Broken Ankle Tahquitz Rock

Written by Pete Carlson

At 2:45pm Saturday afternoon we got the call that a climber had broken an ankle on the White Maiden Route on Tahquitz Rock. Two RMRU members that live in Idyllwild, Les and Ralph, got on to Humber Park within 20 minutes. They learned that a CAL FIRE helicopter was coming up to help so they went to Keenwild Forest Service Station to meet it at the helipad located there. They were flown to the top to Tahquitz Rock, but it was too windy for the helicopter to put down and let them out. They did see the injured climber about 100 feet from the top of the rock with other climbers helping to get the climber to the top. After they were returned to Keenwild, they came back to base at Humber Park where team members Patrick, Lew, Pete, and Rob had arrived as well as the Rescue Truck.

The helicopter went back to the top of Tahquitz Rock and by this time other climbers had gotten the injured climber to the top of the rock. CAL FIRE then lowered one of their crew on the hoist down to the top of the rock. The crew member then attached the injured climber to the hoist and they were raised up into the helicopter. The crew member was hoisted next and within minutes the whole mission was over.

RMRU did not do much on this one, but we never know if the helicopter will be able to do the rescue or not. If it can’t we need to be ready to hike up to the top of the rock and get the injured person back to Humber Park.

RMRU team members present: Pete Carlson, Ralph Hoetger, Lew Kingman, Rob May, Patrick McCurdy, and Les Walker.