We were a group of three, gearing up for the Mt Pembroke SkiMo adventure in late September after two storm cycles. We were all excited for the upcoming journey, starting with a challenging kayak from Milford Sound to Thurso Creek beach by the Tasman Sea. The shore break, with waves reaching 2 meters high, made our landing tough, and to add to the challenge, one of us lost our skis when the kayak tipped over.

Undeterred, we continued on foot, bush-bashing through Thurso Creek with heavy packs and skis for a solid six hours. The journey took an unexpected turn when we faced a steep and muddy bluff, making our path more difficult. That’s when Dave, a member of our group, encountered a tricky situation—he slipped on the terrain, tumbling about 7 meters down towards a rock shelf and rolling another 5 meters into a gulley, stopped only by young trees. Though he responded well, Dave had a concussion and seemed a bit confused. Concerned for his well-being, we decided to halt our journey, setting up camp for the night in a nearby flat spot, even though water was scarce.

Come morning, with the challenges ahead, we activated emergency devices—one being my PLB ResQLink 400, and Dave used his PLB to contact his rescue mate in Te Anau. Waiting patiently for rescue, we were relieved when a helicopter spotted us through a small window in the thick bush. They hovered above, winching down a rescue crew who happened to be Dave’s friend. After assessing Dave’s condition, they winched him up first, along with his heavy pack, and headed to Invercargill Hospital. The rest of us turned around, heading back to Milford Sound.

In the end, we learned that David had a partial cervical fracture. Calling for rescue turned out to be the right decision, and we were glad to get him out of the challenging situation. Though our mission faced setbacks, we remained resilient, knowing that safety comes first in the great outdoors.