Educational Presentation
Jon first did a show and tell of what he carries in his backpack. On one hand his gear is very comprehensive and ready for all eventualities. On the other hand, he also sometimes goes out with the absolute minimum, which of course reduces his weight considerably. The important thing to consider is the type of hike, how long and where.
Main Presentation
In the second part of his presentation, he showed examples of mountain rescues in the Grand Teton National Park. In addition to showing pictures and explaining actual rescue operations, including the type of equipment and support used (e.g. helicopter vs. stretcher on wheels), he spent a considerable amount of time talking about how the accidents occurred in the first place. One particularly instructive example was about a group of young people where one member decided to take as short cut not knowing the terrain instead of following the marked trail. Unfortunately, the terrain got steeper and steeper, which eventually caused the young person to slip and fall to her death. The lesson here being know your terrain and don’t get off the trail if you don’t know the terrain.
This was a very impressive presentation and gave a good appreciation of the work the rangers and rescue teams do, often times at great risk to themselves.
Rescuer hanging from a Helicopter
Preparing injure hiker for transport
Transportation of injured hiker with a stretcher on wheels