← Real Survival Stories
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- [00:01]
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- [00:32]
Narrator
It's July 26, 2003, on a mountain in Wyoming. A major storm has just passed across the upper slopes. Wind whistles over the peak and the sky is austere and overcast. A low static hum can still be heard in the air and the smell of summer rain remains the lingering signs of the tempest that just assaulted this mountain. Now, in the aftermath of the storm, there is an almost eerie calm. It's just gone 4 o' clock in the afternoon. What sun is left is hidden behind gray opaque cloud cover. In the gathering gloom. Close to the summit, a tiny shape can be seen swinging against the vast rocky mountain face. It's the silhouette of a man dangling at the end of the climbing rope. But there is something not quite right about this image. The body is contorted, grotesquely bent out of shape, folded backwards around the pivot of the rope, limbs hanging limp either side. Something has gone horribly wrong.
- [01:49]
Rod Liberal
I just remember my head being really close to my foot for some reason and I'm folded in half. My left arm is dangling. I have no feeling in it. I have no feeling in my legs and my back hurts. I'm in excruciating pain.
- [02:07]
Narrator
27 year old rod Liberal is an experienced climber who until a few moments ago was comfortably approaching the top of Grand Teton, the tallest peak in this range. In a flash, he suddenly found himself in this twisted, terrifying position. What's gone wrong? How did he get here? Right now, that's a mystery. Pain pulsing through his body, Rod looks down to see he is suspended over a sheer drop. His climbing equipment hangs underneath him from a belt around his middle, putting extra pressure on his injured back, a grave decision presents itself.
- [02:51]
Rod Liberal
I remember unclipping my bag and just deciding like, do I let this thing fall? It's got my water in it, my food and my radio. But I think the pain was so overwhelming I did, I unclipped and I just remember seeing it fall away from me having this feeling of like, oh, what did I just do?
- [03:11]
Narrator
His vital rations disappear into the chasm below. Rod dangles over the precipice, totally Alone, with no sign of rescue and no way of saving himself, he feels almost totally paralyzed, unable to move more than a few inches. How long will the rope hold and how severe? By his injuries, everything hangs in the balance.
- [03:39]
Rod Liberal
So I start screaming. I started screaming for help and there was no response. So panic started to set in. I was in a really bad situation.
- [03:56]
Narrator
Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode, an extreme expedition, an unexpected storm and an unlikely bolt from the blue all combine to create the most horrifying of situations. Rod Liberal is a keen rock climber living in Idaho Falls in the western United States. In July of 2003, he is part of a group of 13 who set out to climb Grand Teton, the largest mountain in the Teton Range of Wyoming. But during the final ascent, something shocking happens which changes everything in a flash.
- [04:50]
Rod Liberal
The next thing I remember is darkness. Sense of falling, flying through the air and a sensation of confusion, not really knowing what's going on.
- [05:02]
Narrator
In the blink of an eye, Rod finds himself perilously suspended on the end of a rope with a deadly drop below. How did he end up here? Why can he barely move? And is there any hope at all?
- [05:17]
Rod Liberal
I'm on a slab that's completely exposed. I'm looking at a thousand foot exposure, really all around me. Couldn't see anyone. What just happened?
- [05:28]
Narrator
I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Podcast Network. This is Real Survival Stories. It's July 25, 2003. Birdsong bounces between the slopes of the Teton Mountain range. Below, fresh blue streams run through the valleys and above, glacier spotted peaks grow into the sapphire sky. Situated on the border of Wyoming and Idaho, the Tetons are a sub range of the more famous Rockies. Amid the vast undulating landscapes of green, gray and white, small human figures trek their way onwards. 27 year old rod Liberal breathes hard as he navigates a rock strewn, uneven path. Alongside him are his friends Justin and Jake. The mountains provide a dramatic, enriching backdrop as they travel. The Grand Teton national park is an enormous 300,000 acre ecosystem, relentlessly varied and visually stunning. The three men are in good spirits, but this is by no means a walk in the park.
- [07:03]
Rod Liberal
It was a super tough hike. We had, you know, 40 pound packs on and we were going through boulder fields and I remember it being physically grueling, probably the toughest thing I'd done up to that point.
