TCSAR's Wheeled Litter Keeps Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

During Old Bill's Giving Season, your support for TCSAR volunteers helps keep the backcountry safe

On May 29, Sara Kirkpatrick, a local teacher and mom, was hiking Josie's Ridge and carrying her 15-month-old boy. Like many of us, getting out on the trails is part of her lifestyle, especially as a way to cope with the stresses and uncertainty of the pandemic.
 

About halfway down the steep trail, she stumbled and broke her ankle. Her first reaction was to protect her child—he was fine. Unable to walk, she called 911, which sent Teton County Search and Rescue into gear. TCSAR volunteer Jon Wiedie was already mountain biking in the area, while team members Jenn Sparks and Alex Norton, who live nearby, began climbing the hill. Reinforcements arrived with other team members carrying the wheeled litter, one of the most innovative ways to carry an injured person over rugged terrain. 

It's used often in the summertime for hikers, bikers and people on horseback who become injured, including just last night on a rescue in Pacific Creek for a man who'd fallen from his horse.

With Josie's being popular and close to town, Kirkpatrick never thought she’d need a rescue there. Her husband soon arrived to care for their baby while the volunteers, who were wearing masks and other PPE, packaged her into the wheeled litter.

"It was scary because it’s steep and you have to let go," she said. "But you have to say, 'These two people have control of me right now.' What was kind of amazing is that Alex is my neighbor, and Sparks is a friend, so it was the community that I knew. I felt so supported."

TCSAR volunteers Galen Parke (back left) and Chase Lockhart grin and bear it during a recent photo shoot for Old Bill’s at the team’s hangar. Photo: Morris Weintraub

TCSAR volunteers Galen Parke (back left) and Chase Lockhart grin and bear it during a recent photo shoot for Old Bill’s at the team’s hangar. Photo: Morris Weintraub

TCSAR got its first wheeled litter a few years after the team’s inception in 1993. That litter had been designed by Jenny Lake climbing rangers. It was big and bulky, had a mountain bike tire, and weighed about 40 pounds. The team's current design came onboard about five years ago. Working with Cascade Rescue, a Sandpoint, Idaho-based company that designs SAR equipment, TCSAR volunteers devised a lightweight system for mountain travel. The model, called the Terra Tamer, weighs just over 15 pounds. It includes a titanium frame and fork system, a 4.25-inch fatty bike tire that rolls and bounces over rocks and roots, and disc brakes. The system can be transported in pieces, giving volunteers the option of carrying it to the patient and assembling it on scene.

On the move near the Ferrin’s trail summit. Photo: TCSAR

On the move near the Ferrin’s trail summit. Photo: TCSAR

Each summer, there are numerous instances when the wheeled litter comes into play. Now, it's often paired with the team's RZR, a side-by-side utility terrain vehicle that TCSAR refurbished to accommodate the litter. There have been some epics over the years, however, with the team transporting patients in the wheeled litter for several miles over extremely rugged terrain. 

You've also probably seen the team running the wheeled litter during the Old Bill's Fun Run. Though the run part of the event isn't happening this year, don't be surprised to see the team showcasing the wheeled litter in their own way—that is, running it hard and fast—to celebrate the spirit of the event.

The team uses the wheeled litter to carry a man to safety on a recent mission. Photo: TCSAR

The team uses the wheeled litter to carry a man to safety on a recent mission. Photo: TCSAR

Right now, you can let the volunteers know how much you appreciate their selfless dedication to helping locals and visitors in the backcountry by donating to Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation through Old Bill's. They are strong, dedicated and, yes, kind in their approach to keeping the backcountry safe. But they can't do it without your help.

Thank you for rolling with us and supporting TCSAR.