Over The Edge Page 10

Robson
Rescue

Editorial

only) in five hun-
dred words or
less, along with
your name and
phone number
to Student sto-
ries, c/o Over
The Edge, 3333
University Way,
Prince George,
BC, V2N 429.
Submissions
can also be
dropped off at
the Over The
Edge office.
Become famous
with Over The
Edge!

Paul Berard
Editor in Chief |

By Randy Evans 7

Mt. Robson was our
destination and_ its
peak jumped out at the
four of us staring out
the van’s windows as
we rounded the curve
at the viewpoint for
both Mt. Terry Fox and
Mt. Robson. Mike and
Marian,. who work at

Marion Punch, Mike Schneider, Kimi Tamnara

STUDENT STORIES

Purden Lake Provincial
Park, arranged for my
girlfriend Kimi and | to
stay with them at the
Ranger’s cabin up at
Berg Lake. Camping
without tenting was not
exactly roughing it but
after 24 kilometers cir-
cling up behind Mt.

and Randy Evans pause for a moment in front
of the Berg Lake Ranger Cabin with Mt.
Robson in the background.

-photo by Randy Evans

www.

{ Cannace

itavistacanada.com

Robson a hot shower
as opposed to an ice

cold cloth from a
stream was definitely
the preferred method
of choice to get clean.

The Ranger cabin is
situated on the far end
of Berg Lake so we
trudged past a couple
of campgrounds all full
to capacity. Chris
Zimmerman was the
Ranger on shift and he
agreed that the view
was great with the
peak framed in by a BC
flag and the cabin but it
wasn't that rare. He
told us that it’s a myth
that Robson is almost
always obscured. | did-
n't care too much about
the trivia; | wanted a
hot shower and got it.
Chris had to go and
check out the camp-
sites so we stayed in
the cabin and stared at
the peak as it turned
pink in the sunset.

The next day, while all
of us were preparing
dinner and Chris was
calling the Base telling
them that everything
was quiet, the pic-
turesque scene out the
window was suddenly
shattered by a man
and a woman running
past. The man flew into
the cabin short of

breath, and said one of
his friends had fallen
into a waterfall. Chris
asked some questions
and told the Base he
was going to check out
the person’s injuries.
My companions and |
offered to go with them
but Chris said it wasn’t
necessary and they set

* off with an orange plas-

tic rescue basket in
case they had to carry
the person back.

We finished dinner
and speculated on
what was happening
when the radio crack-
led. It was Chris calling
the Base for a heli-
copter evacuation of
the female victim who
was suffering from
hypothermia and pos-
sibly a broken leg. All
of us hiked the thirty
minutes up toward
Toboggan Falls where
she had fallen in and
met a large group of
her friends who were
helping carry her down.
Mike relieved one of
the people carrying the
rescue basket immedi-
ately and soon after |
relieved the man who
had burst into the
cabin. Mike and | were
on the outside edge of
the basket when the
trail suddenly got very
narrow and he lost his
footing almost pulling
us off the trail. He
scrambled and forced
his way back onto the
trail and several min-
utes later we made it to
the helicopter landing
area.

The lone paramedic

avd.

_ the most power

ful Canadian sea

immediately took con-
trol of the situation and
ordered people to do
specific jobs. After vic-
tim was examined and
secured, several of us

loaded her into the
helicopter. Soon the
helicopter was air-

borne. The victim's fel-
low Belgian travelers
thanked us and turned
to each other obviously
still upset and worried
about their friend.

We later learned the
victim had slipped on
some pebbles on top of
larger boulders and
had plunged down a
waterslide-like chute
for up to a minute. She
managed to pull herself
out of the water but on
the opposite side from
her companions. Her
friends quickly built a
rock bridge so that they
could get to her on the
other side. According
to Chris, she was a
very lucky woman. If
she had fallen into the
waterfall a half-hour
later it would have
been too dark for the
helicopter to pick her
up.
It turns out that the
injured woman had
bruised her leg and
was released from hos-
pital ‘in time to catch
her flight home. She
may never go back to
Robson but I’m think-
ing of going back even
if | have to rough it.

rch engine