| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis, Donald | 31 | Male | Dislocation | Shoulder |
On 3 April Don Davis (31) and Dave Harrison (19) decided to attempt to reach Groaning Cave on the rim of Deep Creek Canyon. As they had decided this enroute, they did not have a key to the cave gate (although it was readily available to them) and would have to use the "By-Pass Chimney" entrance.
At 2:40 p.m., they left their Jeep and began the 6-mile snowshoe/backpack hike to the cave. At nightfall they were still 1 1/2 miles from the cave and so bivouacked on the snow (clear night - minus 3° F). They reached the cave at 12:30 p.m. on 4 April and, after eating, they proceeded to a remote portion of the cave where they explored virgin passage (see NSS NEWS, June 1971).
At 8 p.m., they started out and at 10 p.m., returned to the Bypass Chimney. Davis was tired after the strenuous winter hike and 71/2 hours of hard caving. As he was climbing the chimney he misjudged a hold and fell about 6 feet. In attempting to catch himself, his left arm was twisted up and around, causing an incapacitating pain that later proved to be a shoulder dislocation.
Because a fracture was feared, and his arm could not be moved without causing extreme pain, no manipulation was attempted. Harrison brought down food, water and their sleeping bags and stayed with Davis until dawn, when he set out on snowshoes for help. Davis was left alone for 12 hours until help arrived. With his clothing, two sleeping bags and adequate food, water and light, he did not suffer from shock although he could not sleep.
Rescue came about 8 p.m. on 5 April with 13 men including Harrison and men from the U.S.F.S., Garfield Co. Sheriff's Dept., State Highway Patrol, and Aspen Rescue Group. A Sno-Cat and 3 snowmobiles were used to reach within a few hundred feet of the cave. Davis was given painkillers, his arm was splinted, the
gate was unlocked and he was able to reach the vehicles with some assistance and belays on the snow-slope outside. While on the way, the heavy splint, combined
with the effects of the drugs he had been given, caused the dislocation to snap into place, correcting the acute aspect of the injury. By midnight the rescue party was
back on the Deep Creek road.
Source: Don Davis
Analysis: (Davis) I regard fatigue as the main cause of the mishap. Lack of a belay could be considered contributory, but the chimney is no worse than many that are
routinely done without rope. A larger party would have provided a greater safety factor, but in this instance the actual course of events would probably have been no
better with a bigger group.
We could have obtained the key so that the bypass need not have been used, or we could have belayed the climb. In general, it would have been safer to have
avoided combining the physical strain and isolation of winter mountaineering with strenuous caving.
I would advise all cavers to carry strong painkillers as a routine precaution. It helps, in cave rescues, for the injured person to assist in his own rescue. Such drugs
as codeine may prevent the victim from being immobilized by pain alone. They may also permit correction of a dislocation by alleviating intense pain and relaxing muscle spasm. Such drugs must be obtained by prescription and should be used only in accord with medical advice as they may also impair alertness and
judgment.