Woman, 79, fell while hiking. A stranger carried her for hours on his back.

[Cattledog]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=1200

Bannister arrived at the trail around 11 a.m. and made her way to the lookout. As she headed back down, she made a misstep, and her foot got caught on a hole in the ground. She fell forward.
“By the time I sat up, my foot was pointing the wrong way. I knew right away I had broken my leg,” she said. “I tried to get up with my hiking pole and it collapsed on me.”
Bannister cried out for help, and before long, a stranger approached and called 911. They were told a search and rescue team would arrive in five hours.

Troy May, a U.S. Air Force Airman stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was at the lookout that day with his fiancé and a friend who was visiting from New Mexico.
“I knew I was capable of carrying her down,” said May, 20. “I really didn’t make much of a decision, I just knew I needed to carry her down if I could.”
May eased Bannister onto his back and started hiking downward. He carried her for most of the nearly three-hour journey, and his friend, Layton Allen, carried her for the rest.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/09/25/grandmother-hike-injured-airman-may/

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Now, there's a Good Samaritan! Blessings on him!

[H2O Man]

12. I'll go so far

as to say a Great Samaritan!

Recommended (both the OP & your response!)

[Biophilic]

2. Thanks, I needed a story like this. Helps me get thru the other crap.

[ailsagirl]

36. Amen!!

[SomedayKindaLove]

3. Love this

Reminds me of Margaret Mead being asked what she thought brought about the beginning of civilization. Her questioner thought she might say something about the invention of hooks or pottery. Instead Mead said civilization began when we learned how to take care of a person with a broken leg. Good to see, with all the crazy stuff in the world, that it still exists.

[Irish_Dem]

4. USAF to the rescue.

[usaf-vet]

10. Well done Airman! Glad you got the USAF recognition you deserved.

I am proud to say we both served in the same branch of the U.S. military.

My service as a USAF Medic ended in 1969.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=1200

[Irish_Dem]

17. I'm a USAF brat and proud of it. Best branch of the service, hands down.

USAF medics are great!

My mother was a USAF RN during the Korean War serving at a stateside MASH receiving hospital.

[usaf-vet]

22. I was assigned to the USAF version of a MASH hospital. At the time it's last deployment was to Alaska days......

..... after the March 27, 1964.

The magnitude 9.2–9.3 megathrust earthquake remains the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake.


Every summer during the Air National Guard's two-week deployment, we would transport the hospital to a nearby Air National Guard base and ultimately deploy the entire hospital.

As an operating room tech AFSC 90232/90252, we would check it for wear and tear while in storage, repack and sterilize all the surgical packs, check OR meds for out-of-date drugs, and review all surgical instruments for damage or wear.

During these two weeks, we stayed on-site, sleeping and eating on-site, with all meals provided by the MASH mess hall staff. These two weeks were used to train new Air National Guard members to deploy, tear down, and repack the mobile hospital so it was ready for its next deployment.

Sadly, to my knowledge, some "idiot(s)" decided we didn't need these mobile hospitals for national emergencies like Katrina and dismantled them.
Of course, with my history as a teacher, I believe this was part of a move to switch all military medical care from the well-trained Medical Corp to privatized medical care.

This continues to be a sore point for this 77-year-old former medic.

[Irish_Dem]

26. No doubt you are correct.

Somebody's pocket got lined with that move.

Yes I was always so amazed when a disaster struck how fast the USAF could set up facilities to help.
Like magic.

So the patients you saw in the MASH unit were then sent to a stateside hospital
where nurses like my mother took care of them.

[oldsoftie]

46. The US military can land in an empty desert & in 6 wks they'll have a Burger King

Pizza Hut, a bowling alley and a fully functioning hospital

[DENVERPOPS]

47. Sadly, changed to tragically

"some "idiot(s)" decided we didn't need these mobile hospitals for national emergencies like Katrina and dismantled them."

Although with Katrina, due to "W's & Cheney's pathetic response, or actually the lack of ANY response, and lack of disaster aid and relief, the residents of NO didn't need medical, as much as they needed a whole big bunch of MEDICAL EXAMINERS and medical assistance...........Also humanitarian aid.............

