Of Mice and .... HIKERS

This little one lives in the Byrds Nest near the summit of Old Rag Mountain..
About the size of a nickel, it has a furry coat, a protected shelter from winter's howling winds, plus plenty of food and drink...
In most ways, this mouse is much more prepared for a day on Old Rag than are many of the hikers, especially during this busiest of seasons.. fall.

And while hikers don't have to worry about predatory birds and snakes, they should take steps to prepare for all of the other eventualities that the mouse has to worry about...

Warmth, water, food, protection from the elements.

Regardless of the Indian Summer warmth in the valley, the summit of Old Rag is prime hypothermia terrain this time of year.

Pack plenty of water... and don't forget a few extra layers. We have already had several hikers who wished they had come so prepared. Of course, by the time we connect with them, it's usually on the too late side of comfort.

mouse and dime

"Thanks to the Volunteers on Saturday October 2nd

Hi,

My name is --- and I was assisted by 3 Volunteers this past Sat. afternoon. I was leading a group of 7 people and we lost 1 person in our party. I sent everyone else down to the car and climbed back up to the summit ,alone, to get help. 3 of the volunteers moved into action and started a search for my friend. 2 of the volunteers, I didn't get their names, descended via the ridge trail, and (ORMS X)and I descended via the saddle trail looking for my friend, XXX. Thankfully, XXX had returned to the car at the Old Rag Parking area.

I am very grateful for your willingness to help me look for XXX. Your help on the Mountain is something I will always remember. Keep up the good work!!
Thanks again,
---"

You are most welcome!
ORMS

Fall 2010

The Fall half of the 2010 season has begun in earnest.. Crowds are thronging to Old Rag, literally by the thousands..
..and with good reason: there are few places in the world more spectacular than the Blue Ridge Mountains in Autumn.

The ORMS staff is constantly amazed at the behavior exhibited on the mountain, however. It is almost as if upon deciding to hike Old Rag and rushing out the door, that common sense gets left behind.
Please remember:
-Old Rag is a remote mountain peak. If you get hurt, whether by carelessness on your part or by accident, it will be HOURS before you will get to a medical facility.
- There are port-a-johns at the base of the mountain and a moldering privy at the Old Rag Shelter. Please try to plan your pooping and peeing accordingly. (This applies to your children as well) Nothing is more disgusting and distasteful than stumbling upon a pile of used TP on a beautiful afternoon hike.
- Even though it is Fall, you still need water. You may not noticeably perspire as much.. but you are still losing fluids... Take 2-3 liters per person!
- Dress for the weather... which means 15 windy degrees cooler than where you live!
-If you hike on the weekends... expect crowds and long waits at the tight spots. Have patience.
- Believe it or not, a large portion of Old Rag is designated as wilderness.. please respect it as such! Leave No Trace guidelines apply!!

An all new season..

After months spent training and preparing, the 2010 season is off and running! Weekend one was hot and relatively quiet. With the upper parking lot now closed it's hoped that more visitors will heed the rangers' advice about water (take plenty, like 3 liters per person on hot days) and the presence of the mouldering privy a little more than 1/2 way thru the hike, near the Old Rag shelter (... Yes! that means you don't HAVE to poop all over the mountain on and off the trail as many folks seem to feel compelled to do)
As hot as it was, we even had someone who had hiked Old Rag previously, suffering from significant dehydration ... He didn't "want to have to be bothered with the weight of the water" Come on folks, give yourselves permission to enjoy this hike!

We are always looking for new stewards... come join us! Learn all the "secrets" of Old Rag, climb! rappell! learn about the flora (thanks to Emily!) and fauna! and so much more!!!

This baby blacksnake was newly hatched and had just finished a nice beetle dinner!
(see the bulge) This "coil" is about 3" long.

Welcome to the 2010 ORMS season!

After a VERY long winter, (from which patches of snow will linger on the mountain into April..) we're just about ready to kick off our third season!

On April 17-18, the mountain Stewards will be holding our annual skills refresher training weekend. Beyond the always enjoyable time, we'll be learning about the latest and greatest protocols, from first aid and patient assessment skills to Leave No Trace, from park rules and regulations to what to do for a "lost person".. and so much more.

If you've ever had the desire to spend your weekend in the great outdoors (in a spectacular setting!) and provide a meaningful service to others.. consider joining us!

Flowers persisting at an Old Rag home site.. so many years later

End of season.. "Off season"

It is hard to believe... the season is over! If you've noticed, that's the way things are..the busier you are, the faster the time passes. That was definitely the case for the Old Rag Mountain Steward program this year...All the planning, all the training, all the preparation came into sharp focus this fall as almost every weekend we were confronted by a situation that posed significant challenge(s).

While there is never really an off season on Old Rag, we consider the six months of the year when there is no official presence of the Mountain stewards to be the off season. It's a time for us to reflect on the year's accomplishments and to prepare and plan for the upcoming 2010 season.

2009 Season Wrap-up:
(excerpted from the 2009 Summary sitrep... for a complete copy email mtnjedi@gmail.com)

"The 2009 season can be judged an unqualified success. regardless of whether the Stewards were called upon to perform as first responders, on-scene technical rescue leaders or simply assisting novice hikers and backpackers to hike and camp responsibly, their performance was top level. The ORMS presence continues to be an accepted, recognized and fully integrated outreach program on ORM, and the interest level and ORMS morale remains high."

