so lucky that the helicopter crew felt it was safe to fly.  Had the winds kept up, they would not have been able to fly.  It certainly is not something we count on, even in serious cases, but it was nice that it worked out yesterday.  Next time, we may very well have to do the long carry out.

Yesterday's situation reminded me what great people we work with in ORMS and in the NPS.

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 Aster sp. on the Weakley Fire Road.

 Changing leaves on the fire road.

 Hay Scented Ferns dying off for the winter.

 Leaves changing on Robertson Mountain.

 Weakley Hollow.

 Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel).  This is the same thing that is used in cosmetics.

 The helicopter circling overhead.

Dropping the basket.