Backcountry rescue teams respond to Camel’s Hump twice in one week
May 26, 2021 | By Lisa Scagliotti NOTE: This story was updated on May 31.
Multiple area backcountry rescue units were busy last week with two trips to the foothills of Camel’s Hump to assist hikers unable to make it down the trails on their own.
The first call came Wednesday morning, May 26, from the Long Trail near the Duxbury-Bolton town line below Camel’s Hump to assist an injured 18-year-old hiker to safety. The second call was Saturday, May 29, when a Boy Scout leader on the Monroe Trail was experiencing chest pain.
Details from both rescues were reported by Waterbury Backcountry Rescue, a division of Waterbury Ambulance Service.
The hiker on Wednesday called for help shortly before 7 a.m. and was off the mountain by 1 p.m. after having spent the night in the Bamforth Ridge Shelter.
Teams of first responders mobilized for the rescue operation including Colchester Technical Rescue, Huntington Search & Rescue, Mad River Valley Ambulance Service, Stowe Mountain Rescue and the Waterbury Backcountry team. They met and headed up the trail from the base of Bamforth Ridge, according to Brian Lindner who issued the report from the Waterbury.
The hiker, an 18-year-old woman from Burlington, injured her ankle on the Long Trail late on Tuesday as she was headed to Jonesville. She managed to reach the Bamforth Ridge Shelter and stayed there for the night. “Early this morning she called for rescue when she realized she would be unable to safely hike down the mountain,” the report explained.
The operation involved 21 rescuers who hiked up the trail to the shelter carrying rescue gear. The first team left the base at 8:08 a.m. and reached the hiker at 9:42 a.m., officials said.
According to the Green Mountain Club’s Long Trail guide, Bamforth Ridge Shelter is 2.9 miles south from the trailhead parking area on River Road. The route is described as rugged terrain over rock ledges, crossing Gleason Brook and passing Duxbury Window. It also says to expect an elevation gain of 1,600 feet.
Although the hiker told rescuers she wanted to hike down with assistance, “it soon became evident she needed to be evacuated in a litter,” according to the rescue report. The difficult terrain also led the crew members to employ numerous rope belays during the descent.
Just before 1 p.m., the team with the hiker reached their base, officials said. The hiker was then transported to medical care by private vehicle.
Saturday’s call for assistance came shortly after 3 p.m. Waterbury Backcountry Country Rescue was notified that a 59-year-old man hiking on Camel’s Hump was experiencing chest pain and required rescue.
Rescuers carry a Boy Scout leader down the Monroe Trail to a waiting ambulance on Saturday. Photo courtesy Waterbury Backcountry Rescue.
The hiker was more than 2 mi. up the Monroe Trail from the trailhead in Duxbury with a Boy Scout troop from Massachusetts, rescue officials said.
Another adult leader in the group provided excellent information to rescuers by cell phone and the group used their scouting skills to protect and comfort the hiker until help arrived, according to Lindner’s report of the incident.
Five local squads responded and the first EMT made it to the hiker just two hours after the initial call. That operation involved 19 rescuers carrying medical and evacuation gear up the trail, officials said.
The hiker began the descent on foot until the last mile when he was placed in a Stokes litter and carried to the base, arriving shortly after 8 p.m., officials said. He was then transferred into a waiting Waterbury ambulance and taken to UVM Medical Center.
In addition to the Waterbury Backcountry team, the Saturday call involved Camels Hump Back Country Rescue and personnel from the Colchester, Huntington, and Stowe teams who took part in the operation a few days prior.
Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team is a subsidiary of Waterbury Ambulance Service Inc. that provides rescue service from remote areas in the Waterbury region and supports surrounding communities via the mutual aid system.