- [07:18]
Narrator
For Rod, Justin and Jake, today's hike, tough as it may be, is just the preamble. As evening arrives, they meet up with a wider group of friends, fellow mountain enthusiasts, creating a combined party of 13. They pitch tents and make camp in the shadow of one particular mountain, the peak from which the park itself takes its name, Grand Teton. Everybody tries to get some much needed sleep. Tomorrow is the main event. At almost 14,000ft above sea level, Grand Teton stands alone as the park's tallest summit. And to scale it in a day requires an early start.
- [08:02]
Rod Liberal
We were waking up at 4am to actually finish the climb, so we didn't get much sleep that night. I think the adrenaline drove me. So we woke up really early to start our climb.
- [08:23]
Narrator
It's still pitch black as the excited hikers unzip their tents and crawl bleary eyed into the cool pre dawn air. Only their head torches cut through the gloom. Thirteen thin beams of electric light dancing across the rocky floor as they begin their ascent. Rod doesn't know everyone in the group all that well. In fact, he's meeting some of them for the very first time today, bonding as they navigate the tricky terrain heading towards Grand Teton.
- [08:55]
Rod Liberal
It was really tough. It gets steep pretty quickly. It was still nighttime, very cold, but we were really excited. I remember a lot of chatter in the, in the hike. This is really where I met Erica and the rest of the group.
- [09:11]
Narrator
As the sun begins to rise, so too does the nervous energy driving conversation. It becomes clear that Rod is one of the most experienced climbers in the party. They start arranging themselves into little subgroups, teams of three or four. Rod ends up with Clinton and Erica, a friendly married couple. With the mini teams decided and the sun now high in the sky, everything is set. The terrain starts to steepen and Rod launches himself into a challenge he's been building towards for some time.
- [09:50]
Rod Liberal
As far as climbing goes, you know, I've always been pretty adventurous even as a kid, so just trying to get up to places where most people don't get to was really appealing to me. Just trying to get away from civilization as often as we could. And I think that's really what attracted me was just to be out in nature.
- [10:10]
Narrator
Roderick Liberal was born in Brazil, but moved to the United States with his mother when he was 15. For a boy who had grown up in rural South America, attending high school in Boston was quite the culture shock.
- [10:23]
Rod Liberal
I was 15 years old, you know, and I was kind of just amazed.
- [10:27]
Narrator
At just being in the United States.
- [10:28]
Rod Liberal
And Boston at that time, coming from a real small town in Brazil, you know, growing up playing in the dirt and rivers, Boston felt completely different to me. It was some major see and must see and do.
- [10:44]
Narrator
But very soon, Rod found a passion that changed everything. It helped him to settle, meet people and push himself.
- [10:55]
Rod Liberal
I started rock climbing there with a really good friend of mine that I had met. We kind of became inseparable. I remember we took a class from a local guy to learn how to rock climb, and then he took us to the White mountains in New Hampshire. That's really what captivated me, was just being out in nature in the US for the first time and seeing the mountains and something I'd never seen before.
- [11:21]
Narrator
This proved to be more than just a phase for Rod. As the years passed, climbing continued to be a big part of his life. When he and his best friend went their separate ways for college, they stayed in touch and frequently reunited thanks to their shared love.
- [11:37]
Rod Liberal
He left to come out west to Utah and I went to Florida for university. But we kept in touch and he was always inviting me to come out west because this was the outdoor mecca. You know, a lot of rock climbing here, a lot of outdoor activities, snowboarding. So I think it was 98 I came out to visit with my then fiance.
- [12:00]
Narrator
Rod and his fiance settled in Utah, and by the end of 2002, we're expecting their first child.
- [12:06]
Rod Liberal
We were loving it here. It was really breath of fresh air, Quite literally coming from Florida, Miami to Salt Lake City. You know, wide open, no traffic, beautiful nature, the rocky Mountains here, stunning. So we were really excited to be out here.
- [12:23]
Narrator
But everything changed when Rod was unexpectedly made redundant without work in Utah. He was initially forced to take a job in Portland, Oregon to make ends meet. It was a plane flight away, a four hour round trip. Not the ideal situation with a heavily pregnant partner who needed rest at home. Thankfully, help appeared in the form of an offer from Idaho.
