BWCA I launched a Search and Rescue in the BWCA Tuesday PM Boundary Waters Listening Point - General Discussion
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      I launched a Search and Rescue in the BWCA Tuesday PM     
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06/21/2018 08:40PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Don't worry it wasn't for me.

Long story short.
I was camping on North Temperance Lake when I heard three shots (three beats and a pause are a comon SOS signal) toward the portage. I thought that was weird, 5 minutes later I heard 3 more shots, I got my stuff together and figured if I heard it one more time I was going to see who needed help, sure enough 3 more shots were fired, as I left my campsite at 13:00.

I go to the portage and found a 64 year old man who had a possible dislocated shoulder, torn muscles and broken arm. He and his 21 YO son were green as BWCA tripping goes, the son had never been in the BW before and his dad hadn't been there in 25 years.
He was out of shape, in considerable pain, unable to paddle and had difficulty walking. (It was clear that they were not getting out of the BW without assistance and we were in the sticks so to speak. I was solo with an 80 pound dog, so I could not help much either, and if this fellow had one more accident he would be in a life threatening sutuation.

It was a tough decision but I activated my SPOT and PLB knowing full well that my wife would get a call from the authorities that I may potentially be in trouble. One hour and 45 minutes after I launched my SPOT the USFS Beaver arrived. (I guessed it would be two hours). It had another emergency and since this one was not life threatening he flew off without them. Back country rangers arrived 6 hours after I activated my SPOT. They shuttled them out via Brule lake.

I was engaged with the injured for 6 hours. I cut my BW paddle short a day from Cherokee. (I am a retired ranger and this rescue put me right back at work and took the vacation fun right out of me).

As soon as the Beaver got there, I told them to radio Dispatch and have them give my wife a call explaining that the rescue was not for me. Cook County Sheriff called her and told her I may be in trouble. She claims that she was not worried very much, telling them that I was a firefighter and I would know what to do in an emergency.

This is the down and dirty version, it was much more invloved than what I am writing.
Feel free to ask questions and I will try to answer them.

Pic of me up close and personal with Beaver 3. As usual when I'm in emergency mode, I take very few pics.

 
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andym
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06/21/2018 09:36PM  
Good for you and good for your wife. You provided them with excellent help and your wife gets kudos for being calm.

I may keep carrying my PLB just because it is so light but am mostly moving to an Garmin Inreach. You can text back and forth with the emergency center after sending an SOS and even send a text with the initial SOS message. Haven't decided if I will even keep it on for tracking or not. But I like the possibility of an interactive SOS exchange.
 
Michwall2
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06/21/2018 09:42PM  
Any sort of rescue situation is stressful. Sorry it caused you to cut your trip short. Thanks for being willing to come out of retirement to help.

I didn't know about the 3 beats and wait and 3 more beats as a distress signal. Thanks for that information.

Which portage on N Temperance? From Sitka or from S. Temperance? Was this an accident along the portage or a fall at a portage end?

Obviously, your training in wilderness first aid came into use. Any particular skill you found useful in this situation that you can share with us?
 
06/21/2018 10:48PM  
The accident happened on South Temperance lake, most eastern site. The father and son were not filtering water, he stepped into the canoe in the morning to get water from the middle of the lake and went A - - over teakettle, fell into rocks at his campsite.

His son then paddled both of them to the Portage between S and N Temperance lake. There, another party fired the shots until I arrived. (I told them they should have gone towards Brule Lake),

My medical training is limited, only first aid, I used to be a First Responder 25 years ago.
He seemed like he could go into shock at any time but I really don't know.

No useful skill I have, just experience, I have been on 20-ish search and rescues in my career plus 600 wildfires. I also used to work for the Superior National Forest years ago so it was like an emergency in my back yard.
I'm guessing that helped.
 
06/21/2018 10:49PM  
Way to go Linden! Its always good to keep up the skills. Believe me that is only the start. There will be vehicle accidents, neighbors unaccounted for, kids choking at Raley,s market,
neighbor with broken wrist, the list goes on. Do you carry a trama bag in your vehicle?

Last week we had the first training session of the newly formed (unofficial) Bean Gulch Fire Dept.!! Had a good time. Larry

 
06/22/2018 12:20AM  
Sorry your trip was cut short in the way it was, but I'm sure that father and son were thankful you were willing and able to help. Another reminder how quickly accidents can happen.
 
06/22/2018 12:35AM  
Good on you. They were very lucky to have you in the area. Kind of improbable, really.
 
sunnybear09
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06/22/2018 05:23AM  
You're a beacon for humanity, Linden,
in a time when we need so many more. Thanks for being "there".
Sunnybear
 
riverrunner
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06/22/2018 05:47AM  
Good job LT3

That is why training even a little bit is helpful in an emergency situation.

It gives one a very good idea on what to do most important it helps one remain calm in these types of situations.

Having been a EMT at one time also helps.

In my career as a LEO I been involved hundreds of life threating situations mostly vehicle accidents.

People have always ask how can you remain so calm training and lots of experience.

In the early days one was always the first on scene now days with better commutations and other reasons EMS and fire often beat law enforcement there.

I urge all to get first aid training or even more advance training it pays huge dividends in an emergency situation.

