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BACK TO SAFETY
When a group of hikers became stranded after heavy rains on the Tsitsikamma Trail, a group rescue effort was organised to assist the stricken youngsters. By Cherelle Leong
When your daughter is on her first overnight hike with a group of friends, the last thing you want to get late on Friday afternoon is a phone call saying that they’re stuck. Yet this is exactly what happened to the Schreuders on 12 May.
Their daughter, Anke, was three days into the Tsitsikamma Trail. The group had crossed the first river earlier in the morning and continued along the trail towards the next overnight hut. But when they got to the second river crossing of the day, they found it impassable. Heavy rain had increased the water levels and the usually moderate flow was a raging torrent. Wisely, the group made the decision to backtrack, hoping to get back to the hut they’d stayed at the night before. They had waded through waist-deep water earlier in the day, but when they got back to the spot where they’d crossed, it too was flowing significantly higher and faster. The tension wire across the river was so slack that it wouldn’t provide a very stable support line when crossing.
Realising they were in trouble, they made the decision to call for help. Due to the steep and heavily forested terrain, there was no cellphone signal at the river crossing. They had to hike up the mountain some distance before they were able to place a call.
It was just before 4pm on that Friday that Lodewyk van Rensberg, station commander of NSRI Oyster Bay, received a call from the Knysna base about the stranded hikers. With daylight fading fast and weather conditions deteriorating, there was little doubt it was going to be a complex and possibly dangerous rescue. NSRI crews from Oyster Bay, Storms River, Plettenberg Bay and Jefferys Bay were placed on standby while Lodewyk sought out more information on where the hikers were stranded. He wanted to have a better idea about what rescue resources would be needed. A helicopter would be the first choice, but the low cloud cover and fading light were against that option. Getting to the closest trail-end by road would take about two hours in steep and muddy terrain.
The Plettenberg Bay crew volunteered to try reach the group, but, as suspected, the conditions were not conducive for a rescue and they pulled back to their base.
It would be dark by the time rescue crews got close and trying to hike down to the river crossing would be very risky.
The Plettenberg Bay crew volunteered to try reach the group, but, as suspected, the conditions were not conducive for a rescue and they pulled back to their base. The best they could do was establish direct phone contact with the group and help them prepare to spend the night out on the trail. The hikers were already cold and wet from the day’s adventures, so a priority was to create some form of shelter and try to warm up. The group took the instructions to heart, remaining calm and dividing up into three groups to manage important tasks. The first group collected firewood and dragged branches together to form a rough shelter. The second group set about starting and maintaining a fire. The third group focused on making coffee, hot chocolate and food to try and stave off hypothermia. They had space blankets and sleeping bags, but most of their gear was soaking wet. While it was going to be a long cold night on the mountain, at least they knew they weren’t abandoned. Come first light, rescue would be on its way, and every hour on the hour, they had a check-in call with the rescue crew to update them on everyone’s condition.
For Lodewyk, it was an evening of planning and co-ordinating rescue resources. By late on Friday the rain had eased off and the teams were hopeful that by morning the water levels in the rivers would drop. The first priority would be to get a medic to the hikers to assess their condition. Savannah Helicopters had confirmed their availability with pilot Greg Johnson and Eastern Cape Government Health EMS and the SA Police Services were on standby, in addition to Sea Rescue crew.
At first light a Joint Operations Command Centre (JOCC) was set up at the MTO Lottering Forestry Station. While the rain had stopped, the mountains were still shrouded in a thick mist. Fortunately, one of the Plettenberg Bay first responder medics knew the terrain well, as he’d worked as a guide on the trails in the area. James Stewart knew of an area that could be used as a landing zone on the hillside above where the hikers were located. Once the helicopter arrived the plan was to fly James, plus EMS rescue paramedic Jaco Kotze and NSRI Plettenberg Bay rescue swimmer Nathan Hart, up to the landing zone so that they could hike down to the group. In the meantime, two vehicles with additional rescue personnel would drive up the mountain to the closest trail access point.
The helicopter took off in nearly zerovisibility conditions, skilfully manoeuvring on the mountaintop to drop off the medic and NSRI rescue crew before returning to the landing zone on the mountain. The rescuers hiked down to meet the group, taking with them space blankets, water and bananas. They found the hikers in good spirits, despite being cold and wet. They’d done a good job of keeping a fire going through the night despite intermittent rain. One hiker was assessed for smoke inhalation but otherwise the group was in good health. The river levels had dropped and after retentioning the line that spanned it, the decision was made to attempt to cross and hike back to the Bloukrans Hut.
The rescue crew assisted the hikers across the river, with a sturdy hand to support them when a foot slipped and provide strength to get through the waist-deep water. Once on the other side they still had a fair distance to cover. The group made steady progress and by mid-morning had reached the hut where the two vehicles with additional rescue crew had arrived. The hikers were bundled into more dry blankets while a landing zone was set up to extract them. In three relays the hikers were ferried off the mountain by helicopter. Once at the JOCC they were warmed up with coffee, hot chocolate and food.
It was just after 11am when the Schreuders’ phone rang, but it wasn’t a number they recognised. The last time they’d spoken to Anke had been at 12h18, and she’d been shivering so much she’d barely been able to speak. Anxiously they answered and were elated to hear her voice. ‘We’re safe, we’re at the forestry station.’ Seven words were never so treasured. It had been a massive co-ordinated effort, in difficult conditions. The fortitude displayed by the hikers in taking care of one another through the night and their calm management of the situation made the rescue much easier. For the Schreuder family, far away from where the drama was unfolding, it meant the world to know that there were so many people willing to come to the group’s rescue and ensure their safe return.