- [12:49]
Rod Liberal
It was, you know, a well paid job and they were going to pay for my move. And it was in Idaho Falls.
- [12:56]
Narrator
With a population of around 50,000 people, Idaho Falls was very different to Boston or Miami or even Salt Lake City. Rod had seemingly gone full circle and was now back to a more rural small town existence. But his ability to find like minded people was undimmed. In fact, by now he was getting rather good at it. He fell in with some guys he met in his new office. Outdoor enthusiasts and keen hikers. And their group expanded further to include family, friends and friends of friends until Rod soon found himself a key member of a growing and active climbing community. And as well as expanding his social horizons, the move to Idaho also brought him within touching distance of the state border with Wyoming and the Grand Teton National Park.
- [13:47]
Rod Liberal
The Tetons are stunning. If you ever get the chance to be up there, it's this beautiful valley, lush river cutting through it. It's really stunning. Stunning place. Majestic, really. So being up there with this group was quite the experience. I definitely wanted more of it.
- [14:12]
Sponsor Announcer 2
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- [14:48]
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- [15:20]
Narrator
It's around lunchtime on July 26, 2003. Rod and his climbing group are now well into their ascent of Grand Teton. The terrain becomes more and more difficult to navigate the higher they climb. In rock climbing parlance, everything becomes much more technically, the group start to use ropes, pulleys, carabiners. There is increased exposure to the elements. Altitude becomes a consideration.
- [15:50]
Rod Liberal
This is really kind of where things get a little more serious. You just, you're beyond just hiking. You're actually getting into a little bit more technical ground. You have to be more careful.
- [15:59]
Narrator
Soon the group arrives at Wall street, the name given to a flat catwalk of rock that runs parallel to the vertical face of Grand Teton. On one side. On the other side, there is a drop of approximately 1,000ft.
- [16:16]
Rod Liberal
Wall street is the point of no return. Once you pass Wall street, there's a move you have to do to get over around this big boulder. A real technical move you have to make around this boulder. So once you get around that, you kind of can't really come back.
- [16:33]
Narrator
Something else modern climbers have to get Used to navigating, especially on popular routes such as this, is human traffic. Because Wall street is a narrow ledge, the passage can only be tackled single file, which means there is quite often a queue, with climbers having to wait their turn. Today's no exception. Rod's gang find themselves waiting for a group ahead of them, taking their time to pass safely through this more complicated stage of the climb. Here at the foot of Wall street, with nothing to do but wait their turn on the ledge, the mood in the group slowly starts to shift.
- [17:12]
Rod Liberal
A lot of people were tired, and we had our day packs on, but we were still carrying gear, you know, ropes and carabiners and stuff. Erica was really tired. She was complaining her legs hurt. She really wasn't feeling like going on. I remember Clinton being the supportive husband. He is just being like, you know, we can do it. I'll help you. This is going to feel great when we're done. I know it's hard right now. Anytime you're doing anything like that, there's always someone at some point that needs a little motivation.
- [17:45]
Narrator
Rod's smaller group, made up of just him, Erica and Clinton have a decision to make. Did they keep going, or is this delay a sign they should turn back? Erica is unsure.
- [17:59]
Rod Liberal
I do remember talking to Erica and saying, hey, I'm here to help you. If you need, we can get you through these rough spots now, so hang in there. We decided to keep going. The weather looked great, so we did.
- [18:13]
Narrator
It's Rod's turn to tackle Wall Street. As he shimmies along the rocky pathway, the wind rushes up at him from the mountain valley, A yawning, exposed chasm dropping down for hundreds and hundreds of feet.
- [18:29]
Rod Liberal
Just walking through that slab with such big exposure, huge adrenaline rush.
- [18:35]
Narrator
And this is the easy bit ahead. At the end of the catwalk, a large boulder blocks the path. This huge rock juts out over the deep drop. The only way past is to belly roll around it. Rod approaches. Then he clings onto the boulder, hugs it close to his chest and straddles it so he can step across a gap in the ledge. Sweat trickling down his forehead, he steps directly off of Wall street, turning his back to the valley below. It's a huge test of coordination and mettle.
