'Barely able to breathe': trapped hiker rescued after cramped 17-hour ordeal
Image: Janke Lochner and Brent Russel
“The man was just able to stand on his toes in the bottom of the 'chimney', but his chest was constricted to the point where he was only able to draw small breaths.”
This is how rescuers described finding a hiker who spent 17-hours on a remote mountain peak in the Western Cape trapped in a “chimney” — a mountaineering term used to describe a narrow chute or crack — barely able to breathe.
Two hikers had lost their way near Nuwerust Farm in the Cederberg and decided to descend the peak by climbing down a series of narrow “chimneys” when one of them got stuck late on Tuesday and was unable to extricate himself. After a sleepless night they attracted the attention of passing hikers who alerted local emergency services.
A Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) team flew to the scene on the provincial health department emergency medical services /Air Mercy Service rescue helicopter.
After abseiling down they found the trapped man “just able to stand on his toes in the bottom of the chimney” taking shallow breaths.
He was hauled to safety using a technical rope extraction system and flown to a nearby landing zone for medical assessment.
In a second rescue, early on Wednesday, a 25-year-old man from Mpumalanga was injured in a fall on Lion's Head in Cape Town.
“He was descending above the staples when he slipped and fell. Unable to proceed, a call for help was made to the emergency number,” said WSAR. He was extracted by helicopter and then transported to hospital.
David Nel, a spokesperson for WSAR, said: “It’s not uncommon for the number of hikers on popular trails to increase over this time. We urge hikers to be patient, keep to the trails and avoid the temptation to take shortcuts or overtake other hikers.
“We appeal to all mountain users to plan appropriately, avoid hiking in the hottest hours of the day, carry enough water and save our emergency contact number 021 937 0300 to their phones.
“We ask that all wilderness enthusiasts help us by sharing the emergency contact number — and share our posts on the #IAmWildernessSafe campaign,” added Nel.
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