 
06/22/2018 07:11AM  
good to hear and good reminder about the 3 shots.
 
missmolly
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06/22/2018 07:14AM  
I always figured you were a superhero. Now, what's it like portaging in tights and cape?
 
06/22/2018 07:26AM  
Your a good man LT!
Kind of sad. A 21yo can't get his dad out with a broken arm and they are only 6 miles away from an EP in the middle of the afternoon. Was the wind bad?
 
06/22/2018 07:32AM  
Thanks Miss Molly, now I have this picture in my head as I know linden. Haha. Linden, leave your tights at home! Cape is kinda cool though.
I would only expect a guy like you Linden to go to the rescue. Here I thought plb was peanut butter, lettuce, banana sandwich. Now there's a stomach cramp waiting to happen. Haha.
Crazy how things can happen so fast... And getting older how much less adgel we are. I've heard anyways... Haha.
 
06/22/2018 07:43AM  
AmarilloJim: "Your a good man LT!
Kind of sad. A 21yo can't get his dad out with a broken arm and they are only 6 miles away from an EP in the middle of the afternoon. Was the wind bad?"




If nothing else the guys firing the shot couldn't at least get them back on Brule.
 
06/22/2018 08:13AM  
Well, in more than forty years of tandem tripping, we never (thank God, and also, I think, thank Spartan1) had a serious accident. But I always hoped that if we did, there would be someone like you, LindenTree3, within earshot of my cries.

Great job! Sorry it caused your wife some worry, and caused you to cut your trip short, but grateful that you could help. And thanks for sharing this with us now.
 
Northwoodsman
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06/22/2018 08:19AM  
You're a good man LindenTree! The world needs more people like you, or at least the BWCA does! Thanks for the reminder about the 3 shots.
 
Grizzlyman
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06/22/2018 08:40AM  
Great Job!!! Thank God you were there!!!
 
lundojam
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06/22/2018 09:30AM  
Good job, brother. I have to ask though: what kind of gun fired the 3 shots? :)
sorry, couldn't resist.
 
campcrafter
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06/22/2018 09:54AM  
Thank you for responding and for sharing.

It help remind me that even tough that location is only about 6 miles ( and my next will be not much further from an entry point) from the Brule entry, there is no quick emergency response. Two hours for float plane to arrive, 6 hours for extraction crew to arrive and probably another 6 to get him out and to a hospital.

Lucky for them someone had method of signaling you and you knew what to do and had the PLB). I hope they were appreciative of how lucky they were.

Blue Skies!
cc

 
06/22/2018 10:10AM  
lundojam: "Good job, brother. I have to ask though: what kind of gun fired the 3 shots? :)
sorry, couldn't resist."


It was a 30.02
Joking before I hijack my own thread.

The group that fired the shots would not take them out. I asked them to and they were not having it, sad because they had 3 tandem canoes with 5 people.
Lesson learned for me is not to tell someone that you have a PLB, once I said that I was under extreme pressure to hit the button, both by the injured party and the people who fired the shots.

I will admit, I didn't realize Brule was the closest way out till later, (It was not windy but Brule would have had small white caps on it) I thought it was all the way back to Baker Lake. The whole time I was assessing the situation (1 Hour) before I pushed the button was (if this guy capsized or had another issue, there was a good chance it would then, be a life threatening situation.)

The injured party IMHO should not have been that far in the BW, in my assessment of his physical condition and expierence. At one time he stated that his family had told him that he should not do this trip.
 
em8260
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06/22/2018 10:23AM  
Kind of sad. A 21yo can't get his dad out with a broken arm and they are only 6 miles away from an EP in the middle of the afternoon. Was the wind bad?

Todays entitled, evil to be a real man generation...its what this country has been raising for some time now. no more real men, sad.
 
06/22/2018 10:24AM  
I wonder how many people in the BWCA know to connect 3 shots to possible distress? I'm aware of the rule of 3 and 3 of anything being a possible distress signal but being aware of it probably wouldn't have been enough to connect the dots in this case.

Also it being 3 gun shots I may think its some idiot out target shooting in the BWCA which would make me want to stay far away from them.

This group is very lucky that the absolute right person was in the area. Someone that knew what the signal meant, was willing to help, was able to render at least basic aid, and had a means of contacting search and rescue. Best I could have done was help paddle the guy out.

This also underscores the importance of each group having an exit strategy in the event of an emergency. You should talk about it ahead of time and know the best option for heading toward help. In this case sounds like they'd have been better suited heading towards Brule. They would have headed toward an area that is much busier which increases your odds of finding someone capable of helping or if they did have to initiate self rescue at least they are headed toward the nearest exit.
 
Savage Voyageur
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06/22/2018 10:31AM  
Good job LT3, you are a hero. The family I’m sure is grateful to you.
 
treehorn
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06/22/2018 10:37AM  
em8260: "Todays entitled, evil to be a real man generation...its what this country has been raising for some time now. no more real men, sad."


This is quite a leap.

You have no idea what the situation was, or how that 'kid' was raised.
 
flopnfolds
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06/22/2018 11:01AM  
Thanks LT3.

Nice work. I wonder about the 21 year old as well, but being inexperienced and having to paddle your injured dad 6 miles was probably overwhelming for him.

I am more BOTHERED by the group that wouldn't take him out. Talk about real men. Good job helping your neighbor when he needs help.