I seem to recall they said the death toll was only a couple of hundred, conveniently not adding in the 1800 officially "Missing".........
Boy, talk about what EMS calls a Mass Casualty Incident, requiring MASSIVE amounts of medical sources......

W was living it up at a Bday Party in Arizona when Katrina hit.....his total care was flying over NO the next day in AFOne, sitting by a window, looking out. The photograph of him looking out the window was spread high and wide.....demonstrating to the nation how much he cared for the tragedy.

W's MOTHER said of the squalid, horrific conditions of thousands of refugees being packed into an indoor arena, was: "a "step up" in living conditions for them"......Then, when asked about the conditions at the Arena, which had no water, lights, food, or restroom facilities for thousands, she stated: "Why should I spoil my beautiful mind with thoughts about that"

And of course, several (black) residents in search of food and water, daring to try and cross into white areas, were shot and killed by racist Cops, and/or White racist residents......

Stephen King could have used what happened in Katrina, for one of his horror books..............

A HUGE group of boaters from a regional boating club, from several states around, raced down there, with their boats, wanting to go out into the still flooded residential areas, and check every house for survivors holed up in the attics. THE AUTHORITIES REFUSED TO ALLOW THEIR RESCUE INTENTIONS, AND SENT THEM AWAY......

The dead and missing were almost entirely Blacks....

So, like I said usaf-vet, the W/Cheney response was beyond pathetic, negligent, or non-existent. Like you said, a medical response team provided by the Feds, activated even before it hit NO would have been a tremendous help immediately, as well as the entire area flooded with help of all kinds, including the volunteer boaters would have made the horrific tragedy a lot better.

Sorry for the Rant, but the entire incident should be a source of un-fathomable shame for W, Cheney, FEMA, and local emergency sources from all over that state and surrounding states.......................

[usaf-vet]

49. Exactly! thanks for adding context to my belief that those military mobile hospital could have saved lives in ........

... situations like Katrina.

More recently, during the Covid pandemic (Trump's Folly) I noticed that our local hospital erected a large tent for overflowing Covid cases. I stayed away, figuring the last thing the hospital needed was an old military medic asking about the deployment—questions like who deployed the tent and who was staffing it.

But it brought back memories of the completeness and skills of the mobile hospitals and the military medics who manned them under extreme conditions. All this occurred within hours of an event that required the complete resources we used to have.

Imagine having a resource with equipment and skills to provide help when needed—help that could be ORDERED by the president or his administration to deploy. Think of the skills even a small community would need to survive in an emergency, and the military mobile hospitals had the skills.

We had not only medics, but we also had engineers to maintain the power system and waste management, cooking facilities to feed three meals a day to staff and patients, veterinary services for animals affected by the disaster, dentists for any required dental care from a toothache to trauma care, logistical services to keep the hospital running and supplied, communication technology to stay in contact with families of the injured and yes even had facilities for those that were killed by the event.

And the "idiot(s)" dismantled it all. They failed to realize that with a straightforward order, a COMPETE 150-bed hospital could be on the ground anywhere in the U.S.A. within 24-48 hours. AND staffed. Try that in a privatized system where staffing might be the biggest obstacle.

From my experience as a surgical tech, if we were deployed, I knew the surgeons I would be working with and their expectations from those of us who stood next to them. We were a trained team who knew the playbook.

[DENVERPOPS]

54. Bravo usaf-vet

Well said, and a humongous thank you for your service in the Medical Corps..........

A friend, who recently passed was a Trauma Surgeon in a Mash Unit in Korea, just like the Mash TV setting.

He said we were perfectly trained, along with everyone else there, and everything was so perfectly orchestrated, we accomplished outcomes far beyond expectations on a daily basis.....

In 1994? I was a State Certified EMS instructor, as well as an active duty professional firefighter.
In August, we had the largest Mass Casualty Incident in U.S. history, bordering Denver. There were 400,000 people, at our high altitude, with no water to drink, and a temp of 90+ degrees, who just had made the walk from Downtown Denver to Cherry Creek Reservoir which was 10 miles....... Due to the magnificent implementation of organization preparing for just such an incident, The entire EMS community, in a 50 mile Radius dropped everything and came running.........we started in excess of 20,000 IV's on Saturday, from noon to midnight.......Countless individuals, those in the worst shape, were transported to ER's across the Denver Metro Area.

