My son, Kevin, and I went to climb Camelback Mountain via Echo Canyon Park this past Sunday. It is a path that can be challenging, especially for a fat old man like me. I have done it before but it has been some time. Kevin and I started out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon around 1:40pm. About 15 minutes in and a little more that 3/8 of a mile up the man in front of us sat down in an unlikely spot for a rest and fell back and began to seizure. At first, we and the guys ahead of him thought the guy was kidding. He made snoring sounds and then flatulated. But very quickly, one of the guys said, “oh no” or “oh shit” or something like that and we all rushed to the man lying on his back. He was at a part of the hike where there were no steps. It was pretty steep and just rock. In fact there was a railing to help you climb because of the steepness. I called 911 while Kevin and the other guys were trying to get a clear air passage. Within the next 3-5 minutes we had a crowd including a lifeguard, an EMT, an ICU nurse, an Army medic and a pediatrician. All people who happen to be hiking the mountain that day. In another 10 minutes or so 3 fireman came hiking up the hill responding to the 911 call. Eventually approximately another 5 firemen came to rescue this man. The helicopter could not get to us. Without going into too much detail, resuscitation efforts went on for about an hour all tolled but to no avail.
The man seemed in decent shape and looked to be late 30’s to early 40’s. I can’t get the picture of his face with half open eyes all glazed over or the cool, clammy and sweaty head I held trying to cushion it from the rock out of my mind. What I can say is how absolutely proud I am of my son as he stayed cool, helped wherever it was needed, looked through the guys blackberry for who he was (he was alone on the mountain), went down to lead the firemen up to the man, held the fireman’s feet so they would slip while tending to this guy. And in the end, said “I didn’t do anything”. Kevin is a great guy, a great son and my hero.
I took some pics of the rescue (not the victim) after it was very evident that this man was gone.
Live for today and hug your kids! I am "The Luckiest Man in the World".
The man seemed in decent shape and looked to be late 30’s to early 40’s. I can’t get the picture of his face with half open eyes all glazed over or the cool, clammy and sweaty head I held trying to cushion it from the rock out of my mind. What I can say is how absolutely proud I am of my son as he stayed cool, helped wherever it was needed, looked through the guys blackberry for who he was (he was alone on the mountain), went down to lead the firemen up to the man, held the fireman’s feet so they would slip while tending to this guy. And in the end, said “I didn’t do anything”. Kevin is a great guy, a great son and my hero.
I took some pics of the rescue (not the victim) after it was very evident that this man was gone.
Live for today and hug your kids! I am "The Luckiest Man in the World".