 
Michwall2
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06/22/2018 11:23AM  
LindenTree3: "
lundojam: "Good job, brother. I have to ask though: what kind of gun fired the 3 shots? :)
sorry, couldn't resist."



It was a 30.02
Joking before I hijack my own thread.


The group that fired the shots would not take them out. I asked them to and they were not having it, sad because they had 3 tandem canoes with 5 people.
Lesson learned for me is not to tell someone that you have a PLB, once I said that I was under extreme pressure to hit the button, both by the injured party and the people who fired the shots.

I will admit, I didn't realize Brule was the closest way out till later, (It was not windy but Brule would have had small white caps on it) I thought it was all the way back to Baker Lake. The whole time I was assessing the situation (1 Hour) before I pushed the button was (if this guy capsized or had another issue, there was a good chance it would then, be a life threatening situation.)


The injured party IMHO should not have been that far in the BW, in my assessment of his physical condition and expierence. At one time he stated that his family had told him that he should not do this trip.
"


After reading stories about people who were trapped or almost trapped by the Pagami Creek fire with no maps of other routes or knowledge of where to go for the next portage or how to get out of the way, I have started to carry extra maps with me of areas around my route. I want to be able to get out a different way if necessary. The maps are only a few ounces and don't have to clutter my map case, but I can get them if I need them.
 
06/22/2018 11:29AM  
em8260: "Kind of sad. A 21yo can't get his dad out with a broken arm and they are only 6 miles away from an EP in the middle of the afternoon. Was the wind bad?


Todays entitled, evil to be a real man generation...its what this country has been raising for some time now. no more real men, sad."


Give me a break.
 
06/22/2018 11:34AM  
Good job Linden
 
Thunderbolt
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06/22/2018 11:49AM  
LindenTree3: "The accident happened on South Temperance lake, most eastern site. The father and son were not filtering water, he stepped into the canoe in the morning to get water from the middle of the lake and went A - - over teakettle, fell into rocks at his campsite.

His son then paddled both of them to the Portage between S and N Temperance lake. There, another party fired the shots until I arrived. (I told them they should have gone towards Brule Lake),

My medical training is limited, only first aid, I used to be a First Responder 25 years ago.
He seemed like he could go into shock at any time but I really don't know.

No useful skill I have, just experience, I have been on 20-ish search and rescues in my career plus 600 wildfires. I also used to work for the Superior National Forest years ago so it was like an emergency in my back yard.
I'm guessing that helped.
"
600 wildfires, that is a lot . What was your assignment on all of those wildfires?
 
06/22/2018 11:52AM  
LindenTree3: "

The group that fired the shots would not take them out. I asked them to and they were not having it, sad because they had 3 tandem canoes with 5 people.

"


What was the discussion like with this group that refused to take the guy out? Did they just not want to ruin their vacation or did they give some other excuse.

They could have gotten the guy and his son out to the Brule EP fairly easily, its only a 10 rod portage and prevailing winds would have been in their favor. All they had to do is put one of their guys in the injured guys canoe to help his son paddle him out and send another tandem with 2 guys along to shuttle their 3rd man back to the group once they dropped the guys off at the Brule EP. Once at Brule they likely could have gotten a ride from someone to find some help.

The other 2 guys left could have solo paddled the 2 remaining tandems and set up camp somewhere nearby while they waited for the rest of the group to return. Wouldn't have set them back more than a half day.

LT3 if you were able to remain calm and civil to this group refusing to help you're a better man than I am. Had they refused my initial ask I wouldn't have responded to them in a very polite manner.
 
missmolly
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06/22/2018 12:20PM  
"It was a 30.02."

I love your wit, LT3. Big heart, big backbone, supple mind, and superhero tights: You're the complete package!
 
Grizzlyman
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06/22/2018 02:10PM  
nofish: "I wonder how many people in the BWCA know to connect 3 shots to possible distress? I'm aware of the rule of 3 and 3 of anything being a possible distress signal but being aware of it probably wouldn't have been enough to connect the dots in this paddle the guy out.
"


Interesting. Not being a smart ass- I truthfully thought everybody knew this, but I just learned from this thread that’s not the case.
 
MReid
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06/22/2018 02:25PM  
missmolly: ""It was a 30.02."


I love your wit, LT3. Big heart, big backbone, supple mind, and superhero tights: You're the complete package! "


Pretty close--did you know there was a 30-03? Precursor to the 30-06, using a heavier bullet.
 
missmolly
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06/22/2018 03:10PM  
MReid: "
missmolly: ""It was a 30.02."



I love your wit, LT3. Big heart, big backbone, supple mind, and superhero tights: You're the complete package! "



Pretty close--did you know there was a 30-03? Precursor to the 30-06, using a heavier bullet. "


No, I didn't know that.
 
06/22/2018 03:14PM  
Wow, that's a pretty amazing story. Glad you were there and able to help them out Linden. The rest of my trip was pretty low key by comparison.
 
06/22/2018 03:36PM  
Grizzlyman: "
nofish: "I wonder how many people in the BWCA know to connect 3 shots to possible distress? I'm aware of the rule of 3 and 3 of anything being a possible distress signal but being aware of it probably wouldn't have been enough to connect the dots in this paddle the guy out.
"



Interesting. Not being a smart ass- I truthfully thought everybody knew this, but I just learned from this thread is that’s not the case. "


I hope every one know this, I've taught my kids this if they ever need help and I teach a kids wilderness class this every year.
 
