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http://www.omniture.com --> Email Story to a Friend May 22, 2006 Crews rescue fallen hiker By Bill kettler Mail Tribune A team of firefighters rescued a Gold Hill man who fell Sunday while climbing on loose rock near the top of Lower Table Rock. The man's name was not released, but he was reported to be in serious condition at Providence Medford Medical Center with broken bones and multiple cuts and bruises. "He's very lucky to be alive," said Battalion Chief Rodney Edwards, who led the rescue for Jackson County Fire District 3. "It helped that he landed in some loose, shifting stuff." Edwards said the 42-year-old man and two companions were scrambling to the summit on the southeast side of mesa, away from the main trail. "They took kind of an unorthodox route," Edwards said. The man decided to climb a nearly vertical rock face on the final pitch to the top while his friends took an easier route up a steep gully. "Something cut loose beneath him and he just pitched off backward into thin air," Edwards said. The man's companions used a cell phone to call for help about 10 a.m., and Fire District 3 sent members of its "special operations group" who have extra training in rescue techniques. A Mercy Flights helicopter landed at the parking lot for the Lower Table Rock Trail and ferried the rescue team to the top of the mesa. Firefighters rappelled down to the man, stabilized his wounds and immobilized him on a backboard. They attached him to a stretcher and then slowly pulled the stretcher back to the top of the mesa, where the Mercy Flights helicopter flew him to Providence. Volunteers from Jackson County Search and Rescue also assisted in the rescue, which took nearly five hours. "Hands down it was the most difficult rescue we've ever made," Edwards said. "I was amazed we pulled it off and nobody got hurt." The man had no rock climbing experience, Edwards said. "These guys were..." he said, and paused. "I'm not sure what these guys were doing." Reach Bill Kettler at 776-4492 or e-mail: [email protected] Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Casino Reviews