Will Soper, an EMT and technical rescuer with Burke Rescue Inc. and SAR – photo supplied to Outside as a courtesy of Mr. Soper
Experienced rock climber and father Jacob Gregory was dying. Experienced rock climber and EMT Will Soper wasn’t going to let that happen.
Gregory had fallen 20 feet down a rock face on North Carolina’s Shortoff Mountain, suffered a critical injury and needed immediate medical attention. Soper was part of the teams called in to rescue him.
At the time the accident happened, Gregory was leading an ascent with his son who called emergency services after he had fallen, while Soper was actually teaching a training course around 2 hours away.
Hearing the details of the situation, Soper headed to the mountain, knowing that with circumstances as they were, rescue personnel needed all hands on deck.
“The rescue occurred in a notoriously remote and challenging place to access,” Soper, who volunteers for Burke Rescue Inc. and SAR, a volunteer lifesaving unit serving central North Carolina, told Outside. “As soon as I heard the dispatch, I knew it would be a challenging rescue.”
First responders had already reached Gregory when Soper arrived in his car at the trailhead. They found him in critical condition with internal bleeding. Soper had already gone halfway up the mountain when he received word over his radio that the patient needed blood to replace what he was rapidly losing.
The EMT headed back down, packed blood bags into a cooler with extra ice and all the accoutrements needed for a transfusion before turning back towards the slopes, carrying them all the way in a backpack.
At 28 years of age with ample climbing experience on both ice and rock, Soper reached the point where rescuers had already set up a rappel down to where Gregory was located in just 30 minutes—gaining some 1,000 feet of elevation over a short 1.5 miles—a lung-busting feat of mountain athleticism.
“In all honesty, ‘run’ is a little bit hyperbolic,” Soper said honestly. “I maintained a fast hiking or jogging pace and made sure I didn’t stop for any breaks.”
When the Gregory was somewhat stabilized, he was transported to Atrium Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where his recovery status is uncertain. What is most definitely certain is that without Soper’s incredible physical conditioning and the truly impressive response time of the more than 20 agencies involved in the rescue, there wouldn’t be a ‘recovery’ status at all.
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Soper told Outside that the area where Gregory fell is one of the most common for rescues. Near the top of the mountain, climbers go around 200 feet up a rock scramble before reaching a rappel point where they will lower themselves down into Linville Gorge. There, they find the bottoms to most of the climbing routes.
“To every responder who answered that call: thank you,” Gregory’s family wrote on a GoFundMe page to help support them during his recovery. “You saved a life and brought a husband, father, brother, son, friend, and loved one to safety.”
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Soper didn’t waste any time in encouraging those who believe they are able to volunteer and become trained mountain rescue.
“If you read this and thought, I want to help, please contact your local rescue squad or search and rescue team.”
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