06/22/2018 04:10PM  
Nice job LT3! I carry a SPOT on my solo trips and I too would have been worried about pressing the SOS button and causing distress to my wife back at home. Ultimately you did what you had to do. Nice work!
 
06/22/2018 04:35PM  
Well done LT in a stressful situation!!! Your wife deserves credit also.

Looking forward to meeting you this fall for the Challenge.

 
06/22/2018 05:22PM  
Two things I forgot to mention.

1st,
When Cook County Sheriff Dept called my wife they asked all kinds of questions, about my age, route, physical ability, expierence and if I had any health issues.

They also asked what color my tent was and stated (Please don't tell me its green).

My wife didn't know what color tent I took because I have around 7, and the one I took was green.
I left a written detailed route that I was taking with my wife, but not the color of my tent or canoe, that should be part of the information you give to someone in your float plan.
I left detailed float plans when I paddled in AK but not here in the BW. I will be more detailed next time.

2nd,
In defense of the people who would not take the injured out. The injured party stated that the pain was too bad for him to sit in a canoe (Not sure if he was being winey).
But that most likely affected their position not to take him along, it definately affected my decision to hit my SPOT. He mostly laid on the ground the whole time I was with him, not sitting up very much.

In the end, I thought he needed more of a professional evaluation from someone who had more medical knowledge than I did. (I have very little medical knowledge)
 
06/22/2018 05:43PM  
nofish: "
Also it being 3 gun shots I may think its some idiot out target shooting in the BWCA which would make me want to stay far away from them
. "


I would worry about that too. I go in the house when neighbors start shooting (we live in a semi rural area with a lot of weekenders who like to target practice when they come up).

What about using a whistle? I put one in a pocket of every pfd we take. I can use a whistle longer and louder than I could call out, especially if I was in the water.
 
06/22/2018 06:57PM  
4keys: "
nofish: "
Also it being 3 gun shots I may think its some idiot out target shooting in the BWCA which would make me want to stay far away from them
. "



I would worry about that too. I go in the house when neighbors start shooting (we live in a semi rural area with a lot of weekenders who like to target practice when they come up).


What about using a whistle? I put one in a pocket of every pfd we take. I can use a whistle longer and louder than I could call out, especially if I was in the water.
"

Whistle would work great. Anything that you can make the sos signal with will work. Hit rocks together, two pans, hit the side of a aluminum canoe. Any thing that makes noise. As you already know sound really carries especially in the evening.
 
06/22/2018 07:10PM  
nofish,

I was worried about coming into a party that was firing shots.
It was pretty obvious that it was a distress signal, but never the less, I leashed up my dog and made lots of noise the closer I got to their position.

Thunderbolt,

The fires I have been on have had me in positions from being a grunt on the end of a hose, to Incindent Comander of the whole show, sometimes in charge of 120 plus firefighters.
I've been doing it for 30 years now, and even though I am retired, I still do it in emergencies, usually getting paid, unlike this last ordeal that I am talking about.

Let me finish with this, the real heroes are the first responders that do this work without getting paid for it, even though I didn't get paid for this one, I'm no hero.

missmollly,
The cape I wore came from CCS, Dan Cooke custom fitted it for me.

MHS67,

Your Bean Creek fire dept looks pretty strong.
You finally reached the top of your career, to be FMO or Fire Chief
 
06/22/2018 07:30PM  
nofish: "
em8260: "Kind of sad. A 21yo can't get his dad out with a broken arm and they are only 6 miles away from an EP in the middle of the afternoon. Was the wind bad?



Todays entitled, evil to be a real man generation...its what this country has been raising for some time now. no more real men, sad."



Give me a break. "




6 miles across Brule for a newbie? Naw, the right thing was done. Well except the signal guys not getting him out. A dislocated shoulder is the one thing taught in some wilderness first responder classes to deal with. The longer this is left dislocated the greater chance for worse consequences. But this was a case you couldn't try to put it back due to the way it happened. But time is kind of a big deal with that so we were taught. And with a couple strong paddlers they'd have had him to bule landing. In good time. Baker? Maybe not...
Linden, your the man. To bad it wasn't an inreach where you could have instructed your wife the details. If that would have done any good.
 
Mashuga
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06/22/2018 07:56PM  
Do any of the agencies charge for their rescue efforts in the BWCA? There could be county, state and federal involved and I'm just curious if any of them charge.
 
Thwarted
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06/22/2018 08:11PM  
Thanks for sharing this Linden. I need to rethink a PLB.
 
airmorse
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06/22/2018 09:56PM  
Nice Work!!!

Here is the link to the rescue we did several years ago.

Link
 
Grizzlyman
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06/23/2018 06:00AM  
MHS67: "
4keys: "
nofish: "
Also it being 3 gun shots I may think its some idiot out target shooting in the BWCA which would make me want to stay far away from them
. "



"

Whistle would work great. Anything that you can make the sos signal with will work. Hit rocks together, two pans, hit the side of a aluminum canoe. Any thing that makes noise. As you already know sound really carries especially in the evening."