- [19:16]
Rod Liberal
The move at the end of it, you have to kind of do a little hop over this chasm around this boulder, and it's super thrilling. And one of those things that you're like, oh, my gosh, I don't know if I can do this.
- [19:29]
Narrator
Hands on the boulder, he Leaps across the gap, and for the briefest of moments, he is levitating over the Teton Mountains, floating at several thousand feet above sea level before he lands his front foot safely back on solid rock.
- [19:48]
Rod Liberal
Once you get through it, it was a big win, let's say, for the group that morning. To get past Wall.
- [20:01]
Narrator
With this major obstacle conquered, the focus of the climb turns to what's known as the V pitch, also referred to as the friction pitch. This is the business end of the ascent, where the top of the mountain is within a climber's sights. But now it's mid afternoon, and what had been a perfect day for climbing is beginning to. At first, it's subtle. The clouds grow slightly darker. The breeze picks up. There is some moisture in the air, one or two drops of rain on the wind. Nothing really. But in the mountains, the weather can utterly turn in the blink of an eye.
- [20:42]
Rod Liberal
I do remember the mood had definitely changed. We had gotten a little bit of a drizzle. The temperature dropped to the 30s.
- [20:52]
Narrator
It feels like dusk has arrived early. The skies go from gray to black. And as Rod, Erica and Clinton prepare to tackle the friction pitch, the heavens open. They will now be facing this final approach in the wind and rain. Not only that, but having lost time waiting to clear Wall street, they also risk running out of daylight before reaching the top of the mountain.
- [21:19]
Rod Liberal
I don't know if it was a bit of a dread that we had that, you know, something bad could happen, but I do remember everyone just being more quiet, being a little bit more nervous, and there was definitely a sense of urgency to get out of there.
- [21:35]
Narrator
Friction pitch. Near the top of Grand Teton is a solid wall of gray granite rock, essentially vertical, but with just enough jagged edges to allow climbers to pick out a path to the summit. Scaling it requires some complex rope work, so once again, the group must ascend one at a time.
- [21:56]
Rod Liberal
The friction pitch was wet, so you can imagine it was extremely slippery and difficult. This was definitely a more technical climb.
- [22:07]
Narrator
Clinton goes first, mapping a route up the wall and establishing anchors that Erika and Rod will shortly follow. Erica goes next. Rod watches her scale the face with relative ease, soon reaching her husband on a ledge that looms directly over his head. There they wait for Rod, about 50ft above him in horizontal rain. Rod approaches the rock and starts to follow the couple's guide ropes up the mountain.
- [22:38]
Rod Liberal
I start climbing and tough climb. I remember, you know, your fingers are freezing at that point. You're cold from the weather and from the fear a little bit. And I get about halfway up the friction pitch. And I just remember the wind hitting me and this feeling of like, oof, I kind of want to get out of here, you know?
- [22:59]
Narrator
A relentless barrage of gusts hammers into Rod. He does all he can to keep himself steady, to keep inching his way upwards, one hand in front of another. And then there's something else in the air. An electrical hum vibrates on the breeze. Rod stops taking stock.
- [23:24]
Rod Liberal
I just remember my heart pounding at that point. Like if I fall here, I'm falling a long ways, you know?
- [23:31]
Narrator
But there is little else to do at this point other than carry on. Deep breath, focus. And Rod resumes his climb. Just then, it happens. From the sky over his head, there is a flash. The clouds crack with a deafening bang. A blinding explosion of light and heat, and Rod is suddenly weightless.
- [23:59]
Rod Liberal
The next thing I remember is darkness. A sense of falling, flying through the air and not really knowing what's going on.
- [24:14]
Narrator
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- [24:43]
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- [24:45]
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- [24:48]
Narrator
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- [24:54]
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- [24:55]
Rod Liberal
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- [25:03]
Narrator
It's just after 4pm on July 26, 2003, and near the top of the Grand Teton Mountain in northwest Wyoming, Rod Liberal hangs limp on the end of a climbing rope. With the summer sun low in the sky, his contorted body rests against the rock face almost 14,000ft above sea level, swaying and bouncing against the granite wall. Somehow, he has been blown horizontally around the mountain and has dropped around 30ft. His descent was brought to an abrupt and violent end when the rope around his waist pulled taut. But Rod doesn't remember any of that.
