Lighting Injures Scouts At Philmont

[Eagle69]

11 Arkansas and Texas Scouts injured by lighting on Baldy Mountain. Here is the link to the story.

 

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0707/443447.html

[John-in-KC]

Looks like the emergency plans in place worked.

 

Now, what happens when (as appears here) the vast majority of a Crew is evacuated? Does the expedition continue? Does it re-form at a convenient rally point? What about the young man evacuated to Santa Fe? If he's pronounced healthy, does he have the opportunity to re-join?

 

The policy, as we saw with so-ill's posts, is if you're overweight, or cannot make it, you are on your own. What happens in these kinds of cases?

[dan]

John in KC

When I was there 3 years ago, if someone youth or adult was taken off of the trail for a medical issue, (there where 2, that I was talking to when I was there, one wanted to go back the other did not) if they where released by the doctors or nurses at Philmont, they are joined back up with their crew. Usually the staff can get pretty close to many camps with a vehicle.

 

(This message has been edited by dan)

[GernBlansten]

We crossed paths with a venture crew at the tooth and I chatted with a very nice young woman from Nashville. She tole me she had an asthma attack at one of the camps and was evacuated to base. Her crew was stuck at Beaubien for two days waiting for her return. Once released, they returned her to Beaubien so she could continue the trek. They had to alter their itinerary slightly to accommodate the extra day at Beaubien.

 

Philmont is crisscrossed with 4WD roads the staff uses. At Apache Springs (about as far west from base as you can get), we saw a scout being loaded up in a Suburban after tearing his ACL playing frisbee. Another was being loaded up with a head injury caused from another scout throwing a rock at him. Niether of them were expected to return. I suppose if there is enough advisor coverage, the trek will go on.

 

Come to think about it, I'm not sure Philmont isn't like Disneyland where there are secret passages everywhere that the staff uses.