One of the best is slapping your padddle hard onthe water. That can almost sound like a gunshot in the wilderness if you do it right.
 
thinblueline
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06/23/2018 07:03AM  
If it was me in that situation, stumbling on that scene, I wouldn’t hesitate to try to get the guy out. It’s the right thing to do. I wouldn’t have had a gun on me so I would not have been able to signal in that manner anyway. Also, I’ve never had a SPOT or PLB on me either so I would have just rolled up the sleeves and got down to business. Having said that, if I’m in the middle of my vacation, having stumbled on that scene along with another guy who did have a SPOT and PLB, you can bet I would have done the same thing those guys did and pleaded with the guy to push the dang button!
 
ThreeRivers
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06/23/2018 08:34AM  
I don't comment much here, but of course, excellent response LT. Now that I don't live in the upper Midwest anymore, and only get to the BW 1-2 times a year, I deactivated my spot device due to the expense annually. Is there a cheaper version that folks use, I ask as I only do solos and my wife likes to know I have I am ok over a week.
 
06/23/2018 09:27AM  
Nice work man!!!!! If I ever have an emergency I hope you are the guy camped near me ;)

 
06/23/2018 09:30AM  
ThreeRivers: "I don't comment much here, but of course, excellent response LT. Now that I don't live in the upper Midwest anymore, and only get to the BW 1-2 times a year, I deactivated my spot device due to the expense annually. Is there a cheaper version that folks use, I ask as I only do solos and my wife likes to know I have I am ok over a week."


I don't have one but the garmin inreach has plans where you can have it activated for a month at a time instead of the annual plan like a spot. I currently carry a PLB but will most likely get a Garmin inreach when the battery life runs out on the PLB.
 
ellahallely
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06/23/2018 09:39AM  
406 MHz satellite signal and 121.5 MHz local homing signal PLBs are available for a few hundred dollars. There is no monthly or annual fee. They operate of the FAA aircraft emergency system.

However no text or other way of communicating other then for emergency signal sent.

Maybe outfitters should rent these out. Also might be a good idea to keep it on your person. That way if you lose your gear or become disabled you have your PLB.

 
campcrafter
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06/23/2018 01:23PM  
Article about area rescues this week including LT’s
Boreal.org
 
06/23/2018 02:07PM  
campcrafter: "Article about area rescues this week including LT’s
Boreal.org "


Thanks for the link campcrafter, I was wondering if they were able to use motors to gt them out.
I was also wondering if the Beaver's other priority rescue was legitimate, I guess it was.
 
Wick
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06/24/2018 07:32AM  
Mashuga: "Do any of the agencies charge for their rescue efforts in the BWCA? There could be county, state and federal involved and I'm just curious if any of them charge. "


I was curious about this too. Minn tax payers foot the bill?

My wife is an icu nurse. She says that the button was the correct thing to do if person was in too much pain to sit and move. You may do more damage to the person by canoeing them. Let medical team take care of it unless there is no other choice, then make decision to paddle them out, or paddle yourself out faster to get medical help on the way to them.

She is slightly prejudiced since she is required to carry BIG Expensive insurance for malpractice and sees the legal complications constantly arising around medical situations.
 
scramble4a5
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06/24/2018 08:44AM  
I have thought about this for a few days and wondered what would I do in this situation. I would have used my Spot as well. Neither my trip partner nor I have any training other than basic first aid. I wouldn't want to potentially injure the person further and if that were to happen would he look to me in the form of litigation? I have been in the insurance industry too long so yes I am jaded in that sense. So for the group signaling for rescue I think they did the right thing. Their actions ultimately brought help.

I wouldn't judge the 21 year old so harshly. Maybe he has challenges he deals with and the trauma of seeing his father in such distress could be overwhelming.

So hats off to LT and the SAR team for a job well done!
 
06/24/2018 09:07AM  
Wick: "
Mashuga: "Do any of the agencies charge for their rescue efforts in the BWCA? There could be county, state and federal involved and I'm just curious if any of them charge. "



I was curious about this too. Minn tax payers foot the bill?


My wife is a icu nurse. She says that the button was the correct thing to do if person was in too much pain to sit and move. You may do more damage to the person by canoeing them. Let medical team take care of it unless there is no other choice, then make decision to paddle them out, or paddle yourself out faster to get medical help on the way to them.


She is slightly prejudiced since she is required to carry BIG Expensive insurance for malpractice and sees the legal complications constantly arising around medical situations. "


I suspect the good Samaritan law would take on some of the legal issues. Most if not all states have a form of the law. You would have to check and see how your state deals with this law. I think if you provide medical treatment to an injured person and do not do anything grossly incompetent you would be covered by the good Samaritan law.
 
halvorsonchristopher
distinguished member(1163)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/24/2018 09:35AM  
Very good read. Thanks for the share.

Glad to hear your spot came in handy. Hope I never need to use mine.
 
06/24/2018 03:07PM  
At least the search part was figured out. But, I take it they still had to find you guys. Nicely played. If the guy said he couldn’t travel, I can see why the other party didn’t take him. You can’t make the guy jump in a canoe. Congrats on the outcome. I’m glad it worked out.
 
06/24/2018 04:36PM  
Good job.
Sorry to hear your trip was cut short though.
 
mjmkjun
distinguished member(2885)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/24/2018 05:20PM  
Lindy & his sweet one-eyed dog "Elsa" to the rescue. Way to go!
 
