Hunting Ordeal

I don't know how many of you know about the events of the last two months or so, and/or what details those of you who have heard something actually know, so I will start at the beginning and work to current...with pictures!  Two months late, but still impressive for me. 

Many of you know/remember the car accident Andrew was in a little over five years ago.  For those of you who don't, I will mention it briefly as it plays a part in the events of these last couple of months.  The accident broke his neck to the point that it bent the spinal chord and severed one of two vertebral arteries that lead to your brain.  It also punctured one of his lungs.  He was life flighted to the University of Utah hospital where they were able to straighten out his neck, close the severed artery (turns out you only need one- only now his remaining one would have to do the work of two), and repair the puncture in his lung.  For years now he has had minimal, if any, problems as a result.  It was a miracle with so many heart changing realizations/lessons.  We thought a miracle of that magnitude happened only once, to the same family that is.

If you know Andrew well, you know of his love for hunting.  Since he was little, he has had a passion for it.  It refreshes him, body and soul, in a way that not much else can.  To this day, he looks forward to and plans his yearly backpacking hunt for the end of his busy summer sales season.  A means of unwinding a little before preparations for the next year begin.  And again, if you know Andrew, you know how meticulous he is about these hunts.  In addition to experience, he has studied more than I even knew existed: books, maps, internet forums, magazines, experts, etc.  He has invested in the top of the line gear, learned how to pack down to the ounce/calorie, scouted areas tree by tree, conditioned his body, and prepared for any event I thought imaginable.  Some things you just can't prepare for.

 

On the eighth day of their hunt,  what I think of as the "perfect storm" of events happened.  Already at an altitude of over 11,500 feet, a storm came in lowering the oxygen in the air (making it as if the altitude were even higher.)  The amount of hiking/stalking/physical exertion that day was the same as any other, but probably due to the lack of oxygen in the air- Andrew's body did not react the same and instead began to shut down.  Earlier that day, his body woke him from a nap out of breath.  This was an early sign of the problem, though with no other symptoms there was no real way of knowing something was wrong.  Or what would happen.  On the way back to camp, however, he started to lose feeling in his hands and arms, and then his shins and feet.  A feeling he describes as having blood pressure cuffs squeezing at their tightest point on each of your extremities.  An intense constriction/pressure (over 5 bowling balls) set in his chest making his breathing extremely rapid and shallow.  Headache/pressure, disorientation and  fatigue followed in a condition known as hypoxia.  Almost to the camp, he felt he needed to get down lower, so (despite protests and threats to tackle him down) he set off downhill distancing himself a mile or two away from camp before he stopped at the base of a tree in a thick ravine.  What was later (and many tests done in several ER's later) diagnosed as a severe case of acute mountain sickness had not only set in, but had progressed to one of it's two most severe levels.  Pulmonary Edema, where the lungs fill with fluid, to be specific.  Naturally shock and anxiety set in as well complicating the situation even further.  One hunting partner followed him down the mountain and the next hour and a half proceeded in what he describes as a scene from the movies.

Darkness setting in, temperatures lowering from the night and the storm and the mountain being as thick as it was- they had to position themselves in a way that would keep communication open and wait until search and rescue could get him out.  His brother, Blaine, was positioned at camp (a higher point where they were sure the satellite phone would get reception) and took on the responsibility of being the contact person between myself, search and rescue and many others.  Since communication by radio would not reach from Andrew to Blaine, his business partner, Allister, became the middle man- relaying information from one party to the other, camped out in the thickness with nothing but a sleeping bag and bivvy sack.  Andrew and his third business partner, Daniel, had only Andrew's day pack with a few snacks/crackers to ration between the two of them.  Instructions from search and rescue were to keep Andrew immobile, so in the hour and a half that Andrew describes as drowning (which in a form was literally true)- Daniel held Andrew in his arms trying to keep him warm, conscious and breathing.  In the moment Andrew accepted he was going to die, asked for his family to be taken care of, and started to slip into dark, Daniel began to yell at him, throw him around and do anything to jolt him back and keep him taking in air.  In that instance, the spirit screamed to get up and walk.  Going off trust and inspiration only, together they spent the next five (plus) hours walking a ten foot path back and forth.  Gradually, walking (and miracles) helped open the airways enough that he was able to take in enough air to stay conscious and fighting.  Turns out, that in minor cases of altitude sickness, it is advised to stay immobile.  With his lungs filling with fluid, the gravity from being up and walking that gave him the ability to take in just enough air to stay alive. 

Due to the hour of night/darkness, thickness of trees around him, weather and other complications we do not quite understand, it took search and rescue fifteen hours to reach him.  A life flight helicopter was called in during the early morning hours and then later abandoned due to severe weather complications.  Finally, with the help of the National Guard, he was air lifted out and to the Vail Valley hospital where he was treated, tested and later sent home.  Since his neck scans revealed no changes, his lung and heart tests came back close to, if not normal, and his breathing treatments indicated the causes I mentioned above- they felt his condition could be monitored and treated at home (and by his primary care physician in the following days).  Again, another miracle.  Andrew says that these couple of days were worse than the entire four month accident/recovery combined.  He would rather someone cut off his leg than not be able to breathe.  At least you can do something about the leg.  And yet, this ordeal has already (and will no doubt continue to) provided more spiritual/life and heart changing experiences than anything else our family has encountered, and we count those as part of the miracle.  

As you can imagine, it has taken time to to recoup physically and emotionally, but overall we are all doing really well.  Other than exhaustion and some post trauma anxiety, Andrew has made a full physical recovery, for which we are extremely grateful.  We appreciate all the efforts that went out and continue to go out on our behalf these last couple of months.  It has truly made a difference.  Thank you.

And because I know you are wondering...this has not cured Andrew of his passion for hunting.  It has for this season, but not for good.  Because altitude sickness is a higher possibility for him in the future, he will not likely be hunting as high- at least any time soon.  We'll see...