Miracle mountain rescue
2008-05-08
Malané Bosman
EMERGENCY personnel braved cold weather and treacherous cliffs in Du Toit’s Kloof for two days before successfully rescueing a hiker who had become lost on the Elandsrivier trail. Piet Koen, (56) a professor in astrology at the University of the Western Cape, left his Edgemead home on Friday morning to hike the trail on his own. He told his wife he would be starting the walk at 11:00 on Friday. He was wearing only a T-shirt, shorts, cap and hiking boots, and carried a backpack with a sandwich and water. When he did not return home at 02:00 that night, his wife alerted the authorities. Rescue workers from Paarl found his abandoned cream-coloured Opel Kadett parked at the entrance to the hiking trails east of the Huguenot tunnel. At 11:00 on Saturday a rescue team from Cape Winelands Wilderness Search and Rescue set off on foot while a helicopter tried spotting the hiker from the air. It was not clear whether the hiker had taken the Kromrivier or the Elandsrivier trail, so both had to be searched. Late on Saturday, when it became apparent that time was running out, a tracker dog was brought to the mountain. It started raining shortly afterwards, and by nightfall, the hiker was still missing. While fearing for his safety, the rescuers planned their ascent for first light on Sunday. Although his wife described him as a good swimmer and regular climber, the temperature had dropped to single figures on Saturday night, making it perilous in the open. From 08:00 on Sunday the helicopter dropped search parties on the highest cliffs. Rescuers swept the overgrown terrain while the mountain was shrouded in mist and rain. At 15:00 Koen suddenly appeared in front of a group of rescuers. Apart from scratches and suffering from dehydration and exposure, he was unscathed. The slender academic told the rescuers he had become lost on Friday afternoon when he seemed to have sauntered off the route. The rescuers could then also return home, tired but relieved to have saved a life. One of the rescuers, Paarl ambulanceman Donny van Schoor, had been on duty when the emergency call had come in on Friday night. Twenty-four hours after his shift had started at the ambulance station, he was still doing duty then at the scene of a man who had been trampled by a train. “We are just relieved that we could make a difference,” the paramedic said modestly. He praised his colleagues, Vincent Booysen, Neville Williams and Michael Biscombe and the rest of the team from Winelands Wilderness Search and Rescue, Drakenstein firemen Brendon van Schuur, Jacques Cupido, Quintie Lourens and Shaun Phillips, the Police and the officials from Cape Nature, as well as volunteers and members of the local mountain club. The rescuers thanked local businesses Max Pies and Checkers, Paarl North, who donated warm drinks and snacks to keep them refueled during the search. Deon Rossouw, chief conservation officer in charge of the hiking trails for Cape Nature, said that the cost of the rescue operation is estimated at a minimum of R100 000. “More than 60 rescue workers and volunteers assisted in the rescue. Many of them worked round the clock to help locate Koen. “Hikers should never walk alone or wander off the designated routes. They should also be prepared for any sudden change of weather and have food at hand. If these simple procedures are followed, it could prevent life threatening situations as over the past weekend.”
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