- [25:50]
Rod Liberal
The first clue I had was just slamming against the wall. And I remember chipping my tooth again. I couldn't see anything, but I remember the feeling of this grittiness in my mouth and thinking, okay, I'm still alive. What just happened?
- [26:09]
Narrator
Folded backwards, belly up, Rod is completely discombobulated.
- [26:16]
Rod Liberal
I just remember my head being really close to my foot for some reason, and I'm Folded in half. My left arm is dangling. I have no feeling in it. I have no feeling in my legs. What do I do next? What is our situation? Where am I? Where's everybody else? I couldn't see anyone. All of a sudden, this sharp pain on my back, my lower back. So immediately I'm like, well, I guess I broke my back. I'm in excruciating pain.
- [26:48]
Narrator
Dangling like a rag doll, almost completely immobile. The only thing between Rod and certain death is the climbing rope that until moments ago, he was using to scale the mountain.
- [27:00]
Rod Liberal
I remember grabbing onto the rope with my right hand. Left arm is dead. Couldn't use it and trying to pull myself up into a sitting position and I just couldn't do it. I was so weak and my body just wasn't responding properly, you know, I think the first sense of dread really came from that assessment of just, I'm in a lot of pain and I can't move half my body.
- [27:30]
Narrator
Rod lays back down, drifting in and out of consciousness. In lucid moments, the pain hits hard and all encompassing. Plus the mystery remains. What on earth happened? It's not long before Rod gets his answer. The radio on his backpack crackles. A voice fizzes through the receiver. It's one of the climbing group speaking in strained, panicked tones. And at this point, there is a shocking revelation.
- [28:04]
Rod Liberal
I heard someone say, mayday, we've been struck by lightning. We need help.
- [28:11]
Narrator
At the top of Grand Teton, a lightning strike has crashed down from the heavens and reverberated through Rod and his climbing group, causing havoc. Rod has taken a direct hit from one of the most powerful forces in nature. A bolt of lightning can contain up to 1 billion volts of electricity and is five times hotter than the surface of the sun. It's little wonder the strike has left him totally broken and disorientated.
- [28:41]
Rod Liberal
I don't remember being hit. I just remember being on the wall and then flying through the air. That was the next thing. In darkness. I had no idea we'd been struck by lightning. I couldn't reason it, you know, it just doesn't makes sense. Like, you don't imagine that's what happened.
- [28:57]
Narrator
Rod sways on the rope, trying to piece everything together. It seems impossible, unreal. And then another voice on the radio hammers home the reality of the situation.
- [29:14]
Rod Liberal
I heard someone calling on the radio saying we had one person deceased. I remember hearing that, not knowing who it was obviously, and really sinking into that feeling of like, okay, this is serious, like, this was really bad.
- [29:36]
Narrator
One person deceased. The words are chilling. The group is scattered up and down the mountainside, making it impossible to know who exactly is hurt and how badly. Confusion reigns on Grant Teton. For now, all Rod can do is try to improve his own dire predicament. He looks down to see his leg is horribly tangled in his climbing rope, wrapped so tightly around his upper thigh that the limb is going numb. Worse still, the intense pain in his back grows and grows. He'll need to alleviate it somehow. Perhaps jettisoning some of his burdensome kit will help.
- [30:21]
Rod Liberal
I remember unclipping my bag and just deciding, like, do I let this thing fall? It's got my water in it, my food, and my. My radio. But I think the pain was so overwhelming that I did. I unclipped. And I just remember seeing. Seeing it fall away from me, having this feeling of like, oh, what did I just do?
- [30:43]
Narrator
It's a snap decision, and it may come back to bite him later. Rod hangs in the sky, a tiny dot against an imposing, unfeeling mountain. With his radio now lost and his body stricken, there's only one thing he can do.
- [31:01]
Rod Liberal
I start screaming. I started screaming for help, and there was no response. Panic started to set in. I was in a really bad situation.
- [31:21]
Narrator
It's approaching early evening, and Rod remains in stasis, hanging from the end of a rope off the side of Wyoming's Grand Teton. Thick cloud cover has brought a picture premature darkness overhead. His cries for help are met with nothing but silence. How long can he endure this? The pain is intense, and he is deteriorating rapidly.
