People to Admire #2
Earlier this summer, my 20 year old daughter and I climbed Guadalupe, the high point in Texas. Granted, 8751 feet places this peak at only the 14th highest high point in a U.S. state with Denali in Alaska taking the prize at 20,310 feet. Still, roughly 3000 feet of elevation gain from trailhead to summit on an 8.5 mile round trip will leave you feeling pretty proud of yourself…and exhausted.
On our way down the switchbacks perhaps 20 minutes from the parking lot, there was nowhere to hide from the brutal heat. We just wanted to get to the car.
Then, rounding a bend, we saw a large guy leaned up against a tree. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“No,” came the feeble reply.
“Are you hurt?” I queried as we made our way towards him. He did not look good at all.
“Dehydrated,” he uttered. “Had a leak in my water bottle, and my friend went down to get more water.”
Quickly, my daughter and I gave him the small remainder of our water and gatorade in an attempt to get him re-hydrated. We put cool water packs (formerly ice packs for our lunch at the summit) on his head and chest. All of a sudden, he was incoherent, but we did learn that his name was Fernando. Clearly, this guy was in trouble, but we weren’t sure what else to do. Our cell phones were getting no reception.
Then, I noticed 4 rather strong hikers making their way down the mountain. As we tried to keep him from fainting, I assured him, “More help is on the way; they should be here in 5 minutes.”
When they arrived, we quickly updated them on Fernando’s status. Fortunately, one of the guys said he had been a helicopter medic years before and he took charge. Over the next 30 minutes, Fernando fainted 3 times, cramped up many times and attempted to throw up several times. One of the guys went down the mountain to find a park ranger. Fernando wasn’t sweating at all, a sure sign of dehydration on this scorching day.
The rest of us followed the lead of the one person with emergency medical training. We took off his shoes and socks, raised his legs, poured water on him, kept him talking and eventually he came around. As his words became more coherent, he broke down in gratitude. His friend arrived with more water, and we made a plan to take turns walking him down the mountain along with two more hikers who had stopped to help.
Had no one come along, Fernando might not have made it. Had no one with emergency medical skill stopped to help, it could have been worse. So, to the former helicopter medic who saved the day, thank you. I wish I had remembered his name.
Sometimes the right person shows up at just the right time.
Worth Repeating
The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Love Does
This book has been out several years, but Bob Goff does a great job of blending whimsical, entertaining stories while also calling us to practical acts of love. Click here to grab your copy.
