realistic rescue weather

Before work swallows me whole again, I thought I'd better send out this week's pic. This weekend there was a howling south-easter, as all Capetonians will know, with thick, racing, mist up on Table Mountain. What they don't know is that the weather was pre-ordered since it's not only some of my favourite sort, but it also happens to be pretty realistic rescue weather, and the MCSA Cape Town and Hottentot's Holland sections were running a mountain rescue training seminar this weekend. The three days we were up there were interesting and fun (maar dis 'n ander soort fun)  - learning some new techniques, honing old ones, scraping off the rust and somehow managing to keep from being blown down to Camps Bay... and of course we also enjoyed good food, wine and company in the shelter of our well-loved hut.

After a loud and lumpy night followed by very miff morning, the mists finally started to lift on Saturday afternoon and the team set off to "rescue" a "patient" from the bottom of Disa Gorge, using a highline/reeve. If you look carefully you will see the two teams on either side of the gorge, the track lines going across it, and two tiny blue figures at the end of the reeve line in the middle of the gorge.

More images at www.andynix.co.za/sar/mcsa08 or click here to view this image very large (1.7MB)