In 1998, Ishun ("Wanda" to me) had a traumatizing accident at work and needed a friend. I will always have satisfaction knowing I was there to help her through that tough time.
You and Dave brought Wanda down carefully and did so without injury to yourselves. Wanda would have felt terrible to know that her death had led to further injuries to others. Your calm prevented a bad situation from getting worse.
As Wanda's long time friend, I'd like to personally thank you and Dave for getting her body off that wall with care and respect…and for doing so without any further tragedy.
In my mind, your actions that day should also be a source of satisfaction, not questioning. You helped Wanda when she needed it. She knows that. Have peace in that thought.
I got shivers reading this. I'm so sorry. You did a wonderful job, and you should be proud of yourself for the way you handled the situation. Thanks for sharing this horrible experience.
Great tribute to Ishun to post this. Great reminder to all who read this on the transience of life and why we need to live it to its fullest. Peace to her family.
Pat, I am so sorry to hear about this tragedy. You have done an amazing job effecting a rescue. How sad not to have a better outcome. Thank you for sharing.
Louise
I finally was able to read this account of climbing on the Obelisk. After reading it, it truly seemed to be a freak accident, with nothing physical to done in terms of prevention. The self-rescue was amazing. Patrick and David did an excellent job of remaining in control and getting themselves down without further mishap, which often happens. Ishun's death is one of those tragedies where there's nothing to be done outside ourselves in terms of prevention--truly anomalous.
The only potential problems arose from the climbers' "need to hurry" because of a short timeline. This can often pose problems as people are often tempted to make poor decisions because they want to make the climb and not hike back "empty-handed." If they were unsure of the route they could have backed off and did something else, if they had allowed for the time to do so. It's never a good idea to climb while pressured for time. A day or two of leeway is more relaxing, allows for any problems that arise, and is a factor in accident prevention. Under pressure to make the climb and allow for the hike back, Ishun pushed on, traversing the rock in her attempt to find a route. This would have certainly put some rope drag in the system, making the climbing more difficult, not to mention, make the fall a more precarious pendulum. Without the pressure to press on, she may have come back down, reassessed the problem and either went forward in a different fashion or backed off and opted for another more clearly recognizable route. As climbers we need to weigh our decisions differently on the rock; we fail to see that the decision to "miss a day of work" or "risk our safety/lives" are not on an even par. They're really apples and oranges, but since climbers regularly take those calculated risks, they seem to be on equal footing. So, besides placing good gear and paying attention, we have to keep a solid perspective on our decision making when we're on the rock, placing our fragile bodies in harm's way.
noninfinite - Nov 24, 2009 3:24 pm - Hasn't voted
Thank youPatrick,
In 1998, Ishun ("Wanda" to me) had a traumatizing accident at work and needed a friend. I will always have satisfaction knowing I was there to help her through that tough time.
You and Dave brought Wanda down carefully and did so without injury to yourselves. Wanda would have felt terrible to know that her death had led to further injuries to others. Your calm prevented a bad situation from getting worse.
As Wanda's long time friend, I'd like to personally thank you and Dave for getting her body off that wall with care and respect…and for doing so without any further tragedy.
In my mind, your actions that day should also be a source of satisfaction, not questioning. You helped Wanda when she needed it. She knows that. Have peace in that thought.
Billy
puddlecruiser - Nov 24, 2009 7:47 pm - Hasn't voted
ShiversI got shivers reading this. I'm so sorry. You did a wonderful job, and you should be proud of yourself for the way you handled the situation. Thanks for sharing this horrible experience.
GerryS - Nov 25, 2009 10:56 am - Hasn't voted
CondolencesGreat tribute to Ishun to post this. Great reminder to all who read this on the transience of life and why we need to live it to its fullest. Peace to her family.
DTressler - Nov 26, 2009 8:05 am - Hasn't voted
MovingThanks for sharing.
alpinedon - Nov 26, 2009 6:01 pm - Voted 10/10
Thank youThis must have been difficult to write...my heartfelt condolences.
climbforever - Dec 2, 2009 12:59 am - Voted 10/10
So sorryPat, I am so sorry to hear about this tragedy. You have done an amazing job effecting a rescue. How sad not to have a better outcome. Thank you for sharing.
Louise
verticaldancerII - Jun 8, 2010 2:17 pm - Hasn't voted
PerspectiveI finally was able to read this account of climbing on the Obelisk. After reading it, it truly seemed to be a freak accident, with nothing physical to done in terms of prevention. The self-rescue was amazing. Patrick and David did an excellent job of remaining in control and getting themselves down without further mishap, which often happens. Ishun's death is one of those tragedies where there's nothing to be done outside ourselves in terms of prevention--truly anomalous.
The only potential problems arose from the climbers' "need to hurry" because of a short timeline. This can often pose problems as people are often tempted to make poor decisions because they want to make the climb and not hike back "empty-handed." If they were unsure of the route they could have backed off and did something else, if they had allowed for the time to do so. It's never a good idea to climb while pressured for time. A day or two of leeway is more relaxing, allows for any problems that arise, and is a factor in accident prevention. Under pressure to make the climb and allow for the hike back, Ishun pushed on, traversing the rock in her attempt to find a route. This would have certainly put some rope drag in the system, making the climbing more difficult, not to mention, make the fall a more precarious pendulum. Without the pressure to press on, she may have come back down, reassessed the problem and either went forward in a different fashion or backed off and opted for another more clearly recognizable route. As climbers we need to weigh our decisions differently on the rock; we fail to see that the decision to "miss a day of work" or "risk our safety/lives" are not on an even par. They're really apples and oranges, but since climbers regularly take those calculated risks, they seem to be on equal footing. So, besides placing good gear and paying attention, we have to keep a solid perspective on our decision making when we're on the rock, placing our fragile bodies in harm's way.
Roy