an unrelated note...

Local and national news has recently been focused on the successful rescue of 8 climbers on Mount Hood here in Oregon. The unofficial spokesman for those climbers is my friend Trevor Liston, who works with me in the Trauma ICU at OHSU. All of us at work are grateful that he and his fellow climbers are safe and sound, and that they planned well for the trip and knew what to do when they ran into trouble. Trevor apparently joined the group at the urging of a friend who wanted the benefit of his extensive experience mountaineering on Hood as this group practiced snow cave camping on the mountain. Little did they know that they would come to rely on everything they had trained and prepared for. And although I personally feel that pet dogs shouldn't be brought in the kind of conditions of a winter climb on a mountain like Hood, the presence of their dog Velvet helped save the lives of the 3 climbers who fell down a cliff (a fall of about 500 feet according to rescue team members). The top 2 things that were felt to have saved the lives of those 3 climbers who fell were their mountain locator devices and their dog Velvet. Add to that the quick thinking of all 8 of the climbers, and we have a successful rescue.

Trevor is a great nurse and a swell guy, full of fun and adventure, playful, smart, and caring. We're glad he is safe, and we're sure his expertise contributed to the many things that went right for this group. Way to go!