Cowboy rescue!

Waiting for some action, a few days ago I received a call from RCMP dispatch requesting assistance for a motorcycle accident. You should have seen my eyes when dispatch said: we need your help for a high angle rescue, the driver is down a cliff somewhere in the park.... EMT, firefighter and police on the way... thank you and good luck! Wahoooooo! Some action.... but suddenly a small evil in my mind reminds me that I didn't received any specific training and that I don't have a clue about the equipement we use in our park. But I didn't care and grab all the rope bags that we have and the equipement that I could find. That was like in the old days at the hospital running for some action except that we were driving like crazy a pick up truck on a small road with steep cliffs at every sharp corners.

During the drive I was making scenarios in my mind and harrassing my partner (Warden Denis Haché) with questions like: "What if...?, but what if it doesn't work? and what...?". I was also reviewing the manual of rescue procedure. However my secret idea was to be the rescuer tied in at the end of the rope and taking care of the victim... what a nice begining it would be:... freshly out of the training saving someone from an horrible death at a bottom of a cliff. I have finally shared my GREAT idea to my partner who said that it would probably possible since I have some climbing and medical backgroud. Yeah Baby Yeah!!! Today it's my day. I was so excited you couldn't imagine.

After an hour drive, I can finally see the flashing lights of the other emergency vehicules on the site. I went out the truck ready to jump into my harness, a carabiner in each hands and my radio in my teeth to finally learn the sad news...

A group of highly motivated (not to say a little bit dangerous) cowboy-firefigthers went down the cliff (which in fact was a steep scree slope) with many fishermens ropes tied together. They have climbed up the victim on a wood stretcher loosing balance once in a while. The unlucky victim had enough luck to survive this chaotic trip to the ambulance that was waiting on the road....This is when I arrive at the scene and I realize that the ambulance and the victim are leaving to meet an helicopter at the landing zone nearby.

This is a sad day... I guess I will be a hero an other day.

P.S.: For those who care much about the victim than my personal happiness ;) the victim did survive a 100 meters fall with only few bruises. Thanks to his padded leather jacket and pants.

And of course I'm making some fun of myself!

Moustache forever!

Sooo... Bare Naked Ladies, hanging out with the rock stars, Twano thinks she's sooo coool. Well I can top it. Look at the new star we have in our park:

A unique lobster was caught last week by Kirk Tulk of Aspen Cove (Kirk is Kirby Tulk's Brother, an ex warden who worked in the park last year). We received news of the lobster last Friday that they would donate the lobster to the Visitor Information Marine Centre. It is now on display at the Centre.
The lobsters unique colour pattern, known as a Joker in the scientific community, is a result of a genetic defect that prevented a natural protein from developing on the right side only. It appears as if it has been boiled on one side. This is due to the lack of the protein that usually masks the red colour. If there is too much protein, it surrounds the red carotenoid molecule known as astaxanthin forming a crustacyanin creating a blue lobster. We had such a lobster in the Centre a couple of years ago. All lobsters have the natural red pigment and when it is boiled the protein is destroyed, so no matter what the colour beforehand, they are all the same bright red colour once cooked.

Sooo... Twano, tell mister BNL rockstar to put that in his pipe and smoke it!

Peace - The Saint

P.S. Great way to start your day... try Mustachio's!

dancing

Just thought this was a pretty funny little dancing blurb. MC Hammer was my favorite!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg
Thanks for the site JF!! Sounds like everyone is keeping busy which is great. I am still training however. On this backcountry horse school all this week. We do an overnighter tomorrow. Cant wait to stop training for a while and start working. Working a 4-1am shift on monday. Apparently we are going to go bust some illegal campers.....!!!
One of the guys from the band 'the Barenaked Ladies' is coming here to try a day of being a park warden for some media thing. The public safety guys wanted to put me out on a mountain with him ( and a few other wardens, but they wanted a small girl along to "kick some barenaked ass") but my supervisor ixnayed it, saying I was scheduled for an amphibian day. Trying to get out of the amphibs cuz Barenaked Lady guy would be way more fun...!!! Fingers crossed!!
Twano

Sweet!

Ok... so I flew out to Terra Nova on the 1st to start work. I get ino the bunkhouse area and not a hour after I get there a Black Bear goes rambling through the back yard. Pretty sweet start to my time here. Next day at work I got to take a spin on the boat up the sound, (I'll be doing boat training the 19th throughthe 23rd with the Coast Guard boys. Supposedly it is even more fun than the RCMP driving course! Can't wait.) Pretty quiet here for the moment, just the moose wandering around, saw some of them too. At least the lack of visitors so far is giving me time to paw through all the gear and setup my office. I'll get you all some photos when I start working on some of the projects.

Hope things are going superbon with everyone. Let us know of any interesting encounters... with people or wildlife!

The Saint