- [31:51]
Rod Liberal
I was just getting weaker and weaker. I think it was getting to a point where I couldn't move anymore. I was losing my eyesight, you know, passing out and coming back.
- [32:02]
Narrator
Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours. But then eventually, he hears something.
- [32:14]
Rod Liberal
First sign that we were getting help that I heard was a helicopter. Don't have a lot of sense of time at that point, but I learned later I was hanging there for about a couple hours to three hours was when I first heard the helicopter come by. And I remember the excitement of hearing it. Just this feeling of, like, oh, finally, like we're. We're getting out of here, you know?
- [32:39]
Narrator
After hours of overwhelming pain and deafening silence, Rod lays back, closes his eyes, and listens to the blade spin, cutting through the mountain air.
- [32:50]
Rod Liberal
There's this overwhelming noise, really loud. They must have been really close to us.
- [32:57]
Narrator
But then this moment of hope is quickly dashed. The helicopter, having gotten so close to Rod, turns around in the dusky sky and flies Away.
- [33:10]
Rod Liberal
Just the dread of hearing it fly away was just like, do they not see us? I'm never getting out of here.
- [33:18]
Narrator
What Rod doesn't know is that a whole saga has unfolded within the circling helicopter. Seeing his grotesque, limp body hanging on the rope, the pilot initially believed Rod to be dead. It was only when one of the rangers in the chopper spotted the slightest twitch of Rod's fingers that they realized he wasn't. However, it was still apparent that no rescue was possible from this position. So the team took photographs and headed back to base to formulate a new plan. But Rod, of course, is unaware of all of this. All he knows is that what seemed his one and only chance of rescue has just turned its back on him.
- [34:01]
Rod Liberal
When you realize there's no help coming, you can't get out of this situation, and you feel yourself getting worse. You know, you feel your body shutting down, and you come to terms with the fact that you are going to die. It's looking pretty grim. You kind of accept it, and there's a peace that comes with it, I think.
- [34:29]
Narrator
Rod enters a strange, surreal holding pattern. Drifting in and out of lucidity, pain hitting him in waves. A strong sense of contemplation grips him. A mere three months ago, he became a father to a son named Kai.
- [34:53]
Rod Liberal
It was just me and this. With this rope. And on this cliff, you know, feeling really cold and exposed and thinking about Kai, just thinking about this kid I had at home. There was a moment of, I'm just gonna hang on to these memories of my kid that's a little peaceful. Almost.
- [35:16]
Narrator
Finding himself tempted towards a deep and dangerous sleep, Rod suddenly jerks awake. He hears a voice he recognizes. It's someone from the climbing group. It sounds like Clinton. He and Erica were climbing just above him when the storm hit.
- [35:37]
Rod Liberal
I couldn't see where they were, and I. I wasn't sure if they could hear me. I want to say it was Clinton's voice saying, you know, hey, Rod, hang in there. We're coming out to get you.
- [35:47]
Narrator
At this point, Rod's son becomes more than just a comforting thought. He becomes a motivation.
- [35:54]
Rod Liberal
I knew that I had a lifetime of adventure planned for this kid. All I thought about was, man, I can't wait to take him rock climbing and camping and hiking, and there was no way I wasn't going to be there to see him grow up.
- [36:19]
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- [36:47]
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- [37:20]
Narrator
While Rod clings on around a mile away, a rescue plan is being formulated. Studying photos of Rod taken from their helicopter earlier, the search and rescue team can be under no illusions as to how severe and dangerous this situation is.
- [37:39]
Rod Liberal
When they first spotted me, they nicknamed me the Folded man because apparently I was folded in half. It was gnarly looking.
- [37:51]
Narrator
With the daylight fading, there's no time to lose. They have to get back to the slopes before it's too dark to attempt a rescue. Ranger Craig Holm will be in charge of the elaborate mountainside recovery. With a plan in place, the team launches into action and heads back to Grand Teton. By this time, Rod has now been hanging from the rope for four hours. Four hours since he was struck by lightning. Four hours of terrible pain. In the dwindling light, his numb, tangled limbs sway and twitch in the void. He has done all he can to keep going, but he is right on the brink.
