 It’s late summer in Icicle Creek: the air is dry, a light breeze flows through the canyon, and the shaded gray granite feels cool to the touch. You and your partner, Beth Sanson, are halfway up a three-pitch 5.9 crack climb. Beth is leading. On the second pitch, Beth places a small cam in a shallow, flared crack, steps up, but slips on dusty crystals. The next piece holds, but she drops about twenty feet, swinging violently into the wall. Her right hip hits the wall first, followed almost immediately by her head. She is wearing a helmet. Beth is initially unresponsive as you lower her to your belay. She regains consciousness at the belay before being lowered to the ground. Once on the ground, you help Beth sit down. She is favoring her right leg, but talking and breathing normally. Her helmet is chipped above the left temple. She says she feels a bit dazed. She is slightly pale and complains of pain in her right hip. A bruise is forming high on her right thigh with some swelling. When she tries to stand, her face tightens, and she quickly sits back down. She keeps one hand over her right hip as you help her settle into a jacket for padding. When asked, Beth says she is starting to feel cold and has a headache. She also mentions feeling a bit nauseous. What’s wrong with Beth, and what should you do? Interested in learning more about wilderness medicine? Take one of our wilderness medicine courses. Guides and expedition leaders should consider taking our Wilderness First Responder course.
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