Dragon's Wrath 2013

intrepid wrote: Talking about slipping while hiking and escaping a bona fide Dragons Wrath case, ......
Moral of the story: watch your footing.

Press release: Mountain Search & Rescue in the north east Cape mountains

Sent by The Mountain Club of South Africa, KZ-N Section. Search and Rescue

The Mountain Club's search and rescue team have rescued a 41 year old female hiker from the remote mountains of the north east Cape, inbetween the towns of Ugie and Rhodes. This is in a rugged and remote area of the greater Drakensberg range. The party of 6 hikers were on a multi-day hike on a trail situated at almost 2500m when the the patient broke her lower, right leg. The incident happened on Easter Sunday morning and at the time the nearest road access was 16kms away. The party had the day before experienced difficulties when they could not cross a swollen river between them and the hut they were due to spend the night in. They had slept in the open on Saturday night and then had begun walking back to safety the next morning, when the accident happend.

The Mountain Club's Eastern Cape Section and the the SA Air Force in Port Elizabeth were first contacted for help. However, the Eastern Cape rescue team could not respond, due to bad weather in the flight path area. The management of the rescue was then handed over to the KZN Section of the Mountain Club and 15 Squadron SA Air Force in Durban.

A four man mountain rescue team including an experienced mountaineer/doctor were air-lifted by an Oryx helicopter to the scene late on Sunday afternoon. Due to continued misty conditions in the area, the team were dropped off at 6pm, some distance down the valley from the patient. The aircraft then returned safely to base. The mountain rescue team then navigated their way at night and in thick mist to find the patient and party, about 3kms away and after a 600m climb, arriving on scene at 9pm. A hiking tent was erected for the patient to sleep in and to be attended to, while the rescue teamed "bivvied" in the open.

Early Monday morning another flight took off from Durban and air-lifted the patient and rescue team back to Durban and the patient was admitted to hospital. The weather had then cleared and the rescue took place in safe conditions.

This operation highlights the unique co-operation and special protocols which The Mountain Club and the Air Force have in dealing with wilderness and mountain rescues. It also shows the importance of having a highly trained and fit rescue team who can cope not only with navigation in zero visbility, but can also happily survive a night on an exposed mountain side.

Rescue report: On Tuesday the 2nd of July a 56 year old female hiker was rescued at Wonder Valley. The patient was a member of the MCSA July Camp and was hiking only about 200m from the camp when she sprained/broke ankle. The patient was located on steep ground. The MCSA rescue team was alerted via the Provicial Health Operations Centre. A local rescue team member and Ezemvelo staff went to the scene and a simple stretcher carry was used to get the patient down to road transport.