Post by Yellowbeard on Feb 8, 2006 20:13:07 GMT 10
from ski.com.au forum
How youse goin'?
Had an exciting weekend.
My buddy Tony got bit by a Tigersnake on the walk out of Scatters Canyon.
After 13 loads of anit-venom he is doing well and will be back in the Canyons as soon as possible.
Here is a report I posted on the Oz Canyons Site.
==
The day started with a descent of the spectacularly crap Scatters Canyon (all the fun of Canyoning without the Canyon part).
Tony, Deputy and I had just climbed up through the cliff-line and were beginning up the gentle, but ultra-scrubby slope toward the old Fire Road.
Tony was out front with Deputy and me off to either side. Tony gives out a bit of a yell, jumps around some, then explains that he has trodden on a snake and was just bitten.
Naturally, we think he¡¦s joking around.. He assures us he is not.
He lifts up his trouser leg (Tony was wearing long pants, both Deputy and I had shorts on) and reveals the puncture wounds on his upper shin.
Neither Deputy nor I saw the snake and Tony didn¡¦t get a real good look at it.
He rekon¡¦s it may have been an Adder or Tiger Snake.. it turned out to be the latter.
3pm ¡V We immediately bandage Tony¡¦s leg. Deputy and I check out the Map. We are approx 2km from and 150m below the Fire Road, from the Fire Road it was another 1km to the Car (GR502008 Wollangambe Map). Deputy gives us his EPIRB (not yet switched on) and takes off for the Car Park to raise the Alarm.
(Deputy had received a phone call in the car park at the end of the Waratah Ridge Fire Road, prior to departing for the Canyon in the morning, so we knew he would have phone reception ¡V bigups to Optus).
Tony tells me he still feels good and wants to continue on with the hope of reaching the road. I take his pack and we begin up the slope. The scrub is thick (over head height in most places) and the going is slow.
3.30pm ¡V Tony begins vomiting approx. every 15-25mins from now until he is winched out 4hrs latter. By luck we are stopped on an open rock face surrounded by knee high scrub. I make a bed out of wetsuits and try and get Tony comfortable. I continually ask Tony questions about what he is feeling and reassure him ¡§It¡¦s gunna be sweet¡¨ .
4pm ¡V Tony¡¦s condition is getting worse. It is around this time that Tony asks me to turn the EPIRB on.. yet another sign that his condition was grim, as this has always been considered a last resort..
Vomit now contains traces of blood. He complains about a tight chest and blurry vision. He suffers from regular hot and cold flushes. I gather together all the warm clothes we have, put some on him and use the rest as a blanket.
Tony asks me if I know CPR. I tell him ¡§I got it covered¡¨ , but I secretly hope I don¡¦t have to test my skills.. I keep telling him he¡¦s doin¡¦ good, to concentrate on the rhythm of his breathing and to relax ¡¥cause ¡§It¡¦s awe¡¦ight, you¡¦ll be outta here in no time¡¨
Deputy reaches the Car Park, calls 000 and explains the situation. He then drives to meet the Police at the Jctn. of the Waratah Ridge Road and Glow Worm Road.
4.30pm ¡V Police arrive at the Jctn. and are guided to the Car Park by Deputy. Ambulance arrives and they begin the wait for the Helicopter.
5-6pm ¡V Tony¡¦s in a bad way. His vomit is now mostly blood. He only answers questions with mumbles and groans. I can tell he is freaked-out by the sight of blood in his vomit so I try to convince him it¡¦s just bile ¡¥cause there¡¦s nothing in his guts.. He begins to complain that he is cold so I move him into a Survival Blanket. I continue to reassure Tony and try to get him to maintain steady breathing. I feel pretty useless. There is not much I can do but talk to him, try to keep him relaxed and keep calm myself. I begin to feel we may be here overnight. We have more then enough warm clothes, food and drink but Tony¡¦s not getting any better and by morning would surly be worse.
Deputy, 2 Police, 2 Ambulance and 2 NRMA Care-Flight blokes start in on foot with the plan of meeting up with the chopper at the accident scene.
