JOHN MCBRIDE’S BIG FALL ON SNOWMASS MOUNTAIN (C-13, 1965)

I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

Stephen Grellet, 1773 – 1855, Quaker missionary

Revised  2013

The summer of 1965 was the second I spent working for the Colorado Outward Bound School based during the months of June, July, and August near the old ghost town of Marble on the edge of the magnificent Snowmass Wilderness. I was 30 years old at the time. My job that season involved working both as the school’s program coordinator and as a patrol instructor. Back then courses, which lasted 27 days, were offered only during the summer months. Also back then, a typical patrol was made up of 12 young men between the ages of 16 and 22, an instructor, and sometimes an assistant instructor.

The memoir that appears below is a slightly updated version of a report I wrote in July that year concerning a mountaineering accident involving one of our students, 24 year old John McBride, who fell while descending from the summit of 14,092 ft. Snowmass Mountain with his patrol. John sustained very serious head injuries from the fall, requiring a dramatic all-night rescue involving the members of his patrol, my own patrol which happened to be in the area, and a team of staff members from the school.

RESCUE PARTICIPANTS

BOONE PATROL

Rich Tuttle – co-instructor
Rich Nehring – co-instructor
Tadashi Agari
Ian Clarke
Robert Healing
John Jenks
David Lewis
John McBride
Richard Owen
John Reilly
Keith Stone
Thomas Thatcher
Malcolm Whitfield

CODY PATROL

Herb Kincey – instructor
Gordon Strickler – assistant instructor
Simon Bunyard
Thomas Fort
Frank Howard
Garth Jones
Leland Logg
Christopher Lynn
David Sherwood
Charles Smith
Gregg Stradiotto
Hunter Townsend
Dave Wright
Mike Turrill

SHERPA CLIMBING GUIDES (*) 

Andy Brenner
Andy Morris
Larry Roffe
Gary Randolph

STAFF RESCUE TEAM FROM SCHOOL

Joe Nold, school director
Several sherpas

(*) In the nineteen sixties “Sherpa” was the name given to young Colorado Outward Bound School graduate employees between the ages of 16 and roughly 21 who had done well on their courses and were not old enough to be instructors, but who had real potential as future leaders at the school. Sherpas were paid $100.00 a month and were given an opportunity to purchase outdoor gear at the school’s cost. These young men were assigned to work in a wide variety of program areas from course to course. I developed the Sherpa program at COBS and directed it from 1965 through 1967 when I left the school for good. A number of these young men went on to become instructors.

On Monday afternoon, July 26th, I hiked with my patrol (Cody) of 10 students and assistant instructor, Gordon Strickler, from the Outward Bound School several miles to Prospector Springs, located about a mile north of Geneva Lake on a small stream. We set up our camp near Andy Brenner, Andy Morris, and Larry Roffee, Sherpas serving as climbing guides on some nearby cliffs. Cody Patrol was scheduled to climb Snowmass Mountain by way of the S-ridge the following morning with Sherpa Gary Randolph, whose camp we understood to be back at Lake Geneva, and who currently was on Snowmass Mt. with Boone Patrol.

About 1755 hrs. Richard Tuttle, co-instructor of Boone Patrol, ran into our camp saying he understood that at about 1530 hrs. one of his students, John McBride, had slipped on a steep, slick rock slab while descending, had fallen some 60 feet in the cirque between Snowmass Mt. and Hagerman Peak, was unconscious, and needed to be evacuated. The accident took place at about 13,000 feet. This was all we could learn at the time regarding the extent of the student’s injury. Rich himself was not a witness to the accident, having started down earlier that day with one of his students whose foot was bothering him. Rich’s information came from a Boone Patrol member who had gone for help with two other Boone members. The other two, however, couldn’t keep up and decided to stay put part way down the route to help guide the rescue party to the accident scene. The remainder of the patrol, along with guide Gary Randolph and co-instructor Rich Nehring, were said to be on the mountain with the injured man.

Upon hearing this news I called together the 11 members of Cody, along with the 3 Sherpas, and gave instructions to prepare for a mountain rescue. Everyone turned out in wool clothing, waterproof parkas, wool hats and mittens, whistles, 12-ft. rappel harness ropes, and carabiners. We also packed 4 ice axes, flashlights, patrol climbing ropes, and maps. Meanwhile, I dispatched my assistant, Gordon Strickler and student Mike Turrill, both very fast runners, to Outward Bound via Crystal (a tiny ghost town) in case the boy from Boone who had continued on alone failed to make it. Our patrol never saw him.

I later learned Gordon and Mike reached school in about an hour, passing the Boone messenger along the way. With them I sent a map showing the approximate location of the accident and a note describing the circumstances so far as they were known to us.

The three Sherpas during this period also turned out and began filling 3 packs with emergency equipment. This included 2 sleeping bags, 2 Primus gas stoves, fuel, 2 billy cans, 4 canteens of water, assorted food, the makings for hot drinks, 2 plastic ground tarps (I thought they were tent-size), extra wool clothing, 2 long wood poles for making a litter, and my patrol first aid kit. Rain clouds were building fast with good prospects for a storm within a short time.

