TheBanyanTree: Mountain Odyssey

[Roger Pye]

15 May 2009

(Jane is my niece and God-daughter. Her partner of many years (Richard 
S) began a walk in the Pyrenees on this day with five of his friends. 
They are all experienced hikers and have been on many journeys together. 
This one would prove much different from anything they had experienced 
before. The beginning of the narrative is written by Richard G, another 
of the six walkers.)

Walking in the Pyrenees ar Ribes de Freser we took the mountain railway 
to around 6000 feet well below the snowline of the surrounding 
mountains. We traversed the hillsides for some hours to a distant 
refugio. The book described this as moderate with some exciting bits – 
steep and craggy but a well established path. We saw herds of chamois, 
marmot, salamanders and what we believed to be golden eagles wheeling 
around us (hoping on the more difficult stretch there we might be easy 
pickings we joked).

We had a good picnic lunch at the highest point of the walk, around 7000 
feet. The walk had been excellent with fantastic views. We set off on 
the 3 hour descent down a well trodden winding path running down by a 
river with some spectacular powerfull waterfalls as it dropped steeply 
into the Freser gorge.

Ten minutes from the road at the bottom of the gorge and on a relatively 
wide gravel path with us in single file you stepped on the grass to the 
left, there was nothing under it and you dropped like a stone. Your only 
sound was a quiet ‘oh no’. We looked down and you had hit one of the few 
bits where there was water 40 feet below us (some say it was a lot more 
but it was a long way down certainly). We peered over to see you 
floating face down with pack on your back like a skydiver floating down 
the raging gorge. There were four or so rock pools before the river 
disappeared down a narrow gully like a big plughole. Somebody had to go 
down fast. You or me would be the fastest in the group down anything but 
you were down already! My go then. It was a race. We arrived at the last 
pool at the same time. At that point by some miracle you spun out into a 
calmer bit on the other side and put your feet down – still alive!  - 
and saved yourself thank god! After some screaming at you over the 
thundering noise of the water you wobbled to your feet twenty feet 
across the river from me hung on to a twig for a while then teetered to 
the bank and sat down in a patch of sun holding your head but 
acknowledged me and fortunately you were not bleeding much. Maybe the 
meltwater temperature of the river helped. It was too risky  to cross 
the river anywhere nearby unless absolutely essential. That was really 
frustrating but you were safe. You were clearly badly injured so I 
shouted up to Les to ring for help. Pete knew the number to ring. We 
knew exactly where we were.

The time from beginning to end of the above seemed like a lifetime but 
was around 30 seconds I guess. Les asked me yesterday how I got down. I 
don’t remember any detail at all between dropping my bag and getting to 
the water except the worst feeling a third the way down, slipping and 
scrabbling for grip and seeing you below me going down  a small chute 
still face down in the main stream. My face was to the cliff. Les tells 
me you then rolled over and started to come to.

I found an easier way back up.  Pete had gone off to summon help in case 
Les couldn’t do so on the mobile. Pete met a Spaniard who got through to 
the emergency services and confirmed what Les had by then told them. The 
fire service and helicopter had been despatched.

I went up and down the gorge but if we could get across anywhere we 
would have been blocked by towering cliffs upstream and downstream of 
you. Downstream of you the river dropped over 100 feet very steeply.

I went down to see Pete. Two fire crew arrived down at the road, all 
sorts of climbing gear flew out of their truck. The helicopter appeared 
just before them. I wondered how they would winch anybody down from such 
a small chopper. I went back to join Les who by then had Bob with him. 
The helicopter reappeared from the trees above/behind us towards the 
trees on your side with the first guy, one of the fire crew hanging on 
the wire with the winchman  stood on one of the helicopters skids – it 
looked like the SAS had arrived! The helicopter hovered with blades 
close to the trees and its skids in the trees and the guy dropped fast 
through the trees into the woods and he was down to you like a ferret. 
We guessed you were pleased to see him.

The helicopter came and went several times and put 5 guys down in total. 
Eventually after medical attention and 2 hours approx after you fell 
they carried you to a big boulder by the river and winched you and one 
of the guys off. Rescue over we gave a wave of thanks to the pilot which 
he acknowledged before you were away. They left 3 guys in the gorge to 
return for them later after flying to Girona and back we assume.

Paul had arrived down at the road (he did well to find his way up to 
there) just as the helicopter put down in a field near him to transfer 
you from the tray on the outside to inside. Paul helped lift the 
stretcher in as the three guys with the helicopter were struggling to 
lift you! That may explain why they put so many guys down in the gorge 
with you.

One can have nothing but admiration and gratitude for the skill of the 
rescue team and pilot.

(What a brave man to go down a mountainside like that - and a wonderful 
friend!)

The chopper took Richard S to the University Hospital at Girona about a 
hundred miles south to south east of where he fell. I heard about the 
accident on 17 May when I phoned my sister K in England about something 
else. She said Richard S had fractured his forehead, there were chips of 
bone in his eyes and his right eye was totally closed, he was bruised 
almost everywhere. I at once put out a call for help to 'my' healing 
channels, 23 healers and their networks in the USA, Oz and Pakistan.

Jane takes up the story next)

to be continued . . .

roger