Home Away From Home

       The weather has turned colder and the leaves are changing colors.  As Ben and I pull off the Slade exit for Red River Gorge, we have arrived home.  The beautiful rolling hills and bright orange trees make this one of the most beautiful places to be in the fall.  People come from all over the world to visit the amazing rock climbing and hiking that the Red has to offer, and we live only 2.5 hours away.
       I use the word home to describe the Red because that is exactly what it is, a home away from home.  I have been going to the Red for 18 years now and each time I pull off the exit, I am excited to be back to such a familiar place.  Fairly new to climbing, my dad and I started going down to the Red when I was about 11.  The Red has always been more than just a place to climb for me.  When I was young, it was my outlet, a place to get away from the regular life I lived.  I could forget about the meanness of junior high and be in this place that was beautiful, doing something I loved and spending time with my dad.  We would leave early in the morning to make the drive down, climb some of our favorite pitches, head to Miguel's for a delicious pizza or pizza sandwich, and camp in one of the front spots.  Miguel's was not as crowded back then and there was maybe 15-20 tents compared to over a hundred now.  It was a special thing for a father and daughter to do together and some wonderful memories that will never be forgotten.

Dad and I climbing in the PMRP

       As I became a little older, I was competing in the JCCA and, like most competition kids, did not climb as much outside.  During this time I still went to camps at the Red with my team, however, and continued to make memories.  My climbing friends became my best friends, whether they knew it or not, and helped me through some very difficult times that typical early teenage girls go through.  One of them became an inspiration to me, somewhat of a mentor, as I looked up to her amazing talent in rock climbing and in life.  Our parents even threw us a surprise double birthday party at a cabin in Cliffview for my 15th and her 16th birthday.  Lots of friends piled in this cabin to celebrate our birthdays and some of the people who attended I still see down at the Red today.
       My spring breaks in high school were not spent in Cancun or Destin, but with a small group of girls and my dad in a cabin at the Red.  We would climb some, eat lots and stay up late into the night laughing and talking.  Sometimes we would camp and go on night hikes under the stars.  It was wonderful to be able to share this special place with my friends and give them a glimpse into what my life as a climber had been and still was.

Spring break at the Red with my high school girls

      When Ben and and I met many years later, I hadn't been climbing much.  One of our first trips together was with our mutual friend Grady and we could barely climb 5.10, but we had a lot of fun.  From that point on, Ben and I were making trips down to the Red every week, getting to know each other, climbing and making new memories together.  Soon after, my dad started having his birthday at the Red where our whole family would travel down to hike, climb, and enjoy each other's company.  
       The community at the Red always has been and will remain one of my favorite things about this place.  Ben and I were recently at the Motherlode and stayed 3 hours past when we finished climbing because we kept running into more friends along the way.  We have met people from all over the world and made many lasting friendships.  People invite us into their homes, offer us food, and we always see familiar faces at the Rockhouse or Miguels where we stop for dinner after a long day of climbing.
       There are so many reasons why Ben and I call the Red home, but getting to know each other better and falling in love there is definitely at the top.  My 11-year old self in rainbow-striped leggings and pigtails has grown to make more memories at the Red throughout the past 18 years than she could have imagined.  What once started out as a special place between my father and I (and still is), and then between Ben and I, will hopefully be a place that we can take our future family and let our kids make their own special memories as they grow and find their "home" at the Red.    

Accidents Happen

      When you climb outside, you start to hear about unfortunate incidents happening.  Sometimes fatal, and sometimes not, accidents can happen among the newest climbers or the most experienced climbers.  I have heard stories of friends on climbs realizing their knot isn't finished, ropes being cut on quickdraws, and people decking (falling to the ground) from high points up on the rock.  Ben and I had never been involved in anything like this until this past weekend.
       I have always felt safe climbing with Ben. I trust him and he trusts me. It helps that he has been a paramedic for over 5 years now.  He always keeps a medic bag in the car in case of accidents, which I have complained about taking up too much space on trips.  He is extremely good at what he does and knows how to act in extreme situations.   
      We made a day trip to Red River Gorge on Friday and climbed at the Motherlode, a cliff known for having high routes, some topping out at 130 feet.  After warming up, we headed over to put the quickdraws up on a mini project we had started working on.  Upon finishing the route, Ben quickly lowered me and let me know that he thought a climber had fallen near the Madness Cave area and he was going to check it out.