Unknown to me at the time, the U.S. Gov't has stashes of Medical supplies, around the country they don't talk about.
WITHIN AN HOUR, there were two semis backing up at the incident, loaded with nothing but angio's, Macrodrip IV kits, and bags of IV solutions.......

With all the cuts in FEMA, Disaster preparedness, Medical personnel, etc etc etc....these past two decades, it is a miracle if anything even works at this point.......

[Demovictory9]

5. Great story. No more hiking hours from help for this 79 yr old..i hope

[DENVERPOPS]

11. AND

having been with an MRA team here in Colorado, Hopefully she will learn to NEVER HIKE ALONE, even if you are younger.
AND ALSO, carry the ten essentials, no matter what.........

[Demovictory9]

40. Agreed

[maxsolomon]

30. With a broken leg at that age...

She's likely done.

[GreenWave]

6. There truly is good in the world.

Be not so beholden of the cynics who speak,

[LoisB]

7. The kind of story I need today. Bless you, Mr. May.

[Mblaze]

8. Don't hike alone

Not to be a curmudgeon, but I'm a retired Public Safety Officer and believe in the buddy system.

[Skittles]

18. yup

I think relying on someone to literally have to carry you is ridiculous.

[Warpy]

23. Some people just like going it alone

but need to check in with someone and file a hiking itinerary, time of return, and all that good stuff, as well as pack food, water and some cold weather and rain gear in case the worst happens and they have to spend the night on the trail.

Death by New Mexico is a thing, but people who are prepared usually manage to get out alive.

But good for her for still gettting out there at 79.

[Mblaze]

27. Hear hear

[valleyrogue]

37. I am nearly 70, and I nearly always go hiking alone, especially in familiar areas.

I occasionally go with organized groups, but there is nobody in my family who is capable of doing what I like to do, so I do things alone. I always did even before family started getting older, sick, or died.

Ditto for running and cycling and have been doing the former for over 40 years and the latter seriously for nearly 50.

I have no plans to change until I physically can't do them anymore. I am not going to live in a box and be afraid to do anything.

Yes, I am female.

[Demovictory9]

41. She was probably one of the "10,000 steps per day" people. Forgot her own frailty

[Warpy]

51. Or maybe she was just a hiker who liked to visit favorite spots to see seasonal changes

People who enjoy hiking alone are often not joiners.

[moonscape]

52. If she was hiking alone with poles, and

3 hours in (6 hrs rt), she likely was not a 10k step person.

I’m 74 and last year was hiking ~ 50 miles/wk with a pack. I took a few falls, maybe age-related, maybe not, but definitely not frail!

[Random Boomer]

33. Especially at her age!

I say that as a 70-year-old woman. I mean, I get that it's never a good idea to go solo hiking, but there's no shame in recognizing that advanced age introduces an additional risk.

[valleyrogue]

44. A lot of people do, as opposed to backpacking, which I never do because I am not interested in doing it.

Life is a risk. You can choose to make the most of it, or you can stay home marking time until you die.

I prefer the former.

[Random Boomer]

55. Or you can take someone with you when you go hiking

Life is not a choice between living it up and cowering in your basement. There are all sorts of ways to mitigate obvious risk without giving up.

[valleyrogue]

56. You don't need another person to do things with. Period.

Lots of people in groups are hurt, lost, killed, raped, murdered, etc. I am grateful I never followed "advice" like yours, which insinuates women can't do anything alone. I grew up with that garbage, and I rejected it and have greatly enjoyed life because I KNEW I didn't need somebody else, especially a man, to do things with over of a remote chance "something might happen to me."

Ask the third wife of serial killer Robert Spangler if having him accompany her to the Grand Canyon "protected" her from harm. Don't make me laugh.

Live in a box and be miserable or be a slave to somebody else's timeline. That is your choice. It is NOT mine.

[Botany]

9. Mission Driven

I hope the USAF awards Airman May with a bump up in rank.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. What a great story and what a great pair of guys!!!

[Tree Lady]

14. Love stories like this

I hike am 68 and last summer tripped on root and sprained my wrist breaking my fall. I would never hike alone. Husband was with me. I obviously was able to hike out but wrist hurt for months.