6.30ish ¡V I hear the ¡¥thump-thump¡¦ of the NRMA Care-Flight Helicopter approaching, then see it coming toward us. The chopper drops off two Doctor types and they begin treating Tony immediately. They run through their procedures, insert a drip thing, ask a few questions, make a few radio calls etc.. They move Tony into a stretcher and prepare him for a winch-out.
The Doctor mentions that the EPIRB has done its job and should be switched off.
Deputy, 2 Police, 2 Ambulance and 2 NRMA Care-Flight blokes are standing on a pagoda several hundred meters away, on the wrong spur, watching the Helicopter drop off the Paramedics.
Deputy, 2 Police, 2 Ambulance and 2 NRMA Care-Flight blokes begin back-tracking to the Fire Road. Upon reaching the Fire Road they decided to wait there, knowing that I would be making my way up to the same location.
7.30pm ¡V Care-Flight Helicopter takes off with Tony. I begin the walk out.
Super thick scrub, growing darkness, an extra pack and a heightened paranoia of snakes makes this no fun at all. I reach a knoll I¡¥ve been focusing on and realize I am not exactly where I thought I was. I continue on knowing I can¡¦t be that far off-track. I am sure the Fire Road runs along the top of the next knoll that is only a few hundred meters away. As I plod along it dawns on me that maybe Deputy thinks I got a chopper ride out too.. I begin to fear that when I arrive at the car park I will find it empty.
I reach the next knoll just as darkness settled in... no Fire Road.
¡§Lovely¡¨ I think.. ¡§Perfect ending to the perfect day.. unbelievable¡¨
I have flashes of spending the night with the creatures of the scrub.
I remember the Doctor bloke saying the EPIRB saved us and not really mentioning Deputy's rescue efforts. I begin to think maybe Deputy didn¡¦t make it out at all.
I bust out my head-torch and fire it up. Just as I¡¦m reaching for the map and compass I hear a ¡§coo-ee¡¨¡K sounds like Deputy and he¡¦s close.. I yell back.. he answers..
I stumble off in the direction of the noise.. within meters I break through the wall of scrub and find myself on the Fire Road¡K ¡§Yeah Baby!!¡¨
8.30pm ¡V I meet up with Deputy, 2 Police and 2 Ambulance who are waiting close to where the Spur I climbed and the Fire Road meet. I happily pass over the extra pack I¡¦ve been carrying to a willing Police Officer and we stroll on back to the car. Along the way we came across several SES blokes who were on their way in with a whole bunch of water etc..
Back at the car we gave the fuzz our details and finally began the drive, arriving home about 11pm..
Some mistakes:
„X I didn¡¦t give Deputy a Grid Reference before he left, only pointed at where we were and how to get out. I even had a GPS but didn¡¦t think to use it.
„X Tony and I didn¡¦t sit down and stay where we were when he got bitten.
„X Although I constantly monitored Tony's condition visually (watched his breathing etc..) I had no pen so could not make a running record of his condition.
==
A full-on afternoon, of what was supposed to be an easy day.
It is often tempting to cut down on surplus gear on what is expected to be an easy day. Sometimes I can be a bit slack when it comes to bringing along extra/emergency gear but thankfully on this day, between the three of us we had enough of the right equipment to see us all through.
I have always known that snakes pose a danger but never realized how quickly and how heavily a bite could affect the victim. I know the chances of a bite are low but as I learned on Sunday, the consequences are high, so it is definitely something to keep in mind out there.
The three of us would normally be all for self rescue, but this was an extreme circumstance.. and I feel we made the right choice by going for outside help.
Huge thanks to all the Rescue folk. They arrived when they were most needed and provided the medical assistance that probably saved Tony¡¦s life.
They may have their minor organizational flaws but they do a damn fine job regardless. I can¡¦t thank them enough.
Things could have been a lot worse and I am very thankful they turned out as well as they did.
A link to the NRMA Care-Flight media release-
www.careflight.org/client_images/41052.pdf
And of course, a link to the video of Tony getting winched out and the Channel 9 News video-
www.imageevent.com/bluecanyons/new
I¡¦m open to suggestions, comments and criticisms
so hit me..
cheers,
Dangerous D
How youse goin'?