06/24/2018 05:37PM  
mjmkjun: "Lindy & his sweet one-eyed dog "Elsa" to the rescue. Way to go!"


Elsa did help comfort the injured, he even stated how nice of a dog she was.
Sorry for taking your last beer Michael, I was a little stressed even though I did this normally in my past job. I owe you a cool one.
Pic from our trip.

 
06/24/2018 05:49PM  
That’s an amazing pic. Cool looking boat too, whatever that is.
 
06/24/2018 06:04PM  
Nice job LT! I was evening fishing on Brule when I heard an outboard motor coming out from the landing followed by a second one. Ok, who is running a motor on this non-motor lake I asked myself. I haven't heard an outboard since the 1970's on Brule (probably mine) so it was quite a surprise to hear that. I threw my wide range lens onto my camera and snapped a couple of pictures and then realized it was most likely a S&R and hopefully not a recovery run by the sheriff's department. The towing of the canoe by them and heading towards the Temperance portage gave it away before I zoomed in on my pictures and saw the writing on the side of their boats. We then watched them go by a few hours later after dark headed back to the landing. We are glad that all worked out well in the end. The wife and I had a great couple of weeks while there and are looking forward to our next trip next month.
 
06/24/2018 06:12PM  
WOW! Nice job! I hope he is doing ok. I learned something new regarding the SOS. Thank you for that. Made me think about what I posted on a different thread about strange happenings in the BWCA. I posted about the "beating of the drums" in the night. Those were in sets of 3 as well...I hope it wasn't a call for help.

Hmmmm
 
mjmkjun
distinguished member(2885)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/24/2018 06:27PM  
scat: "That’s an amazing pic. Cool looking boat too, whatever that is."

Ally portable canoe.

Lindy, you didn't drink the last one. I found a cold one hiding behind loaf of bread in camper fridge. ummm.
 
06/24/2018 07:05PM  
mjmkjun: "
scat: "That’s an amazing pic. Cool looking boat too, whatever that is."

Ally portable canoe.

Lindy, you didn't drink the last one. I found a cold one hiding behind loaf of bread in camper fridge. ummm. "


Makes me wish I had left a couple behind. :)
 
06/24/2018 07:06PM  
LindenTree3: "
mjmkjun: "Lindy & his sweet one-eyed dog "Elsa" to the rescue. Way to go!"


Elsa did help comfort the injured, he even stated how nice of a dog she was.
Sorry for taking your last beer Michael, I was a little stressed even though I did this normally in my past job. I owe you a cool one.
Pic from our trip.

"

She was a really great dog. I have no doubt she helped take care of everyone.
 
Yellowbird
distinguished member (105)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/25/2018 06:22AM  
LT3,
This is very informative. It helps me to decide that I will act the part of the good Samaritan, I will hit the button on my PLB should I the need be there, and . . . that I will be informing my family that when they get the call, it could very likely be for another party.
In hindsight, most of us would make the right decision. Its good to think about these situations ahead of time. Thanks for posting.
 
06/25/2018 09:11AM  
Regarding the "worried wife" situation - the SPOT has a "custom message" button on it. For just this very situation, my custom message says, "Don't worry, the 911 emergency I sent out is not for me but for someone else."

She knows if she receives it that someone in my party or someone I found is in trouble and I am using the SPOT to help out, but that I am ok.

Just a thought for you SPOT users.
 
06/25/2018 10:04AM  
OneMatch: "Regarding the "worried wife" situation - the SPOT has a "custom message" button on it. For just this very situation, my custom message says, "Don't worry, the 911 emergency I sent out is not for me but for someone else."

She knows if she receives it that someone in my party or someone I found is in trouble and I am using the SPOT to help out, but that I am ok.

Just a thought for you SPOT users."


That's a great idea Jerry!
 
missmolly
distinguished member(7681)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
06/25/2018 10:10AM  
Of course, big-hearted LT3 would have a one-eyed dog!
 
06/25/2018 10:17AM  
missmolly: "Of course, big-hearted LT3 would have a one-eyed dog! "


When we adopted her from the Humane Society I said to my wife.
What if she loses her other eye?
My wife's simple response was, "then we will have a blind dog"

We both volunteer for the local animal shelter.

Thanks One Match, I'll look into changing my SPOT message.
 
andym
distinguished member(5337)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
06/25/2018 12:51PM  
I’m also editing the preset text messages on my Inreach based on these sorts of experiences. It’s capable of fully flexible messages typed in the moment but it seems great to make it easy to send the I’m ok and helping someone else message. That one seems to come up a fair bit.

BTW, blind cats and dogs can adapt really well. Often the owners don’t even realize it at first. We had one cat that went blind and we didn’t even know until it was running because a stranger came into the house and it ran head on into the wall. And that didn’t even phase it. It just stopped, adjusted course, and went back to running.
 
annlikesbass2
member (25)member
  
06/27/2018 02:53PM  
I'm very glad to hear you use an Inreach. There are a lot of unnecessary rescues causing the tax payer lots of money. Having 2-way communication is critical. Not all are as thoughtful as Lindentree 3 about sending an SOS or not. I've heard from SAR folks about people calling 911 because they are dehydrated, tired, wet and cold, etc. So thanks for the thoughtful decision on calling a true SOS or not.
 
