Location: Southern California Mountains
Course Review: Improvised Rope Rescue & Rope Basics
What makes a great weekend? For some (like us) it’s a combination of great vistas, solid rock, and amazing people. This was certainly the case during our Improvised Rope Rescue course and Rope Basics course a few weeks ago with the folks at Wilderness Challenge (the Outdoor Leadership Program at Valley Christian High School in Bellflower, CA).
We began the adventure with an introduction to search and rescue and litter management. Next we strapped on our backpacks, grabbed jugs of water, bags of gear, and hiked our way to camp. It’s easy to imagine stepping onto the set of an old Bonanza episode, where Ponderosa Pines and giant granite boulders adorn the landscape.
Once at camp, the high school students focused on fundamental rope skills, belay skills, and basic hauling techniques. Meanwhile, the leaders of Wilderness Challenge learned new techniques in Improvised Rope Rescue with Kevin Hawkins and Shawn Crawford. Kevin and Shawn stretched everyone’s imagination and skill in this advanced workshop by creating complex rigging solutions using limited gear to achieve the same or better results as traditional gear.
Thanks to everyone at Valley Christian High School, and to Jeff Westrup for his continuing support of experiential education and rope safety. We look forward to the second phase of this course in December!
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