Had an exciting weekend.
My buddy Tony got bit by a Tigersnake on the walk out of Scatters Canyon.
After 13 loads of anit-venom he is doing well and will be back in the Canyons as soon as possible.
Here is a report I posted on the Oz Canyons Site.
==
The day started with a descent of the spectacularly crap Scatters Canyon (all the fun of Canyoning without the Canyon part).
Tony, Deputy and I had just climbed up through the cliff-line and were beginning up the gentle, but ultra-scrubby slope toward the old Fire Road.
Tony was out front with Deputy and me off to either side. Tony gives out a bit of a yell, jumps around some, then explains that he has trodden on a snake and was just bitten.
Naturally, we think he¡¦s joking around.. He assures us he is not.
He lifts up his trouser leg (Tony was wearing long pants, both Deputy and I had shorts on) and reveals the puncture wounds on his upper shin.
Neither Deputy nor I saw the snake and Tony didn¡¦t get a real good look at it.
He rekon¡¦s it may have been an Adder or Tiger Snake.. it turned out to be the latter.
3pm ¡V We immediately bandage Tony¡¦s leg. Deputy and I check out the Map. We are approx 2km from and 150m below the Fire Road, from the Fire Road it was another 1km to the Car (GR502008 Wollangambe Map). Deputy gives us his EPIRB (not yet switched on) and takes off for the Car Park to raise the Alarm.
(Deputy had received a phone call in the car park at the end of the Waratah Ridge Fire Road, prior to departing for the Canyon in the morning, so we knew he would have phone reception ¡V bigups to Optus).
Tony tells me he still feels good and wants to continue on with the hope of reaching the road. I take his pack and we begin up the slope. The scrub is thick (over head height in most places) and the going is slow.
3.30pm ¡V Tony begins vomiting approx. every 15-25mins from now until he is winched out 4hrs latter. By luck we are stopped on an open rock face surrounded by knee high scrub. I make a bed out of wetsuits and try and get Tony comfortable. I continually ask Tony questions about what he is feeling and reassure him ¡§It¡¦s gunna be sweet¡¨ .
4pm ¡V Tony¡¦s condition is getting worse. It is around this time that Tony asks me to turn the EPIRB on.. yet another sign that his condition was grim, as this has always been considered a last resort..
Vomit now contains traces of blood. He complains about a tight chest and blurry vision. He suffers from regular hot and cold flushes. I gather together all the warm clothes we have, put some on him and use the rest as a blanket.
Tony asks me if I know CPR. I tell him ¡§I got it covered¡¨ , but I secretly hope I don¡¦t have to test my skills.. I keep telling him he¡¦s doin¡¦ good, to concentrate on the rhythm of his breathing and to relax ¡¥cause ¡§It¡¦s awe¡¦ight, you¡¦ll be outta here in no time¡¨
Deputy reaches the Car Park, calls 000 and explains the situation. He then drives to meet the Police at the Jctn. of the Waratah Ridge Road and Glow Worm Road.
4.30pm ¡V Police arrive at the Jctn. and are guided to the Car Park by Deputy. Ambulance arrives and they begin the wait for the Helicopter.
5-6pm ¡V Tony¡¦s in a bad way. His vomit is now mostly blood. He only answers questions with mumbles and groans. I can tell he is freaked-out by the sight of blood in his vomit so I try to convince him it¡¦s just bile ¡¥cause there¡¦s nothing in his guts.. He begins to complain that he is cold so I move him into a Survival Blanket. I continue to reassure Tony and try to get him to maintain steady breathing. I feel pretty useless. There is not much I can do but talk to him, try to keep him relaxed and keep calm myself. I begin to feel we may be here overnight. We have more then enough warm clothes, food and drink but Tony¡¦s not getting any better and by morning would surly be worse.
Deputy, 2 Police, 2 Ambulance and 2 NRMA Care-Flight blokes start in on foot with the plan of meeting up with the chopper at the accident scene.
