On Wednesday afternoon, a falling rock struck a 49-year-old woman who was rock climbing with another person near the Ochoco Reservoir in central Oregon. The impact knocked her down onto a ledge 30 feet from the bottom of the valley floor. And then it was apparently really difficult to rescue the injured rock climber.
A Facebook post from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office details how it went down. First, the Crook County Sheriff’s Office said Crook County Search and Rescue (SAR) came to help. However, “due to the rugged terrain that was made up of steep hillsides and loose rocks, SAR members weren’t able to retrieve her.”
Next up was the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office SAR rope team. Once again, they couldn’t retrieve her, again citing the difficulties of the rugged terrain.
Finally, the Oregon National Guard Medevac Team took a turn at bat. An Oregon National Guard Medevac helicopter team successfully evacuated the climber and brought her to a hospital for medical treatment.
Though this ordeal was probably very stressful for the injured rock climber, her climbing partner, and all the SAR professionals involved, the outcome was a successful rescue. Seems the third time’s the charm.
See the sheriff’s office’s post about the rock climber’s rescue here: