Friday 09 October - Bill Comes down from the Mountain

Volcanoes are not part of my experience. Never seen one before.
Never been in one. I was impressed. I was also impressed with its
elevation. 12,000 feet rising out of the ocean impressed me. I came back
down to the visitor's center, bought a coffee cup, climbed in my little
rented Panda, and headed down. I had about 8,000 feet of elevation
change and about 15 miles back to the marina. The first few miles is
relatively even being inside the volcano, then the road crosses over the
edge, and down it goes. I am surprised at the high quality of the roads
here, good surface, well marked. But curvy, really curvy. I had just
gotten to the going-down-part when I rounded a curve and saw confusion
in the road ahead. Remember those four-wheeler tourist "trains"? Going
fast? Looking dangerous? One of those "trains" had gotten tangled up,
several had tumbled, and scattered around the road were damaged
four-wheelers and injured tourists. I must have been one of the first
cars to come along. There were four injured, two guys with road rash,
walking, and two gals with unknown injuries, down. I went to each of the
women to make sure that no one tried to remove their helmets (which
might exacerbate a neck injury)  and went back to the car to move it to
block oncoming traffic. The two injured women were lying still and
nobody was trying to move them, so things were stable for the moment.
Then what? who is in charge? what is going on? The tourists were
Italian, the four-wheeler safari operator was Spanish and I spoke
English. None could talk with the other. After a few minutes it was
apparent that nothing was happening and apparently no ambulance was on
the way. I decided that it was time to start playing EMT. It was
becoming obvious that someone was going to have to take these people to
medical help, and it was time to find out what was wrong with them. None
spoke English. I went to the more seriously injured of the two and tried
to explain that I knew what to do, because I didn't want to start
pushing, twisting and feeling if they didn't understand what I was
doing. I was aware that someone came to me, said nothing, and went to 
the other woman and was examining her. Then, as I was starting at her
feet and working my way up he came back to me, and lo-and-behold if he
didn't speak Italian, and some English, and he knew how to examine an
injured person. There were no apparent broken bones in either patient.
Both had bled some, but it had mostly stopped. Both were bloody, badly
bent, but not broken. Now what? The four-wheeler operators had
four-wheelers, but no car. I had the only car, and it a Panda. I
strapped my kiteboard bag on the roof. The lesser of the injured women
rode in front. In back were the more seriously injured woman, and the
more skinned up man. I had no idea how to find a medical center.

 I was led by a four-wheeler who had the lesser of the skinned up men riding
double with him. We are 8,000 feet up, maybe ten miles away, and he can
not ride the four-wheeler on a major highway. The next hour and half can
not be described. Extreme downhill roads. I am in 1st gear riding the
brake. Visualize a very steep driveway. That is how it was, going down.
Some seemed like water drain courses, not roadways. Back roads, alleys.
We mush have gone through three villages, the back way, me following the
four-wheeler with two on it. The lesser of the injured women is
beginning to complain so I am not worried about her. But the other seems
to be hurting more. I can see her eyes in my rear view mirror and her
eyes were OK, but I really wanted to get her to help, but this obstacle
course of near impossible down with twists, turns and switchbacks went
on and on.. Then, after emerging from a twisty road about as wide as a
driveway (the two way roads were only one lane wide) we were suddenly at
the emergency entrance of a modern big city hospital.

 I sure was
relieved. Hospital staff took care of the patients and I cleaned up the
car. I had some towels in the car which had been used to mostly keep
blood off the car seats. It was OK for me to leave, but my adventure was
not over yet. I had no idea where I was! I found a policeman who showed
me on a map where I was and where I wanted to go, and as it was getting
dark, off I went in rush hour freeway traffic, trusting God to get me back.
    I was there, I could help, and I did. There is no greater privilege
than to be able to help someone when they need help.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II