Rich Tuttle remained behind at Prospector Springs with his injured student and two of mine who were not feeling well. Their job was to get a fire going, prepare hot food and drinks, and distribute them to the rescue party when it arrived from school. My Cody and Sherpa support group moved out of camp and headed up the mountain about 1825 hours.

On the first high ridge I fired 2 series of shots, 6 rounds each, using my .22 Magnum revolver, in hopes of attracting Larry Higby’s patrol. This group had left Prospector Springs about 1630 hrs, before I learned of the accident, and was heading for Upper Fravert Basin to spend the night. Larry also carried a weapon, but I heard no answering shots. At about 12,000 feet we met Sherpa climbing guide Gary Randolph near a small stream in an area of very large boulders. He pointed out the correct route for us, then continued on down towards Prospector Springs. Gary appeared to be sick and also was suffering from muscle cramps.

Near here on a ridge with a good view both towards Geneva Lake and the Snowmass-Hagerman cirque I left Sherpa Andy Brenner and Cody patrol member Chuck Smith with a flashlight and whistle. From this location they could observe our route up, later in the night, serve as guides if necessary, and also signal the Outward Bound rescue party or any other support groups that might appear. Soon after this it began to rain, but the clouds fortunately never dropped low enough to obscure our view of the mountain or lake.

Our group continued on up through a steep and dangerous boulder field for about 500 vertical feet, then ran into the two boys from Boone patrol who had been waiting to serve as guides. From here it was about another 400 vertical feet to the spot where John McBride lay. During most of this part of the ascent we were in contact with Boone Patrol by whistle.

Boone members would have been in pretty serious straits had our team had not arrived with sleeping bags for the victim. I found the injured student lying on some flat rocks wrapped in the patrol members’ waterproof parkas and most of their wool shirts. He was still strapped into a rope litter. Two students were crouched over him in an effort to deflect the rain and keep him warm, while a third man held his head wrapped in a bloody wool shirt. The rest of the patrol was without any waterproof gear. Several had on only t-shirts. The time was about 1945 hours, the temperature 35 degrees.

At Rich’s suggestion I assumed leadership of the rescue. My first act was to quickly examine the patient. He had what appeared to be severe head injuries and was in a state of shock. But he could answer simple questions such as what was his name, age, etc. His face was grey-white in color. He was mumbling incoherently. Rich’s patrol had brought John down from the accident scene some distance over a snowfield in a rope litter. But I felt John’s condition to be too unstable to warrant further travel except in a properly belayed Stokes litter which would also protect him from rocks and undue body movement.

I therefore had one group of students dig out a flat shelf in the nearby snow, place packs and ropes on it as insulation, and on this lay out one of the sleeping bags for additional insulation. This was covered over temporarily with a sheet of waterproof plastic.

Meanwhile, Rich volunteered to handle the Primus stove and began to prepare hot drinks with a couple of students as helpers. It was now snowing a little and getting dark fast.

At the same time I began with a group of helpers to transfer John into the second sleeping bag while a tarp was held over us to keep out the snow. We first removed the rope litter from around him and returned the wool shirts and waterproof jackets to the owners without any. All students wearing t-shirts were told to remove them and put on wool next to their skin. Also, extra wool clothing and food our party had brought to the scene was distributed about this time.

Once the rope was off the patient, he began to kick about with his feet, wave his arms, and cry out incoherently. It took several of us to restrain John while we removed his boots and put on dry socks. We managed also to get dry wool mittens on his hands but were forced to use adhesive tape to keep them on. Finally, it became necessary to tie John’s arms down in order to keep his hands away from the injury.

After finally working him into the second sleeping bag with difficulty, he was still thrashing about, eight of us carried John about three yards to the spot prepared in the snow bank and laid him down on the insulation. He quieted down immediately. Both plastic tarps were placed over John, and a student remained under the tarp at John’s head to observe and reassure him continually. The watchers switched off every 15 minutes.

I didn’t attempt to dress John’s wound which consisted of a large piece of his scalp peeled back in the shape of a horseshoe, and which the initial first aiders had put back in place and covered with a tied wool shirt. We had no sterile dressings large enough with which to cover the wound. Fortunately, there was no bleeding by the time I arrived; so we pretty much left things as we found them.

John’s breathing was regular on the whole, but there was occasional difficulty, probably due to a partially relaxed palate. I therefore decided on the basis of this and his semi-conscious condition not to give either food or liquids.

After John had been dressed in dry clothing and was in place and comfortable, I got together the members of Boone and Cody patrols to discuss the situation. Boone was not in very good shape due to members standing around in the cold for so long without proper clothing or any lunch. I would have sent them as a group on down to Prospector Springs before dark but was afraid that most staff members believed to be at the school might have gone to Redstone for the evening and not be available. Also, all patrols were out in the field, so no other students were reachable.

