Hiking adventure cements friendship

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Angela Eggman
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Airman 1st Class Chas Kabanuck will be honored by the American Red Cross on Nov. 21 for his heroism after saving the life of his new friend in mid-February.

Kabanuck and Airman 1st Class Ryan Dean had only been friends for two weeks after they met during their four weeks in McChord's first term airmen's center. Kabanuck is assigned to the 62nd Maintenance Group's fabrication flight here and Dean is assigned to the 5th Air Support Operations Group at nearby Fort Lewis.

The two new airmen decided to go hiking on Eagle Peak at Mount Rainier.

"It was a beautiful day," Dean said. "We had climbed almost all the way to the top -- about 7,300 feet by noon -- we ran into snow, and we stopped for lunch. It was getting cold, so we decided to go back down."

The airmen descended, but about a third of the way down they came upon a ledge. Kabanuck did not feel comfortable continuing on that path. Dean, however, felt differently.

"(Dean) is pretty experienced as a hiker," said Senior Master Sgt. Paul Apodaca, fabrication flight chief. "I think (he) thought he was within his capabilities."

They separated -- Kabanuck to the right and Dean continuing on the path ahead. Within a few minutes Kabanuck heard a booming thud.

"I called out to him," Kabanuck said. "I went back, and I didn't see him."

Dean had stopped on the ledge to take a breather and it gave way.

"I fell about 85 feet vertically," Dean said. "It felt like forever."

Dean’s combat-controller training saved his life, officials said. As soon as he began falling, Dean positioned himself into a parachute-landing fall that is performed in one smooth, fluid motion, allowing maximum distribution of shock over the entire body upon impact.

"There was about a 3-percent chance of survival," Dean said. "When I hit, I dropped onto a boulder." His head barely missed the boulder, he said.

"I couldn't breathe," he said. "I knew I had a head injury, so I rolled over and off the boulder. My right foot was touching my right knee. I straightened my leg and set it. Then I put my feet up."

When Kabanuck heard no reply from his friend, he began climbing down the area where the ledge had been. Once he spotted Dean, it took nearly 20 minutes to reach him.

"I could see his leg was wounded," Kabanuck said. "It was his only obvious injury. Other than that, he looked perfectly normal. … Within five minutes, he started to get really pale. I didn't try to move him."

Instead, Kabanuck gave him as much food and water as possible and set out to find help.

"I was in shock," Dean said. "(Survival) training teaches you to remain calm and drink lots of water."

Kabanuck climbed down the mountain through more than a mile of dense growth, leaving markers along the trail, so he could find his way back.

When he reached an inn near the base of the national forest, he called the ranger station. A ranger met him within 15 minutes, and they began their way back up the peak.

Meanwhile, Dean stayed awake planning what he would have to do to get off the mountain should his friend not return. He applied his own field dressing and waited. Two hours passed before help arrived.

"I knew he was in a lot of pain and really cold, but I never thought he wouldn't make it," Kabanuck said.

Upon searching for Dean, the ranger found that the batteries in his radio were dead. While the ranger began first aid, Kabanuck went back down the mountain again to relay information and guide other rescuers to the location.

"He had to keep going back and forth to show people where to go," Dean said.

Kabanuck made his way up and down the mountain six times.

"(Kabanuck’s) bravery that day doesn't surprise me," Apodaca said. "Airmen go through a lot of training. They are trained to think on own their own."

In total, the rescue took nearly 14 hours.

"The hardest part of the rescue was getting him down the mountain on a gurney and crossing the river," Kabanuck said. "It was a steep climb down."

Dean had broken his left ankle, right leg, right hip and bones in both feet. He also damaged his spleen, tore ligaments in his knees, had internal bleeding and was hypothermic. He spent 33 days in the hospital and has returned several times for a total of 42 days.

He has also been through 10 surgeries and received 700 stitches, 100 inches of staples, three plates and 14 metal screws. Dean still waits to find out if his hip is healing correctly or if it must be replaced. He also faces the possibility he may have to retrain from his physically demanding job.

"For Airman Dean's sake, I wish he had never had to go through the pain," Kabanuck said. However, Kabanuck said the experience has enlightened him.

"It proved I could actually handle a situation like that. It was a heck of an experience I'll never forget," he said. (Courtesy of Air Mobility Command News Service)