Alive in Alaska (6 page)

“I think we should set camp for the night here in the clearing and wait for the land rescue team tomorrow,” She called out to everyone.

“Amen to that, Sounds good to me, Thank God.” was the chorus around her.

"Ok, we need to get some firewood, and set up some bedding material, so everybody except Betsy and Jake spread out and be back here in fifteen minutes."

“What can I do to help,” Ask Betsy.

"Look in my backpack and get some of the MREs out and the drink pellets.
 
I'll look for some water, but we may only have a couple of bottles left in there."

Danielle moves the backpack over to Betsy.

"Sounds like a good plan," Said Betsy.

Jake piped up.

“Danielle, I think I saw a stream to the north of us when we were on our way to rescue you.”

“I’ll go that way, how far do you think?”

“Not sure but it was on our left as we flew by, maybe a quarter mile.”

She pulled out a water bladder from her backpack and with that she was off.

"That girl has more stuff in that pack than anyone I know," Said Betsy.

"It is pretty much standard gear for the club members, and they keep that backpack with them.
 
Danielle is especially good about keeping it with her; she is very dedicated."

"Bill and I wondered why she always kept it near.
 
We just came to the conclusion that she was a college student, and that was normal," She said.

“That’s true too.”

Danielle had gone close to a quarter mile when the stream came into view.
 
Nice call Jake she thought.
 
She pulled the water bladder out of her belt and walked down to the babbling stream.
 
She submerged the bladder and let it fill.
 
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a movement.
 
She turned and looked.
 
She started.
 
Was that a lynx?
 
Too big for a lynx.
 
The only other cat in Alaska that size would be a mountain lion, but we are too far out of its range.
 
She froze.
 
The only animal it could be was a mountain lion.
 
It appeared not to have seen her, and she was fortunately downwind from the beast and on the other side of the stream.
 
The only weapon she had was a knife.
 
Her mind raced as she physically remained as still as possible.
 
The bladder was now full, but she held it still in the water so as not to move.
 
The lion turned away, and Danielle pulled the bladder out of the water with only a slight noise.
 
The lion looked back her way but did not turn.
 
He sniffed the air.
 
Could have been a fish flop he seemed to think.
 
He turned away again starting a slow, deliberate walk along the bank.
 
The lion knelt down and lapped water out of the stream. Danielle's muscles were screaming.
 
Please don't cramp she thought.
 
It was a good ten minutes before the mountain lion finish his visit to the stream and disappeared into the trees.
 
Danielle collapsed on the ground.
 
Water started to splash out, but she jammed the stopper into the bladder before it spilled too much.
 
Danielle began vigorously rubbing her legs to get feeling back.
 
Knowing she needed to get as far along the trail she had come, she struggled to her feet.
 
One foot before the other she picked the quietest steps.
 
If walking sounds were too loud, it might be enough to alert the lion.
 
Getting back to the group was the best thing that she could do at this point.
 
Her first steps along the trail were agonizing, even for a very fit Danielle.

She was gone much longer than she should have been.
 
She did not, of course, know that the EMT had started out in the direction she had left.
 
The density of the tree growth blocked seeing very far into the distance.
 
The bladder she was carrying was holding a gallon of water, so the bladder was now quite a load.
 
Footsteps… paw-steps… she wasn't sure.
 
She looked moving her head to try seeing around the trees.
 
It was getting to be a little nerve racking.

“Danielle,” The EMT called.

A few steps more and they saw each other a few trees away.

"Boy, am I glad to see you," She called back.

"We were getting concerned."

“You may find this hard to believe, but I ran into a mountain lion coming down to drink at the stream.”

“Mountain lions don’t usually roam this area of Alaska.”

"I know, but it was a mountain lion; fortunately I had not been moving around much I was downwind and was hidden a bit by a bush.
 
I just froze until he left.
 
I was very lucky."

“I would say you were.
 
Can I help you back?
 
Let me take the water.”

“Thanks.”

Everyone cheered when they got to camp.
 
The fire was going very well, and everyone was set up for going to sleep.
 