The Motherlode at Red River Gorge

      I untied from the rope, grabbed the keys in case the medic bag was needed and followed behind him.  I hadn't heard anything. Since I was up on the route and focused, I was unsure about what we would find.
      When I finally reached the area, I saw a familiar face. An experienced climber within the Red community was laying on the ground, conscious, but in pain with climbers surrounding him.  The climber had been lowering from a long climb and was lowered off the end up of his rope into a steep ravine.  By the looks of the rope on the belayer's end (towards the rock), it appeared the climber had fallen somewhere between 30-40 feet, but the actual distance was unknown.  The local EMS crew had already been called via a climber's cell phone and they were on their way.  Ben assessed the situation, and sent me along with two others running down the trail to get the medic bag from the car.  Upon receiving the bag, Ben was able to wrap a broken wrist and help keep the patient comfortable.  He did further assessments and determined there had been no loss of pulse, motor or sensory in his legs, a tool to check for spinal injury. Also, no abnormal findings in his pupils when shined with a light, checking for a head injury. There was tenderness in the back but not on the spine, and the climber was having no trouble breathing which lessened the chance of tension pneumothorax.
      When the EMS crew arrived, they brought a backboard and a litter which would be used to carry the climber out on the steep trail back to the ambulance.  Once ready, 8-10 climbers, Fire and EMS came together and carried the patient, packaged in the litter back down the trail.  The path was slick and narrow, but we took turns, switching in and out to get the patient down safely.  Once we reached the bottom, 4 members from the Fire and EMS department got into the small creek so we could safely transport the patient over the narrow bridge to the parking area where the ambulance was located.  The patient was safely in the ambulance and the climbers stayed to make sure no more help was needed.
      After the ambulance left, we all stood in the parking lot, first debriefing about what had just happened, and then breaking into more personal conversations, getting to know one another better.  It was incredible to see the way that 8 climbers from all over the country came together to help out one of their own in a critical situation.  Each person brought something different to the table: some having big wall experience, making a haul system to help get the patient out of the ravine, fast runners to get supplies quickly from the car to make the patient more comfortable, everyones strong arms to carry the patient down from the crag, and Ben's skills as a paramedic allowed him to control the scene until the local crews arrived.  Ben and I got to know most of the climbers well throughout the day and I don't think we could have asked for a better group to help out.  We even enjoyed dinner at the Rockhouse with two of them later that evening, one of which went on to send his first 13a Hoofmaker later that day. Congrats Tim!
      Reflecting back on this situation, I have so much respect for my husband and am so proud of him for what he does.  I have seen him work on multiple medical mission trips and he works full time as a firefighter/paramedic, but to see him in action out at the crag was indescribable.  He was patient, calm, and knew exactly what needed to be done. He checked to be sure nothing serious was happening on the inside of the patient, not just what appeared on the outside.  Also, he is one of the most humble people I know and wouldn't take credit for anything that happened.  He denied doing anything more than the rest of the 8 climbers who had helped.

Ben working at a near fatal car accident in 2010

         Accidents can happen, regardless of your climbing ability, and they can be fatal.  We were very lucky to have such a great group and crew that helped out with this situation and can only hope that climbers will continue to step up when their fellow climber is in need.  Things can happen when you least expect them, so be safe. No matter how many times you may have climbed a route or been to the area.  Please be cautious, be sure to double check yourselves before going up a route and always knot both sides of your rope.  Be friendly to the climbers around you, they could be the ones coming to your rescue.  We are a community of people who share a common passion, rock climbing.  Let's be a community who helps each other without a second thought, especially during those times of deepest need. And, I will never complain about the medic bag taking up too much room again!



   

Our Marriage on the Rocks

We are Sara and Ben Berg and we have a marriage on the rocks.  Now this is not  your typical kind of marriage on the rocks.  Our marriage is great!  Our marriage on the rocks refers to rock climbing.  We are both avid climbers.  I, Sara, have been climbing for close to 17 years now, growing up competing when the Junior Competition Climbing Association (JCCA) still existed and taking some time off during different parts of my life.  Ben has been climbing for about 7 years.  We have lives outside of climbing; Ben is a firefighter/paramedic and I am student applying for Physician's Assistant school, but everything always seems to relate back to climbing.  Climbing is how we met (through our good friend Grady Bagwell who I used to compete with), how we built our relationship, and eventually how we got engaged.  We have many other things in common other than climbing, but it is wonderful to be able to share something like climbing together.  I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures, being a married couple, climbing, and life!