Woman rescued after fall on Mount Scott
MEDICINE PARK — A hike up one of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge’s most beloved rocky promontories turned harrowing after a woman fell and injured herself Monday evening.
Ultimately, the 55-yearold walked off the 2,464-foot Mount Scott Tuesday morning with help of those who stayed with her overnight, including her rescuers.
About 7 p.m. Monday, four Oklahoma City hikers began a hike up Mount Scott, which sits in the refuge’s 59,020 acres of craggy terrain.
The destination, a roughly 100-mile drive southwest from Oklahoma City, offers pristine prairie views, a free-roaming buffalo herd and other wildlife. It closes at sunset.
The group had gotten bad information that they could boulder hop up a rugged, unmarked part of the mountain known among locals as the “river of boulders” or “boulder field” in under an hour, said Kelly Moran, a senior federal wildlife officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge.
“They thought they could make it to the top of the mountain within 45 minutes, and they found out that was not accurate,” Moran said. “On the way up to the top, one of the women fell and believed she fractured a rib.”
At first, two members of the group tried to traverse the ribbon of boulders for help.
They couldn’t find their way back and returned, said Ashleigh Hensch, the public information officer for Comanche County Emergency Management.
About 9 p.m., dispatchers in Comanche County got a call for help, said Ashleigh Hensch, the public information officer for Comanche County Emergency Management.
“When the refuge workers and first responders got there, they didn’t want to move her in the dark going down a rough trail,” Hensch said.
That led to an impromptu campout on the mountain. The woman’s friends stayed by her side. So did some of the rescue workers, waiting for daylight, Hensch said.
The rescuers canceled a request for an Oklahoma National Guard helicopter with a hoist after it became clear the injured woman could walk off the mountain with the help of those who had stayed to assist her, Hensch said. Her friends drove her to a hospital.
The rescue was one of five in just the last two days in the refuge, Hensch said.
Some rescues have been related to dehydration.
A helicopter was required to rescue a dehydrated, disoriented hiker going in and out of consciousness at Elk Mountain over the weekend, Moran said.
Hikers frequently fail to bring enough water.
“Hike early in the morning, and definitely be out by noon, before the hottest weather,” Moran said. “Never go alone and stay together. We have a lot of people who get separated and get disoriented.”
Visitors will need to plan ahead. The refuge is currently under a boil order for drinking water, according to its website.
He also advised hikers bring a well-charged cellphone, a salty snack, a whistle and wear light-colored clothing.
Other recent rescues have entailed injuries, including one hiker who, in early July, broke his leg climbing the same stretch of boulders where the woman was injured Monday.