08/03/2018 05:52PM  
Update on the rescue.
The injured party sent me a letter today updating me of his rescue and condition.
I will send a pic of the letter if you are interested, but I will summarize the injuries.

The injured party was in a mild shock, had a dislocated shoulder, irregular heart beat, torn Labrum and a broken piece of shoulder bone.
I kinda feel bad I waited an hour to launch the SAR but I am not medically trained and I
felt I needed to make sure this was a true emergency before launching my SPOT.
It was my fear that he could go into shock at any time.

I realize this is somewhat a personal letter, but I think it is good to share with you so one can get a feel of what a rescue could be like.


 
08/03/2018 06:38PM  
Glad it ended well.

That was nice of him to send you a letter.
 
Jackfish
Moderator
  
08/03/2018 07:00PM  
Great letter. Thanks for sharing it.
 
08/03/2018 09:29PM  
Thanks Linden! That is great that you got the letter saying all is well. Nice job man.
 
08/04/2018 07:20AM  
I enjoyed reading the letter and I agree that it is very good that he followed up with you. Great that you were able to help, and also good to know that he is getting along OK after what was a harrowing experience.
 
yellowhorse
distinguished member (138)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/04/2018 07:44AM  
Great report and fantastic job Linden!
Nice letter update, although I will admit I was hoping for a bit more appreciation for your help and trouble. You think he suspects people didn't believe his injury was serious? It sounds like you were the only one who understood the enormous task for the folks AFTER an SOS signal?
 
08/04/2018 08:44AM  
Linden, thank you for posting the follow-up letter. I had not seen the original thread because I was in the BWCA at the time. The discussion has been very educational.
 
PatrickE
distinguished member (152)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/04/2018 02:11PM  
I’m an orthopedic surgeon who loves this site so I thought I’d give my 2 cents. His injury is referred as a “Bony Bankart” if anyone is curious. As far as reducing a shoulder in the wilderness, my opinion would be if you’re not absolutely certain of what your doing, leave it alone. It’s very difficult to do without sedation. Reading this thread on whether or not the beacon was necessary, if you’re unsure, call for help. I agree it’s complete wilderness inexperience that result in calls for dehydration, or cold and wet situations. Once you’ve established that he doesn’t feel he can move, make the call. That said, I’m sure there are some of the guys/gals on this thread that could make it out with this injury without S&R assistance. Pain tolerance is a very unique trait. Ironically I was in the BW during this time, but not close (up of the SAK).

Tip my hat to Linden that helped with this situation. It’s a position that no one wishes to be in but something a good person just does their part when they come across.

Unrelated note, my wife just gave birth to our second child a few days ago. As bizarre at it sounds, when I saw it was a boy (we decided to wait to find out), one of my first thoughts was “someone to go to the BW with!!!”.
 
08/04/2018 02:39PM  
Very interesting information, Patrick E.

And congratulations on your new son!! But I cannot help but remark that you can take a girl to the BWCA just as well as a boy! :-) As a wife with 43 years of BWCA/Quetico canoeing experience, I can tell you that our daughter loved canoe trips, and our granddaughter loves the canoe country, too! But I hope your son and you paddle together someday and make wonderful memories. Enjoy!
 
PatrickE
distinguished member (152)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/04/2018 02:47PM  
This has crossed my mind....I will put it this way, if my daughter is anything like my wife, it’s going to be like pulling teeth to even get her near a campsite. However, it will not be for a lack of trying on my part.
 
mjmkjun
distinguished member(2885)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/04/2018 04:02PM  
What a nice follow-up letter from Dean! Thank goodness you showed up, LIndy, to summon medical assistance. That poor fella would have suffered terribly through the night had no one heard the distress signals.
I got a chuckle out of the description you gave me of his attempt to put his own shoulder back in place. That would have been excruciating pain had he not reconsidered his makeshift shoulder reset.

 
08/04/2018 04:49PM  
Good job.
 
08/04/2018 04:55PM  
mjmkjun: "What a nice follow-up letter from Dean! Thank goodness you showed up, LIndy, to summon medical assistance. That poor fella would have suffered terribly through the night had no one heard the distress signals.
I got a chuckle out of the description you gave me of his attempt to put his own shoulder back in place. That would have been excruciating pain had he not reconsidered his makeshift shoulder reset.


"


In an effort to keep my origional post brief, I purposely did not mention my first encounter with the injured.

It happened in the morning on S Temperance Lake, I was thinking of a short paddle on Brule and decided to check out the most Eastern Campsite on S Temperance.
As I got close to the campsite, the kid asked me if I knew how to relocate a dislocated shoulder. I replied no.

His dad was splayed over a large rock on his chest, with a rope tied to his wrist and from that rope hung a good sized rock. He said that he heard somewhere that he could reset his shoulder this way.
I told him at that time I had an emergency SPOT Beacon with me and asked if they needed any assistance, they replied no, so I went on my way, never getting within 20 feet of them.
(Again I have little to no medical training and I'm guessing they did not realize the situation they were in, since this accident had happened within the last 30 minutes).

I paddled to N Temperance Lake, set up camp when I heard the gun shots and met them again, where you know the rest of the story.