[chouchou]

15. Nice to be reminded of the Good-Humans. :) :)

[TBF]

16. We need more stories of young people doing good things -

great job!!

[Figarosmom]

19. Good on them

And she was lucky rgere was someone around. Never go hiking alone if you're over 60. Too easy to lose balance.

[TheBlackAdder]

20. My daughter hikes and takes a Garmin satellite tracker that allows 911 texting, also Celox bandages to prevent bleedout.

Actually, her tracker sends location and text messages to her contacts, such as me. When she would check in before starting the day she would provide an ETA of her destination and the post would include a link that opens a map pinpointing her location within feet. Then, she would send an update when reached her destination. We could also send her replies, but she asked not to send too many due to usage charges if she exceeded an average of 10 messages a day for the month. There are different usage tiers you can sub scribe to and she has the minimum rate. Overage charges would be something like 25 cents a message.

She also has an emergency function that contacts the area 911 system to get emergency response. This includes full bi-directional texting.

The Celox bandages are mandatory for those on blood thinners, such as Eloquis or even low-dose aspirin. When hiking, you can bleed out before help arrives, so she takes them with her too. In less than 90 seconds, it can stop deep would bleeding, including those opening an artery.

[Clouds Passing]

21. Fine young man

[Lulu KC]

24. Dare I say it?

Sexiest man alive, next to that guy who got the baby bear freed from the plastic bottle he got stuck on his head.

[Sky Jewels]

25. Gen Z -- The Kids Are All Right.

[Bitbit]

28. Good people still exist.

[maxsolomon]

29. High Rock is only a 1,365' gain, but it's still a no joke hike.

At 1.6 miles, it's 875' vertical per mile.

https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/high-rock

She really should not have done that hike at 79.

August 28 was a Wednesday. She's damn lucky there was anyone else on the trail, let alone a big lad who could carry her.

[badhair77]

31. What a great young man.

I’m going to put down the iPad and stop while I’m ahead with good news.

[Fla Dem]

32. A good person. They ARE out there.

[Xavier Breath]

34. Good on him.

If I had found her on the trail and tried to pick her up and carry her, search and rescue would have been coming to extract two people from the trail.

[yonder]

35. The temp splint on her right leg looks like it worked. Still trying to figure what they made it out of.

[AverageOldGuy]

45. Looks like a t-shirt and duct tape

[yonder]

53. I thought t-shirt too but it looked like one edge was bound,

like from a bag or something. In any case that, good old duct tape and a lot of effort kept her ordeal from turning a different direction.

She must have been in a lot of pain but her expression seems calm and stoic.

[LNM]

38. It seems to me there is a bit of ageism in these replies.

This woman is 79 and out hiking. 79!!! I say more power to her. I couldn’t follow the link so have to assume she knew what she was doing and had been doing it for many, many years. She fell. If you have been out hiking, you know that happens.
I am, I suppose, categorically elderly. I hike. I could fall and I don’t expect anyone to carry me out of the woods. I suppose I could play it safe and sit in a rocking chair all day, but keeping moving is keeping me moving.

[appalachiablue]

39. ++

[llmart]

42. Thank you for posting what I was going to post.

There's an awful lot of ageist attitudes on this post. I have been active my entire life and I get tired of other senior people telling me I need to slow down. I'm a bit introverted so my sanity and emotional health requires a lot of alone time. I have to be outdoors year round no matter the weather. I'm a 75 year old woman and most people in my senior community think I'm about 60. If a person has been active and fit their entire life it's what keeps them getting up every morning with a good attitude and enjoying life.

I'd rather die out in the woods than sit in a rocking chair and watch endless hours of mindless TV with the only thing to look forward to is the next meal.

[Lulu KC]

48. Good point

Thank you. You said it so much more articulately than I was thinking it.

I took some good falls hiking in the mountains when I was far, far younger. (Not to mention on city sidewalks and there was that time in my own bedroom when I tripped over the edge of the rug.) Nothing broken, but something could have been. She has climbed that exact mountain since her mom's ashes were scattered, decades ago. Yes, it was her first hike alone, and I can see the dangers of that, but it wasn't because of her age.

[oasis]

43. Inspirational story. A nice pick me up. No pun

intended.

[ChazII]

50. An angel with skin as the saying goes. n/t