Last Saturday might not have brought the best hike of my life, as my friend and I stumbled upon a guy who collapsed while climbing Al’s Habrich Trail. Being trained in first aid and CPR, when I realized he stopped breathing, I immediately began performing CPR to the best of my ability while calling 911 at the same time.
I would like to give sincere thank you to the 911 operator who was most supportive and stayed on the line and directed us in what to do until help arrived. It was an hour before the helicopter found us.
Unfortunately, we were unable to save the life of this 67-year-old man. However, I am very impressed with the professionalism of everyone involved – the 911 operator who was on the line with us, the lady who ran from the Squamish gondola with an AED machine, and the Squamish helicopter with search and rescue personnel who found us deep in the woods, as well as other hikers who stopped and immediately helped.
This event will always stay with me. Although it had a tragic ending, all of us involved know that we did everything humanly possible to save his life, and hopefully we brought a small measure of comfort to friends and family of the deceased.
Aga Karst
Langley