Fortunately, Boone Patrol members had food and hot drinks once we arrived, so in general were now prepared psychologically and physically for a long, cold night on the mountain. They were told to huddle as close together as possible, along with Cody Patrol, behind some rocks in the lee of the wind. The boys’ spirits remained high, and there was a good deal of singing and even some joking going on. Sometime after dark all precipitation stopped, and a few stars could be seen among the clouds.

Rich passed out hot drinks periodically, while several of us watched for the lights of the rescue party. We saw 3 fires close together on the trail part way up the valley on the east side of Geneva Lake but were unable to contact anyone with lights. We thought the fires might belong to an Outward Bound patrol. Later on we detected other lights around Lake Geneva but never did see any coming up the valley from the lake.

The first indication of the approaching Outward Bound rescue team was their lights reflecting off the cliffs below us and across the cirque. The team actually reached us about 2300 hrs. At this time I relinquished my authority to Joe Nold, Director of the Colorado Outward Bound School and leader of the rescue party.

Considering the circumstances, I felt Rich Nehring did the best job he could after the accident. At all times while I was on-scene he maintained excellent self-control and control over his students. The members of both patrols remained in good spirits throughout the waiting period in spite of the cold and wet night. Sherpas Andy Brenner, Andy Morris, and Larry Roffee were a great help to me. Their good judgment, cooperation, and willingness to lend a hand throughout the night are to be commended.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. That the school buy rock climbing helmets for all students and staff and require their use any time a climbing exercise takes place.

2. That a good supply of quality headlamps be bought and kept in the school rescue cache. The ones now on hand are completely unsatisfactory. The Berec headlamp is a top quality piece of equipment and can be purchased from Recreational Equipment for $5.00.

3. That 2 marine flare guns and a supply of 20 red and green flares be purchased for signaling at night. Cost: $13.00 each for the guns and $1.00 each for the flares.

4. That a supply of yellow smoke bombs be bought for emergency signaling during the day from ground to ground or ground to air.

5. That any COBS patrol climbing a major peak be required to carry along at least the following group gear: 1 tent-size plastic tarp, 2 canteens of water, a primus stove, gas, emergency food and drinks, 2 sleeping bags, 2 flashlights, and a patrol first aid kit.

6. That rescue caches be established near any major peaks where climbs take place on a regular basis. These caches would include a Stokes litter, blankets or sleeping bag, and a waterproof evacuation bag. Having a cache handy could speed up the evacuation time by several hours, particularly in remote areas like Capitol Peak.

7. That a communications system using Civilian Band radio be established including:

1. A base station with the highest possible legal antenna at the Outward Bound School.
2. A mobile unit capable of being mounted in a vehicle or used with a car battery in the field.
3. At least 2 additional battery-operated Johnson CB hand-held radios for use in the field.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2013 UPDATE

The evacuation of John took all night. By the time we reached our camp at Prospector Springs around 0300 hrs. where hot food and drinks greeted us, the members of Boone Patrol were completely exhausted and were told to stay there and get some sleep. Joe Nold, my patrol, and the Sherpas continued with the litter, now attached to a wheel, past Lake Geneva, and on down into Lead King Basin where the school’s Land Rover rescue vehicle waited. By this time it was beginning to get light and must have been about 0600 hours.

The Land Rover headed off to the Glenwood Springs hospital, my patrol hiked back up to its Prospector Springs camp to get some much needed rest after being turned over to assistant instructor Gordon Strickler temporarily, and I as the program coordinator returned to the school with Joe Nold to help deal with the McBride situation.

It was only after we arrived that we learned the news of instructor Lou Covert’s death earlier that morning while climbing one of the Maroon Bells with his patrol. This was the same patrol that had left Prospector Springs with Larry Higby shortly before my arrival there the day before.

Had John’s accident taken place earlier in the day, and had news of the accident reached Prospector Springs before the Higby group left for Fravert Basin, Lou doubtless would still be alive.

NOTE TO THE READER: John McBride and I reconnected once in 1969 while I was working for the North Carolina Outward Bound School. Shortly after that summer I moved permanently to New Mexico. John and I lost touch with each other. Some 43 years later in the fall of 2012 we reconnected again thanks to Facebook. John never made it back to Colorado to complete the Outward Bound program, but for both of us C-13 was a course that will remain in our memories for as long as we live.

Nothing written in this memoir should be construed as being critical of the Colorado Outward Bound School or its leadership during the years I worked there from 1964 – 1967. Outward Bound began operations in this country in 1962 with the opening of the Colorado school. The program originally was imported from the U.K.

In 1962 there was nothing even remotely like Outward Bound in the United States. It took about five summers to put in place the sort of trained staff, management tools, program, and safety procedures that by 1966 would place the school on the cutting edge of outdoor education in this country. In 1965 climbing helmets were worn mainly by mountain search & rescue team members on the West Coast. However, that August Colorado Outward Bound bought its first helmets from a company in California that had recently begun making them for West Coast SAR teams. Eventually, most climbers and all outdoor education programs in this country began using them.

End