The last month or so of the year, from Thanksgiving through New Years, includes chances for many of us to enjoy time away from our usual routine, and sometimes that may even include a trip to a park. A recent challenging rescue of an injured climber at Buffalo National River offers a good reminder that park visitors can be thankful that emergency responders are still on duty, even when we're enjoying a holiday. 

The long Thanksgiving weekend was winding down on the afternoon of Sunday, November 30, and Cameron McLaughlan, 21, of Ozark, Missouri, was free climbing a vertical cliff in the Ponca Wilderness near the Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls area. During his climb, something went awry, and McLaughlan fell from a location near the top of a bluff that was approximately 150 feet high.   

The climber's fall was arrested about 25 feet down the bluff by a ledge about size of a large round dining table. He was seriously injured, so McLaughlan's companion, Zach Collette, of Springfield, Missouri, ran up the very steep trail for about an hour, until he reached a point where he had cell phone coverage and could call for help. The park's rescue team, BUFFSAR, was notified of a search and rescue mission in the Ponca Wilderness Area at about 3:30 p.m.

This area of steep cliffs and rugged terrain is in an isolated location, and offers plenty of challenges for access under the best of circumstances. A description of a key trail in that vicinity notes, "The Hemmed-in Hollow Trail is an extremely steep and strenuous trail that will humble even the most experienced hiker. Visitors will need to plan to take the entire day to hike this trail, due to the rough wilderness terrain."

Rescuers from the park and cooperating agencies responded to the remote area as daylight was fading, and Ranger Melissa Moses was designated as the incident commander. Members of BUFFSAR were assembled from locations throughout the park, split into squads, and positioned above and below McLaughlan to handle both the "high angle" lowering operation down the steep cliff and the subsequent carry-out. The victim's friend who made the 911 call accompanied one of the groups of rescuers and assisted them in locating his position on the sheer bluff face.

The high-angle squad traversed the rim of the canyon along a game trail that mirrors the ledge of the 209-foot-high waterfall. District Ranger Jason Flood rappelled down to the victim to begin initial treatment while the remainder of the squad set up the lowering system.

As the litter reached the victim, litter attendant Logan Tucker had to wedge himself against the cliff face, as the ledge was too small for an additional person. After packaging McLaughlan, the team lowered the litter in a horizontal position approximately 130 feet to a larger ledge; the litter was then converted to a vertical position and lowered the remaining 150 feet through an extremely steep and heavily vegetated slope to the bottom of the bluff.

The litter squad then took over the operation and began the carryout portion of the SAR. The terrain was extremely steep, with the litter team traversing over two-and-a-half miles of trail with a 1500 foot gain in elevation. Low angle belay systems were utilized on several occasions due to the steepness of the terrain. 

This would be a challenging operation under ideal conditions, but it was conducted in the dark, and the weather was far from ideal. During the course of the rescue, the temperature fell rapidly from 73°F to 33°F, the wind chill reading dropped to 17°F... and sleet began falling.

BUFFSAR brought McLaughlan to the trailhead at approximately 3 a.m. and a waiting ambulance took him to North Arkansas Regional Medical Center in Harrison for initial treatment. Glenn Wheeler, search-and-rescue coordinator for the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, said McLaughlin was then was flown to a medical center in Springfield, Missouri, where he was listed in stable condition with "serious fractures."

In addition to the Buffalo National River protection rangers and BUFFSAR volunteers, groups participating in this operation included Alpena VFD, Arkansas Forestry Commission, Boone County Sherriff’s Office, Carroll County Sherriff’s Office Rescue Team, Compton VFD, Harrison Fire Department, Mennonite Disaster Services, National Park Service Fire Module, Newton County Sherriff’s Office, North Ark Regional Medical Center Ambulance, Tri-County Search and Rescue, and the Steel Creek Campground Hosts.

In all, about 60 people were involved in the operation, including support personnel. A park spokesperson notes, "This rescue, which occurred entirely at night and with rapidly deteriorating weather, was one of the most technically complex rescues in Buffalo National River's history and serves as an excellent example of interagency teamwork."