Edited to note that when I heard the (repetative) three shots, I had a fairly good idea of who I would be meeting up with.
 
Wick
distinguished member (287)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/04/2018 07:42PM  
mjmkjun: "What a nice follow-up letter from Dean! Thank goodness you showed up, LIndy, to summon medical assistance. That poor fella would have suffered terribly through the night had no one heard the distress signals.
I got a chuckle out of the description you gave me of his attempt to put his own shoulder back in place. That would have been excruciating pain had he not reconsidered his makeshift shoulder reset.


"


I bet he learned that at canoecopia this last year! They were teaching to do that very thing in a class we went too. They recomended a 10 pound weight!
 
SOVOS
distinguished member (124)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/05/2018 06:51PM  
I have a new in the box Spot gene. $100.
 
UncleBuck
member (38)member
  
08/05/2018 07:15PM  

Unrelated note, my wife just gave birth to our second child a few days ago. As bizarre at it sounds, when I saw it was a boy (we decided to wait to find out), one of my first thoughts was “someone to go to the BW with!!!”. "


Congratulations on your new baby!


Here are two of my princess BW tripping buddies (Tougher than boys):







With two younger sisters chomping to go on a trip too.
 
PatrickE
distinguished member (152)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/05/2018 08:00PM  
Thank you! Yours look like great little sherpas! I know this has been asked and answered, but how young do you think is safe to take kids into the BW? When I was out a few months back, I was shocked to hear a baby crying at one of the sites on SAK...and not close to any entry point.
 
UncleBuck
member (38)member
  
08/05/2018 08:04PM  
PatrickE: "Thank you! Yours look like great little sherpas! I know this has been asked and answered, but how young do you think is safe to take kids into the BW? When I was out a few months back, I was shocked to hear a baby crying at one of the sites on SAK...and not close to any entry point. "


This was our third trip so I think these girls were 10 and 13 the first year. The young one is our pathfinder as she’s the first up the portage.

I’d probably scale back the trip route for younger kids. Lots of ankle breakers on those portages and around camp. I’d bring a baby to a site on Seagull though.
 
08/06/2018 08:56AM  
PatrickE: "Thank you! Yours look like great little sherpas! I know this has been asked and answered, but how young do you think is safe to take kids into the BW? When I was out a few months back, I was shocked to hear a baby crying at one of the sites on SAK...and not close to any entry point. "


I'm planning to take my daughter on her first overnight trip next summer, she'll be six. We did day trips with her starting at 2. I think its really more a matter of what kind of trip you take, you've got to modify the trip to match the kid. It also really depends on the kids and their attitude and temperament.

Looping back to a previous comment you had about your daughter. Don't give up on her too easily, she can learn to love all the things you love just takes time, a lot of your time.

I've worked VERY hard to introduce my daughter to all the outdoor things that I love. When she was born it didn't matter if she was a boy or girl my initial thought would have been "great someone to hunt, fish, camp, and canoe with." Had the same thoughts when my son was born 3 years later.

My daughter is 5 now and has caught plenty of fish unassisted. She's not shy of digging in a bucket of worms, minnows, or leeches to find the perfect one, in fact most of the bait gets a good luck kiss before it goes on the hook and each fish gets a goodbye kiss when it gets thrown back. She's spent afternoons in the hunting blind with me and helped me butcher a deer last fall when she was 4. She camps like a champ and loves every bit of it. None of this came easily and was a long process of constant introduction and always letting her come with me and a lot of effort on my part to normalize all of it. Its cut into the time I actually get to hunt, fish, camp, or canoe like I did previously but it was an investment in both of our futures. My son is 2 now and its all starting over with him. He caught his first fish this summer (a small walleye) and a month later he's still running around saying "catch mo' waweye?"

 
08/06/2018 09:39AM  
PatrickE: "Thank you! Yours look like great little sherpas! I know this has been asked and answered, but how young do you think is safe to take kids into the BW? When I was out a few months back, I was shocked to hear a baby crying at one of the sites on SAK...and not close to any entry point. "


A lot depends on each individual kid and comfort level of the parents. I also think it depends on the number of adults vs number of kids. I waited until age 5 for a 1 on 1 trip but would have taken each younger if there was another adult along. My wife didn't feel comfortable taking them into the bwca overnight younger so we didn't.

We started taking my daughters car camping and doing daytrips into the bwca when they were 4 and 2. Each of them did their 1st trip with me at age 5 and I have taken one of them each year on a daddy/daughter trip. We alternate each year which one goes on a bwca trip w/ me while the other one does special stuff with mom. Big duckling just did 5th trip w/ me at 13 and little duckling will do trip 4 next year at 11.

little duckling at 5 and 9

big duckling at 5 and 13


some of those early year daytrips

IMO there is nothing better than spending time in the bwca with your kid :)
 
08/06/2018 10:11AM  
LindenTree3...... thanks for the follow up info. Very cool that he sent you the letter.
 
08/06/2018 02:32PM  
After reading the letter, I wonder if one of the rescue crew was Cindy Hansen. She and Bill both still work at Sawbill occasionally, even though they're "retired". That's their neck of the woods and she fits the description of a woman who ran a canoe outfitter with her husband before retiring. Bill told me a few stories last year about some of the rescues they've gotten involved with over the years.
 
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