But, they sat around the fire for a little while as Danielle told her story about getting the water.

~~~

The morning dawn light woke Danielle, and she sat up to see the smoldering fire site giving up the last of its life.
 
She stood up still a little sore from the adventure yesterday and walked over to the fire to put more sticks on to get the fire going again for coffee.
 
Yesterday the survivors had made it to the bottom of the mountain where they had decided to rest and wait for the land rescue team.
 
As it turned out, that was a good thing.

Danielle picked up the phone to call.

“This is Danielle, what is the status this morning for the rescue team?”

“We’re getting a Small Unit Support Ambulance to come after you.
 
They are currently on their way back from the Navajo crash site with debris and as soon as they offload here and we clean up the vehicle they will be on their way to get you.
 
It is the only asset we have now to come to you.”

“Roger that.
 
Thank you.”

The coffee was ready when she put the phone down, and some of the others were now awake and gathered to have a cup.

It was only an hour later when the phone sounded, and Danielle picked up and talked to the field headquarters.
 
She turned to the group.

 
"They're finally on their way!"
 
Danielle said still holding the satellite phone to her ear.
 
She said a few concluding remarks into the phone and signed off.

"Good news," said Bill.
 
He put his arm around Betsy.
 
She was sitting up in the carrier but tired from the pain and of the pain.
 
The splint on her leg was doing its job, but the fracture was aching.

Jake's arm and shoulder were immobilized, but he was using quite a bit of pain relief under the watchful eye of the EMT.

"They are sending a small unit support vehicle.
 
It is a tracked ambulance.
 
It should be here in about an hour they say,"
 
Said Danielle.

“That’s a good choice to get to us,” Said Jake.

"I'll give Mrs. Bigelow and Jake another dose in about forty-five minutes to ease the ride.
 
It is not a bad ride, but there can be some bumpiness," Said the EMT.

"Sounds good, if I remember the SUSV the Stokes litter will fit in the trailer with ease," Danielle said.

About a half hour later the group saw the two unit SUSV moving a few hundred yards away headed directly for them.
 
They yelled and raised their hands waving to the approaching vehicle.

Soon the ambulance stopped in front of them, and an EMT jumped out to begin getting the survivors loaded up.

“Hey Jake, I don’t often have to rescue you,” Said the driver.

“Ok, Ok, so I stubbed my toe,” Said Jake.

“Looks to me it was your arm.
 
Sorry to say it doesn’t look to hot,” He said.

"Yeah, it will need some surgery, but my EMT has done an excellent job," Jake said, "Look who it turned out I was supposed to rescue."

He pointed toward Danielle.

“Hi Danielle, were you in that Navajo,” Said the driver.

“Yes, and the Bigelows.”

"That was a terrible sight, even for hardened SARs like us," He said.

“The worst I have seen,” Said Danielle.

“Anyway, let’s get you all back home.”

With everyone on board, the SUSV turned toward Pump Station 5 and began the journey back.

The Small Unit Support Ambulance was now moving along near its top speed as it approached Pump Station 5.
 
The Prospect Creek Airport next to the Station was directly in front of them.
 
The airport was unusually busy because of the NTSB people going back and forth to the crash sites.
 
They had set up their field headquarters at the airport.

“Look, I think I see our rides landing now,” Said Danielle.

She recognized the distinctive colors of the Banner Health Air Ambulance helicopter.
 
They flew over her dormitory at UAF on their way to Fairbanks Memorial nearly daily.
 
Further behind with landing lights on was a large single engine airplane on final approach.

The ground was relatively flat now, but the tracked ambulance was bouncing a little bit as they hurried along.
 
Danielle looked back at Betsy, who was grimacing a little and Bill was gripping her hand because she was gripping his very tightly.
 
Now the tracked ambulance was on the taxiway and crawling toward the helicopter.
 
The SUSA stopped next to the air vehicle and the crew got out and carefully pulled Betsy out.
 
The blades were spinning, so the rescue crew ducked under them to carry Betsy in the basket rescue stretcher and load it into the copter.
 
Jake Jameson was able to walk and with a hand from Danielle got into the copter.
 
Now all that needed to go directly to the hospital were on board.
 
The pilot powered up the rotor and the blades bit into the air and lifted the craft gently off the ground, tilted forward to scoot a few feet off the ground until it gracefully arched up into the sky in a smooth turn toward Fairbanks.
 
The rest of the survivors, including Danielle and Bill, waited for the Cessna Caravan that they could see touch down on the runway to take them back to Fairbanks.
 
They would be taken from Fairbanks International via a shuttle to the hospital to be checked out.

The Caravan rolled up and the rear door was opened and the six climbed on board.
 
They were glad to be on their way to Fairbanks.
 
The flight would be about an hour, so they would be at the hospital in about an hour and a half.

Bill was a little nervous about the flight, but the thought of getting back with Betsy overwhelmed that feeling.
 
Danielle's plan was that when she got to the hospital after the doctors had looked her over, she would briefly check in with Jake and then go to see Bill and Betsy.
 
She was very concerned for Betsy.
 
As fit as the sixty-five-year-old was she had received a lot of physical insults in the last several days.
 
She wondered how she would find her new friend.
 
Except for the bruising of the tailbone from the crash itself, Bill was not injured.
 
That had made the hike uncomfortable but not painful.
 
Mostly for Bill, it was worrying about his wife.

The Caravan was descending now and setting up for the approach into Fairbanks International.
 
What an ending to the trip.
 
Danielle had matured more this last week or so than she had in the last several years.
 
She had been a strict follower because of her great respect for her father, and now she had become a competent leader because of the encouragement of the crew leader she respected.
 
The slight bump of the landing signaled the return to her reality.

A Fairbanks Memorial transfer van met them at the terminal, and they got aboard for the twenty minute trip to the hospital.
 
Everyone was checked out by the ER doctors and released except Jake, who they admitted for treatment of the arm and shoulder.
 
After her release, Danielle found out where the Bigelows were and made her way to Betsy's room.
 
She walked up to the nurses station.

“I want to visit Mrs. Bigelow,” She said.

“They’re down the hall two doors on the right,”
 
Said the nurse.

She walked down the corridor then saw Bill talking to someone just behind the door opening.

~~~

“Danielle, darling, I was so upset when we got the message that your plane had crashed,” Katty Eagleton said with her slight Russian accent.
 
She embraced her daughter as both were weeping.

"Mom!
 
I'm OK Mom; I'm OK, and I am so glad your here."

Kooz Eagleton was right behind them and waited his turn to hug his girl.

They stood in the doorway of the room where Betsy Bigelow was in the bed with her leg in a cast and elevated by a traction unit.

“Mom, Dad I want you to meet my friends from Arizona, Betsy and Bill Bigelow.”

“We just met, and it is so good to know the parents of our personal hero.
 
We would not be alive without your daughter’s efforts,” Said Bill.