- [38:37]
Rod Liberal
There was a point where I really was scared of like, this is it. I don't think I'm gonna make. Got pretty dark mentally before Craig got there.
- [38:50]
Narrator
Suddenly, as if from nowhere, rescuer Craig Holm appears at his side. Rod looks up to see an elaborate pulley system has been rigged on the friction pitch. Craig gently lowers and positions himself next to the stranded cross climber.
- [39:10]
Rod Liberal
I felt a presence next to me. I felt this voice next to me like, hey, Rod, you know we're here to help you. Just hang tight.
- [39:19]
Narrator
Hang tight is pretty much all Rod's been able to do for the last four hours. But having another human being at his side changes everything.
- [39:29]
Rod Liberal
First thing that I remember coming out of my mouth is I've had three my thoughts, time. And Craig was just this real soft spoken dude. I, I heard zero panic in his voice, you know, and he started asking me questions about Kai. He's like, oh, tell me about your son.
- [39:46]
Narrator
Craig performs some basic medical checks. It's obvious Rod is in a bad way. They need to get him off this mountain as quickly as possible. Darkness is closing in. If they miss the chance to be safely helicoptered out of here, they'll be spending the night on the mountain. That's time Rod doesn't have. But still, his injuries are so complex, they'll have to maneuver him very carefully.
- [40:15]
Rod Liberal
Yeah, I could feel like my body moving and then once the other rescuer came down, a lot of jostling around and pulling and pushing. And then I felt the bed, you know, the dirty kind of being shoved under me a little bit on my back. I do remember the feeling of being horizontal. Finally. I do remember that relief of not being bent backwards anymore.
- [40:41]
Narrator
Now attached to a specially adapted gurney, it takes a team of rescuers a full hour to raise Rod inch by inch to a point on Grand Teton from where he can be airlifted away. It's a monumental effort.
- [40:57]
Rod Liberal
The greater picture of this rescue is incredible to me because it took a lot of people to get us out. These people are out there putting themselves in danger.
- [41:07]
Narrator
Finally, after a grueling 50 foot climb up the side of the friction pitch, Rod and his rescuers make it to the rendezvous point. With shadows lengthening across the slopes, his stricken body is attached to the helicopter in the nick of time.
- [41:25]
Rod Liberal
There were 20 minutes left by the time they pulled me off from the cutoff. So 20 minutes more, I would have had to spend the night. Most likely I wouldn't be here talking to you right now.
- [41:40]
Narrator
You may have made it off the mountain alive, but Rod's battle for survival is far from over. Even getting to the hospital is, at this stage, not a given.
- [41:51]
Rod Liberal
When they put you on the line with the helicopter, you're, you're hanging from the helicopter on that gurney. They fly you down. Usually you're by yourself, but because of how I was, Craig attached himself to the line and he rode down with me. And he told me later that he, he remembers feeling like 50, 50 chance that I wasn't going to be alive by the time they touched on.
- [42:21]
Narrator
It's three weeks later in a hospital bed in Salt Lake City, Rod opens his eyes. A large machine by the side of his bed monitors his heart rate via a clasp attached to one of his fingers. An oxygen mask covers his mouth and nose. Rod blinks slowly, his eyes unnaturally heavy. He's waking up from a medically induced coma. When he first arrived at hospital, his internal injuries were substantial. His kidneys failed completely, shutting down, requiring weeks of dialysis. He had a Collapsed lung, which meant a tracheotomy and a ventilator were needed to help him breathe. Plus, he suffered a fractured leg, which caused severe swelling, and he had hemorrhaging in his hip and pneumonia. The lightning strike and subsequent fall battered him inside and out.
- [43:24]
Rod Liberal
I had second degree burns all over my body. And after I woke up, the treatment for that is they put a lot of fake skin on you, but you also have to do daily scrubbings and washings. And it's really painful, extremely painful.
- [43:42]
Narrator
And yet for Rod, the most devastating part of his recovery has nothing to do with his physical state.
- [43:49]
Rod Liberal
I'm waking up three weeks later. I still don't know exactly what happened. I still don't know who died. I don't know the extent of everybody else's injuries. I'm just waking up to this nightmare again, you know, three weeks later, and I learned Erica had passed away.
