Hiker rescued after eight hours without vital signs
A hiker was rescued after being without vital signs for eight hours and 48 minutes on Hardangervidda, thanks to a medical school rule of thumb that is now gaining international attention.
Inside a small tourist hut on Hardangervidda, a lifeless body lies on the floor. Two hands press against the chest. The rhythm continues. Compressions, again and again. The weather is too poor for the rescue helicopter to arrive. An unusually strong storm for August has hit Western Norway, leading to numerous rescue operations. In Jotunheimen, a Danish and a Norwegian citizen have been found deceased. Near Folgefonna, American tourist Alec Luhn is reported missing. And now, inside the small hut in the middle of Hardangervidda, eight people are doing everything they can to keep a lifeless body alive. They do not yet know that this rescue operation will make waves in the “medical world.”
A storm on the way
Mikael Jørgensen, a 30-year-old Norwegian, has spent his summer vacation on Hardangervidda. The Norwegian is on a solo hike from Haukeli with the goal of crossing the plateau. “I have never seen so many tourists in the mountains before as in these days,” says Mikael. The beginning of August is peak season for hiking on Hardangervidda. The conditions are often stable and clear. Many travel at this time to fish. Mikael is one of those who has brought fishing gear on his trip. After nearly a week of hiking on the plateau, Mikael receives a satellite message from his father on the GPS about an approaching storm. He makes his way to a mountain top with mobile coverage. He checks the YR app. Gusts of up to 28 meters per second and heavy rain are forecast. It does not look good for camping in a tent. He takes a screenshot to remember the weather forecast when he goes out of coverage again.
Mikael is on the west side of Hardangervidda, not far from the DNT tourist hut Torehytten, which is located 1330 meters above sea level. Mikael decides to seek shelter there. The weather is building up. It is three to four degrees. Mikael Jørgensen tests the weather.
Mikael is soaked. But inside the hut, he puts on dry clothes. He sits down at the table with the hut warden. Over a warm cup of coffee, they talk about the storm outside and how good it is to be inside.
Also on a camping trip with a friend is the Danish doctor, Tobias Nissen. They are soaked. Not far from them is Torehytten. It is raining, windy, and cold. They decide to take a trip to the hut to dry some equipment and warm up. When that is done, they will continue their journey. They continue on their way. About three kilometers from Torehytten, they suddenly see something in the terrain. Something blue is shining towards them. What is it? It looks like a clothes bag lying on the path. “I understand that it must be a person lying on the ground,” says Tobias. They run over. They see that it is a man. Probably in his 20s. He speaks incomprehensibly, but mumbles words in English. He does not know where he is or what is happening around him. The time is 17:40. The person is wet and hypothermic. He is in danger of death. In the middle of Northern Europe’s largest high mountain plateau. Tobias and his friend try to get the man to stand up, but he cannot walk. They drag the person under a rock nearby, where there is some shelter from rain and wind. They turn on the primus and heat water. Tobias understands that it is critical. They lay him on a sleeping pad, with a heat blanket over him. Here, Tobias holds the young man.
Tobias and his friend decide to split up. Tobias stays with the man while his friend takes on the task of running for help. He sets a course for Torehytten, a few kilometers away. Inside the hut, Mikael looks out the window. The characteristic mountain Hårteigen rises through the storm clouds.
He is actually on a camping trip across the plateau, but he feels that it is good to be inside now when the rain lashes against the window outside. There is a fire in the fireplace and a German couple is now sitting at the table with them. They are playing a game of Yatzy. Suddenly, the hut’s peace is broken. The door opens and a breathless man comes in. He gasps for air and tries to tell what they have found just a few kilometers away. They need help. They throw away the dice. Mikael puts on clothes and runs out with the others.
They arrive at the young man and Tobias. They must try to get him to Torehytten. He must get warm. They take hold of each body part and try to carry him. It is raining heavily and the wind has picked up. They are in the middle of Hardangervidda. In an area without coverage. It is about three kilometers to walk. On the other side of the water lies the hut. It may not look so far away. But to get there, they must cross a ravine. The ravine is so steep that there is a cliff on one side and a high mountain wall on the other. Several places they must climb. They must also cross a wide river. They have not come halfway to the hut when they notice that the man suddenly becomes very heavy. He looks completely lifeless. His eyes disappear behind. “We cannot wake him up. But then we focus on trying to carry him further, but it is very heavy, even though we are four,” says Mikael. One of those present says that it sounds like he is taking his last breath. “I tell the others that you cannot determine if someone is dead when the person is as hypothermic as he is,” says doctor Tobias. They continue to walk. They push hard. Tobias tastes blood in his mouth. He runs ahead to fetch more people from the hut who come to help.
Source: NRK Vestland