“We had the joy of meeting young Lilly, who blew us away with her maturity.”

From Stowe Mountain Rescue, via Compass Vermont

A father and his 11 year old daughter took a hike today up the Sterling Pond Trail. They’re spending the summer in each other’s company and the hike was something new for them. They made it to the beautiful high-elevation lake and were on their way back down when the father became incapacitated and was unable to continue.

Passersby stepped in to call for help, and it must have been an agonizing wait until Cambridge Fire’s medics arrived on scene. They were able to assess the father and provide some medical intervention that got him up on his feet and slowly moving downhill, with assistance.

Our team was called to bring in the litter, in case it was needed. As such, we had the joy of meeting young Lilly, who blew us away with her maturity. She was calm and positive, yet attentive to the details of what was going on with her dad. He needed to stop a few times and we put him in a harness with a rope tether to provide some assistance in the steep sections.

Lilly trotted ahead, chatting with rescuers but keeping him in sight. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up so was delighted to explore the ambulance that was waiting at the trailhead.

In the end, her dad made it down under his own steam and they were able to leave in their own car, Lilly sporting a Stowe Mountain Rescue cap that we couldn’t help but give her. We wish them a long summer of father/daughter adventures, but no more stressful ones.