Particularly:
"- ORMS provided more than 25 first aid assists, 8 of which required evacuation or further treatment at a medical facility.
- more than 438 interactions with hikers involved providing directional assistance.
- 16 groups and individuals, without lights, were assisted off the mountain after dark.
- 27 "separated parties" were located and reunited."

.. and about the ORMS volunteers:
"- a total of 189 days of service was provided to the public by ORMS volunteers.
- 2323 hours of service were donated by ORMS volunteers
- "top stewards" averaged 34 ascents )each) of ORM during the year."

There were at least 2 newspaper articles written about the ORMS, and we received numerous notes of thanks from various visitors to the mountain...
and, (hallelujah!) Shenandoah National Park completed a MOULDERING PRIVY and placed it near the Old Rag Shelter.. hopefully folks will now be able to "hold it" just a bit longer and refrain from using this amazing wilderness as an open potty.

Planning for 2010 includes:
- Wilderness / Mountain First aid and refresher training (for ORMS) weekend on 27-28 March
- a consolidated and published annual training plan for ORMS weekends
-sometime this Spring, the upper parking lot for Old Rag will be permanently closed
- April will begin the ORMS spring season.

As always, we look forward to seeing you out on the mountain, and better yet, JOINING US!

Stewarding..

A large part of the Old Rag Mountain Steward program is interacting with people.. from aiding those in need, to helping hikers and climbers understand how fragile the mountain's flora can be (especially when tromping around off-trail), offering wilderness living tips to those who are venturing out overnight for the first time, and being a resource of advanced skills for anyone interested. The result is the same.. a more informed enthusiast for this amazing resource.

This past weekend, with a Sunday visitation approaching 2,000 it was good to see our friend and neighbor David C. on one of his frequent trips up the mountain.. And it was also a pleasure to meet a follower of this blog from Richmond VA... and she had a great question... "How do you go about contacting one of the stewards ("the orange shirts") on the mountain if you need them?"

This is how...
On any given weekend on Old Rag during the "busy season" there are usually 4-8 stewards "orange shirts" on the mountain...usually traveling in 2-3 groups. Accompanying each group is an NPS radio, on which all Shenandoah National Park communications traffic is monitored.
If you find yourself in need of assistance, head either up or down the mountain, keep your eyes open and ask others where the nearest Old Rag Mountain Steward is... If you are near the bottom, go to the Fee station at either White Oak Canyon or Old Rag (Nethers) and we can be contacted via park communications... Normally, a group of stewards can be readily located between the summit and the Byrds Nest, where we keep our gear.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
When stewards are not on the mountain, (December- April, August) and an accident requiring medical assistance occurs, it can often require up to 18 hours or more (and the help of 25 rescuers) to receive definitive care in a controlled environment.. With the stewards on the mountain, that time can be slashed to 9 hours (which is still a long time... but it beats 18..)

Due to the rugged, and fairly unforgiving nature of Old Rag, ( when something happens, it's too late to learn what to do) a large portion of each weekend's time is spend refreshing basic rescue and first aid skills. You will find even the most experienced stewards participating in this training.

The goal is that when the NPS rescue team arrives the ORMS mesh seemlessly with the NPS professionals... a goal we are meeting nicely.



"Thank you (Rangers Scully and Martinelli)again for all you did to get me safely off the mountain on Sunday. I am still astonished at the Herculean efforts you and all the others so calmly put forth to rescue me. I can only wonder what would have happened if you had not responded and I had tried in my shock and daze to climb back out. I will be grateful forever.
Fortunately, the damage to my head will heal and no harm occurred to myskeleton. The hospital staff cleared me on Sunday night, I rested, and today I went to work and am almost feeling like normal again...
(stewards)Chad and Matt were terrific. I have to say it took a real leap of faith to allow strangers to tote and sometimes haul me by ropes over a rocky mountain on a litter, but my husband and I felt totally reassured by their professional demeanor. Chad was calm, kind, and knowledgeable, and took extra care at the outset of the hauling maneuvers and throughout the journey off the mountain to ensure that everyone understood each step of the drill and didn't rush. His behavior kept me calm and allayed my greatest fear -- that someone else would get hurt in trying to help me. In addition to everything else, Matt made at least two trips that I remember up and down the mountain to locate necessary items. I just can't thank them enough. The Old Rag Mountain Stewards is an incredible program. "

Early October.. Back on the Mountain

The low Autumn sun provides a great profile view of Old Rag across Virginia's Piedmont.
(photo by steward Ben M.)

To the Mountain Stewards:

Yesterday, the Old Rag Mountain Stewards helped my daughter out in a big way. I want to thank them again for all their help in getting her down from the summit of Old Rag Mountain. We made it up through the rock scramble early yesterday morning with XXXX leading the way. We decided to return from the summit through the rock scramble and she took an unfortunate fall. We were immediately assisted by fellow hikers. Our cell phones were getting no signal. A couple of other female hikers did very well in keeping her calm. Within 40 minutes of her fall, Jeremy and Ben, Old Rag Mountain Stewards, were on the scene to help. In all 5 Stewards and many park rangers helped her off the mountain.

Throughout the ordeal XXXX was a trooper. Thanks to many she remained calm. As it turns out she broke her leg in two places. She has a break through her lower fibula and another through her ankle. Other than the disappointment that she will miss her entire soccer season, she is doing fine. I don't recall everyone's names yesterday that assisted her; however, I want to thank all of you again. You are true professionals and provide a great service. Job well done yesterday!

Joe