6.30ish ¡V I hear the ¡¥thump-thump¡¦ of the NRMA Care-Flight Helicopter approaching, then see it coming toward us. The chopper drops off two Doctor types and they begin treating Tony immediately. They run through their procedures, insert a drip thing, ask a few questions, make a few radio calls etc.. They move Tony into a stretcher and prepare him for a winch-out.
The Doctor mentions that the EPIRB has done its job and should be switched off.
Deputy, 2 Police, 2 Ambulance and 2 NRMA Care-Flight blokes are standing on a pagoda several hundred meters away, on the wrong spur, watching the Helicopter drop off the Paramedics.
Deputy, 2 Police, 2 Ambulance and 2 NRMA Care-Flight blokes begin back-tracking to the Fire Road. Upon reaching the Fire Road they decided to wait there, knowing that I would be making my way up to the same location.
7.30pm ¡V Care-Flight Helicopter takes off with Tony. I begin the walk out.
Super thick scrub, growing darkness, an extra pack and a heightened paranoia of snakes makes this no fun at all. I reach a knoll I¡¥ve been focusing on and realize I am not exactly where I thought I was. I continue on knowing I can¡¦t be that far off-track. I am sure the Fire Road runs along the top of the next knoll that is only a few hundred meters away. As I plod along it dawns on me that maybe Deputy thinks I got a chopper ride out too.. I begin to fear that when I arrive at the car park I will find it empty.
I reach the next knoll just as darkness settled in... no Fire Road.
¡§Lovely¡¨ I think.. ¡§Perfect ending to the perfect day.. unbelievable¡¨
I have flashes of spending the night with the creatures of the scrub.
I remember the Doctor bloke saying the EPIRB saved us and not really mentioning Deputy's rescue efforts. I begin to think maybe Deputy didn¡¦t make it out at all.
I bust out my head-torch and fire it up. Just as I¡¦m reaching for the map and compass I hear a ¡§coo-ee¡¨¡K sounds like Deputy and he¡¦s close.. I yell back.. he answers..
I stumble off in the direction of the noise.. within meters I break through the wall of scrub and find myself on the Fire Road¡K ¡§Yeah Baby!!¡¨
8.30pm ¡V I meet up with Deputy, 2 Police and 2 Ambulance who are waiting close to where the Spur I climbed and the Fire Road meet. I happily pass over the extra pack I¡¦ve been carrying to a willing Police Officer and we stroll on back to the car. Along the way we came across several SES blokes who were on their way in with a whole bunch of water etc..
Back at the car we gave the fuzz our details and finally began the drive, arriving home about 11pm..
Some mistakes:
„X I didn¡¦t give Deputy a Grid Reference before he left, only pointed at where we were and how to get out. I even had a GPS but didn¡¦t think to use it.
„X Tony and I didn¡¦t sit down and stay where we were when he got bitten.
„X Although I constantly monitored Tony's condition visually (watched his breathing etc..) I had no pen so could not make a running record of his condition.
==
A full-on afternoon, of what was supposed to be an easy day.
It is often tempting to cut down on surplus gear on what is expected to be an easy day. Sometimes I can be a bit slack when it comes to bringing along extra/emergency gear but thankfully on this day, between the three of us we had enough of the right equipment to see us all through.
I have always known that snakes pose a danger but never realized how quickly and how heavily a bite could affect the victim. I know the chances of a bite are low but as I learned on Sunday, the consequences are high, so it is definitely something to keep in mind out there.
The three of us would normally be all for self rescue, but this was an extreme circumstance.. and I feel we made the right choice by going for outside help.
Huge thanks to all the Rescue folk. They arrived when they were most needed and provided the medical assistance that probably saved Tony¡¦s life.
They may have their minor organizational flaws but they do a damn fine job regardless. I can¡¦t thank them enough.
Things could have been a lot worse and I am very thankful they turned out as well as they did.
A link to the NRMA Care-Flight media release-
www.careflight.org/client_images/41052.pdf
And of course, a link to the video of Tony getting winched out and the Channel 9 News video-
www.imageevent.com/bluecanyons/new
I¡¦m open to suggestions, comments and criticisms
so hit me..
cheers,
Dangerous D
ah well. my mouse ate my other mouse this morning, poor moet.
