This is funny..

“The outdoor climbers group “wind runners” was earlier formed spontaneously by some climbing amateurs by posting forum through internet. On June 28th at 8:00am, the 104 climbing group members, led by an employee of a shenzhen transportation company, rented two buses and headed for the Shitouhe Reservoir for climbing from Shenzhen Gymnasium. At about 21:00pm, the 104 members were lost and stranded in the Lovers’ Valley due the darkness.”

230 rescuers were sent by the Chinese authorities to rescue the 104. Pretty amazing what can happen today.

Micah Dash is the only American climber yet to be found after an avalanche cut their trip short which the other two climbers who was with him. The bodies of Johnny Copp and Wade Johnson were transported to Moxi, a town about six hours from the mountain.

Bad weather conditions (fog, rain, snow) and the risk of another avalanche forced rescuers, who were made up of four Americans and four Chinese, to suspend the search until the weather clears.

Kudos go to the rescue crew – Pete Takeda, Eric DeCaria, Steve Su, and  Nick Martino. It’s such a touching display of courage, sacrifice and companionship. We need more people like this in the world.

More of this story here.

They sent a specialized ropes team down a cliff at West Rock State Park after receiving reports from hikers of a deteriorating body only to discover that it was a mannequin. Thank God.

The rescuers must’ve felt relief and annoyed at the same time for wasting their time. I just wonder how on earth did the mannequin get there?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jKjVlnHL3zhSOAuB3bYyFz51W4VAD98LVFI00

Millions of people go to the mountains for backpacking, skiing, mountain climbing and other activities every year. If you’re planning a trip to altitudes over 8,000 feet, talk with your doctor about high-altitude illness (also called mountain sickness or altitude sickness).

The higher you climb above sea level, the less oxygen there is in the air. The oxygen level becomes very low at altitudes above 8,000 feet. This causes problems for people who normally live at lower altitudes because their bodies aren’t used to working on so little oxygen. If you stay at a high altitude for a long time, your body gets used to the low oxygen level, and you don’t get sick from it.

Just yesterday, May 19, an amateur Chinese mountaineer died on the return trip after reaching the peak of Mount Everest. Wu Wenhong, from east China’s Jiangsu Province was pronounced dead at around 4 a.m. at 8,750 meters. The total height of the highest mountain on earth is about 8,848 meters above sea level.

Professional mountaineers armed with oxygen tanks, tents and camp stove made an attempt to rescue Wu but all proved to be useless.

However, some sources suggests that the best treatment for altitude sickness is by going down to a lower altitude right away unless the symptoms are mild in which case you can stay at that altitude and let your body adjust. Rest is very important as you let your body adjust to the altitude.

If you have severe symptoms, go down 1,500 to 2,000 feet right away to see if your symptoms get better. Keep going down until your symptoms go away completely.

Waiting for the rescuers to come may not be the best thing the Chinese climbers did to save Wu’s life but the weather was extremely harsh and the path to descend was difficult.

How can I prevent high-altitude illness?
You can do 2 important things to prevent high-altitude illness:

1. Take your time traveling to higher altitudes. When you travel to a high altitude, your body will begin adjusting right away to the lower amount of oxygen in the air, but it takes several days for your body to adjust completely. If you’re healthy, you can probably safely go from sea level to an altitude of 8,000 feet in a few days. But when you reach an altitude above 8,000 feet, don’t go up faster than 1,000 feet per day. The closer you live to sea level, the more time your body will need to get used to a high altitude. Plan your trip so your body has time to get used to the high altitude before you start your physical activity.
2. Sleep at an altitude that is lower than the altitude you are at during the day. For example, if you ski at an elevation of 10,000 feet during the day, sleep the night before and the night after at an elevation of 8,500 feet.

Is it safe to go to a high altitude if I have a chronic illness like heart disease or lung disease?
It depends on the type and severity of chronic illness you have. Most people who have a chronic illness, such as heart or lung disease, can safely spend time at a high altitude if their disease is under control. People who have coronary artery disease, mild emphysema or high blood pressure aren’t at greater risk of high-altitude illness than people who don’t have these diseases. They also don’t risk making their disease worse by traveling to a high altitude. In addition, being overweight does not increase the risk of getting high-altitude illness.

Some diseases make going to a high altitude very dangerous. People who have sickle cell anemia shouldn’t go to a high altitude. A high altitude is also dangerous for people who have severe lung disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or severe emphysema, and for people who have severe heart disease. If you have a chronic disease, ask your doctor if it’s safe for you to travel to a high altitude.

Check out the view from the summit of Mt. Everest:

[media:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9dHML7oadU]

Scott Mason is an Eagle Scout who thought he could hike alone in snowy conditions until rising water and deep snow had him stranded for three nights.

It was the longest three days of his life.

On Saturday Scott went for a day hike up Mount Washington alone. Trouble started when he decided to take a shortcut down after spraining his ankle. People tend to get lost when they take shortcuts but Scott was not lost. He just didn’t expect the rivers to be stronger than it should be due to unseasonably warm weather.

He almost got himself killed when he fell into a run-off that was about two and a half feet deep and probably around 30 mph. If he had fallen all the way, he would have been sucked away and never to be found.

Luckily Scott kept his cool. Panic would only get him killed. After all, he teaches survival skills in his scout troop. He wore plastic bags inside his boots to keep his feet dry while he tried to find his way out of being stranded.

To survive the cold night he would crawl beneath the snow-covered pine trees to protect himself from the notorious winds and hunkered down in a bivvy. It was smart of him to carry a bivvy even for a day hike in case of emergencies.

For warmth, Scott started fires with a hand sanitizer gel and used evergreen branches for fuel.

On Monday, he tried to signal a helicopter by waving his hiking poles and reflective bivvy sack but was unsuccessful because the rescuers expected him to be swept away lower down by the river. A signalling mirror would have done a better job at getting the pilot’s attention.

By this time, Scott had already decided to climb up the summit so that he can ask help from the mountaintop weather observatory.

Rescuers found him Tuesday on his way to the mountaintop weather observatory. According to Scott, he would never hike alone in snow conditions. Ironically the original trail he was following was dry and clear.

Anyone could get lost on a hiking trail especially when the parts of the trail is masked by blown-down trees and fire. It happened to two experienced hikers on the Kekekabic Trail and the lack of trail markings were to blame for the incident.

Dozens of rescuers and volunteers joined the search including 4 aircrafts. In the end the hikers were found safe, but this is not the first time anyone got lost on the Kekekabic Trail. In 1970, a skier lost his way and died of hypothermia.

Following the latter incident the Forest Service marked the Kekekabic by tacking small, blue diamond-shaped signs to trees but nearly all the signs are gone now, and Forest Service officials have been reluctant to replace them.

Hiking clubs have renewed their appeal to the Superior National Forest officials to make the Kekekabic trail easier to follow.

The problem is, rules governing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness prohibit signs and many other man-made objects.

However, Forest Service officials acknowledges the fact that the overgrown condition of Kekekabic presents a public safety issue and are willing to discuss a possible compromise.