Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion SeKi Rescue: Woman falls through Snow Bridge

After the bridge collapsed...

Well, there wasn't much I could do as I was swept away except gasp a lungful of air and fight to get myself out of the water. I was swept over a small waterfall and at the bottom saw a little bush growing out over the stream. I grabbed it and dragged myself out of the water. I climbed up into a small air space above the water, just big enough to squeeze my whole body into in a fetal position.

Once in a "safe" pace, I took a moment to assess my options. There was no going back the way I came. Downstream was even worse. I contemplated sitting tight in that location, but no one would have been able to find me. Even if someone had seen me fall, there was no way to see where I was in this very long stream tunnel. I could have been washed a mile downstream very quickly.

I examined the ceiling of the tunnel, and found that the snow directly overhead had a faint blue glow, like the inside of a glacier crevasse. I knew from that this marked the thinnest point in the snowpack, so it was my best chance to tunnel my way out.

For the next three hours (yes, I looked at the time on my gps) I concentrated on digging. Snow was dense-packed. Used pencil-sized sticks from the bush to chip away at the snow at first, but very soon my hands were too numb to hold a tool.

As hypothermia set in, I broke the surface of the snow overhead and enlarged the hole to about 6 inches in diameter. I suspected that I might not have the strength to enlarge the hole enough before I lost consciousness. Clear thinking was becoming very difficult. So I wiggled out of my hydration pack and stuffed it up through the hole onto the surface of the snow. I hadn't seen another hiker all day, but I hoped that if anyone did come along, they would investigate the pack. That is exactly what happened.

Two hikers had passed over the bridge while I was hidden. They came back after I put my pack on the surface. The only reason they came back was because they had left their beer in the car. I am one EXTREMELY lucky woman.