European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 13, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Each year two medical experts of up a Camp on Alaska mount Mck Loloy to Monitor the it tilth of climbers advise meters on How Best to evacuate Alck or injured mountaineers and gather information on effect of High Altitude. I 5 s. By Bruce Bartley associated press Dan Harmon could be excused for looking slightly bewildered the Sacramento Calif Mountain climber was iwo thirds of the Way up Norih America s Lallos Peak in Alaska and there he was in the midst of a Quarter Myrion dollars Worth of sophisticated medical gear. Mountaineers just Don 1 expect to find Gas Analysers. Oxygen saturation die Corsand sensitive skin Lempera Uro sensors Al 14,000 Leet. Bul for the past seven years on mount Mckinley they have. The Denali medical Camp a combination research treatment 1aciliy, is the creation old. Peter Hackett an Anchorage emergency room physician and Rob Roach an Anchorage physiologist. Like hundreds before him Harmon was hurling when he reached the glacial Basin where the Camp is located. Headache nausea and vomiting indicated he was suffering from the sudden Onset of Mountain sickness. A conduct Rifle tests on Harmon and dispensing Medicine to alleviate his symptoms. Hackett added the data to the files that have made him one of the world s leading Altitude researchers. The Denali medical Camp is the Only Field research station it its kind in the country. The Only one that does similar work is in Periche Nepal in the Himalayas Al a clinic started by Hackett in 1974, 11 is a labor of love for Hackett and Roach both accomplished mountaineers. Each has reached the 20,3zo-Lool Summit of Mckinley eight times and Haskoll has Baen to the lop of mount Everest climbing the last Lew thousand feet of the world s highest Mountain alone. Each May Hackett and Roach Load several tons of food and equipment aboard us army helicopters and Fly to the Basin on the Mountain s West Plank. For iwo months they Monitor the i Vealla of climbers advise rescuers on How Besl to evacuate sick or injured mountaineers and gather information on the effects of High Altitude. We be had a a Emen Dous Impact on the Mountain Hackett said. The number of deaths due to Altitude sickness has gone irom Lou or five annually to none Lor the past live years he said. And the number of cases requiring he Copler  3 \. Evacuations has dropped sharply because of advice dispensed to climbers and treatment available for those who did not hear or did not heed Hackell said. We be saved the National Park service and he taxpayers a tremendous amount of Rescue Money Hackett said. Ralph Moore one of Thiec Park service mountaineering rangers agreed. I think the research is Superb. Hackett is a super person a climber a physician. He s a tremendous resource up hofe Moore said. The Park service takes pains to try id minimize the Impact of the Camp on the wilderness. But As Hackeit put it there is no wilderness experience on the Wesl  Hundred of climbers pass through the Camp on the most commonly used route to the Summit. As the next to Las sheltered camping spot below the Summit the Basin May be Home Lor As Many As 100 climbers at a time. Moore said there Are so Many people Al 14,000 feel that climbers just accept the Camp As part of the scene. As the Man responsible Lor rescues for a month each combing season Moore said he appreciated having a doctor on the Mountain to help make life saving decisions. Bui the Camp s primary purpose is research rather than providing medical care. And scientifically we be made some major contributions to High Altitude research Hackett said. Research by Hackell and Roach has Ted loan understanding of respiratory problems thai can cause illness at Alli Ludo and they have demonstrated the effectiveness of various drugs for treating Altitude sickness. They also have plus rated the dangers when exhausted climbers unable to sleep Al High Alluda Lake sleeping pills. The pills Stow less Iraklion. Compounding the shortage of oxygen. Lois of Little pieces is the Way Roach describes the Camp s findings. The cumulative knowledge is of More Impact than the specific  despite its significance the Camp Bardy scrapes by financially. This year Lor the Lisl Lime the Camp received adequate funding from various Grants Hackell and Roach say. For the Pas two years Hackett paid the expenses out of his pocket and paid Roach s salary. They charge climbers nothing. The Camp itself is uni posing. A few Hundred Yards Olf the main combing Trail sit two red tells resembling tuesday september 13, 1988 quonset huts. One is the Cook tent the other the  Camp workers live in cramped mountaineering tells. There is an array of solar panels and a Small wind driven Generator. Combined with a Small gasoline powered Generator and a Bank o batteries the Camp has enough Eccl Sicily to run digital electronic equipment and radios with enough left Over to Power Roach s stereo system. It plays what he describes As every kind of music known to  several dozen propane bottles provide heal to keep things from freezing on Requel nights when the temperature drops to 40 below Zero Hackett and Roach have to be survival experts medical wizards carpenters electricians and All around or. Fix its to get and keep everything running. This year s Camp was slightly More conspicuous with the addition of three Large tells belonging to the us. Army research Institute of environmental Medicine. Aware of Hackett 9 work the Institute s Alli Lude research division asked to accompany him this your Lor Field studies. The Institute maintains an Altitude chamber atop Pace s Peak in Colorado. Bui or. Capt j Allan Hamilton the physician in charge of the army project said Mckinney offered the perfect lab setting because cd the Large number of people exercising strenuously in severe High Altitude conditions. Haenelt o relationship Wilh the military dates Bach to his very if is Mckinlay Camp other than the world s relatively Small Mountain climbing Community the army is the Only group that has shown a consistent interest in High Altitude research he said. The army supports the research by using its specially equipped ch-47 Chinook helicopters to Terry the massive loads the Camp requires. As a Bonus Uio annual lights give the High Altitude Rescue team from Forl Wainwright valuable experience in the Tricky Art of flying in Mountain terrain. There s no Way to really study it Altitude sickness except in the mountains said Hamilton a reservist who was activated for the study. We saw it Hackett s Camp and the army s research goals As a marriage made in heaven or Al Leasell 4.000 Leel closer to  Bruch Bartley of the a s Anchorage Bureau climbed irom the Hackett Camp to 15,000 Leet and Suli ered Many symptoms of acute Mountain sickness. He recovered quickly on returning to 14,000 feel the stars and Stripe s Page 13