Dr. Van Tilburg's work requires a unique combination of emergency medicine, survival skills, agility, and extreme sports. In Mountain Rescue Doctor, Van Tilburg shares personal stories of harrowing and suspenseful rescues and recoveries, including the recent Mount Hood disaster, which claimed the lives of three climbers.We learn about the tools and techniques of emergency wilderness medicine, as well as the feats of human strength and delicacy required to treat patients under extreme conditions. And finally, we confront some of the ethical challenges a wilderness physician faces in making tough choices about who can be saved and at what cost. Mountain Rescue Doctor is an exhilarating tour through the perils of nature and medicine

 

In the winter, he explains the dangers of tree wells, patches of loose snow that can snare skiers and snowboarders. One hot Fourth of July, he takes a trek through icy black water in a box canyon, engineering the tricky retrieval of a cliff jumper with a back fracture.

 

Detailing each rescue operation from the first call mobilizing teams of volunteers to grateful notes from the families of those rescued, Van Tilburg also offers snippets of environmental history and outdoor law. For readers who are unfamiliar with the rugged and beautiful Hood River area, he balances its undeniable perils with the joys of its scenic wonders, noting that the thrill of risk is an inseparable aspect of adventure sport. Hardcover, DJ, New.