- [44:12]
Narrator
Erica Summers, 25 years old, a wife and a mother, tragically died on the mountain. The same lightning bolt that struck Rod killed Erica instantly.
- [44:25]
Rod Liberal
I heard the term before survivor's guilt. I never understood, but the main thing I could think about was me telling her to keep going on the climb, you know, when she wanted to turn around.
- [44:38]
Narrator
Rod soon spends time with Erica's husband, Clinton, who apportions no blame for what happened.
- [44:45]
Rod Liberal
Clinton came down to visit me in the hospital right after I woke up. He was so calm and tender about the whole thing, you know, just a good freaking guy. But I just remember crying and apologizing over and over, and that kind of never went away, to be honest.
- [45:07]
Narrator
After waking up from his coma, Rod embarks on an arduous journey of recuperation. Despite the huge trauma to his back, he works hard at his physio for three months. And in September of 2003, he walks out of hospital using a cane. The same mental resilience that had helped keep Rod alive whilst hanging off the side of Grant Teton now literally helps him get back on his feet. He uses it to slowly move forward with his life, to build up his strength and get back out there.
- [45:43]
Rod Liberal
I definitely didn't let it stop me. I started running. That really helped with my physical therapy. It was really psychological exercise for me to run, and that helped me get back into everything. I started playing hockey again. I got back into climbing. I went on to get my scuba license and skydiving license and do really enjoy life.
- [46:08]
Narrator
But moving forward does not mean forgetting what happened. His experience on Grand Teton is a part of him now.
- [46:15]
Rod Liberal
It's with you all the time you're always thinking about death. And I think in a way you can let it get you down, but in a way it can kind of fuel you to realize that, you know, and be like, today could be my last day. What are we doing this weekend? You know, what are we doing today? What are we doing tomorrow? Where's the next adventure? The group from the Tetons did a return trip the year after. I couldn't make it physically, but I went back two years later. I went back to where everything happened. I got through the friction pitch and I saw where Erica died. And then we summited. It was very emotional.
- [46:53]
Narrator
On a ledge close to the top of Grand Teton Mountain, a memorial now marks the spot where Erika lost her life. For Rod, along with other injured members of his climbing party, the fact that they survived to tell their and Erica's story is thanks to the 45 strong team of park rangers and emergency workers who performed a miraculous mountain rescue one Summer's Day in 2003.
- [47:20]
Rod Liberal
There was a guy that was a reporter and he had been following those guys for like three years and he did a little movie he put together about they're training. And Andy Byerly was one of the rescuers. He had come down to visit me in the hospital a couple times. Amazing person, sweetest guy you'll ever meet. And he told me that they were going to showcase this movie at the high school in Jackson. It was pretty quickly after I got home and I said, I'm going to be there. And he said all the rescuers were going to be there, everybody was going to be there, you know, that whole ranger group. And I said, I'm not missing this for the world, you know, I want to meet Craig. I want to meet everybody. I remember walking up to the back of the school and there was a big door and there were a bunch of people mingling. I didn't know anyone except for Andy, you know, didn't know what they looked like, these angels, you know. And this kid turns around and I say, kid? Cuz he looked so young, you know. And it was Craig Holmes. Pretty, pretty special. Ner I met everybody. I met the pilot that got us down. He picked up Kai in his arms, you know, and getting to, to meet everybody and getting to thank them personally and getting to show them, you know, like, this is what you guys did. This is my family, this is my kid. So it was really special being, being there.
- [48:43]
Narrator
Next time on Real Survival Stories, we meet Tom Booth, a young man who roams far from his native England to discover dazzling tropical beauty above sea and below. In 2015, Tom is working as a cruise director on board a yacht in Micronesia, guiding divers down to spectacular naval ruins at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. But when a typhoon blows in, he and his crewmates become vulnerable to the devastating power of nature. A fearsome storm looks certain to condemn every last one of them to the bottom of the ocean. And when the captain becomes incapacitated, it falls on Tom to step up to help himself and his crew. That's next time on Real Survival Stories. You can listen right now by joining Noiser Plus. Click the banner at the top of the feed to get started.
- [49:38]
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- [50:09]
Narrator
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