How a UAE mountain guide carried a collapsed hiker on his back for three hours to save her life

Dubai: An experienced trekking guide saved the life of a hiker who collapsed from severe heatstroke on the Stairway to Heaven trail in Ras Al Khaimah, carrying her on his back for over three hours down a steep and unforgiving route.

Faisi Shalmani, a licensed guide and founder of AFT Adventures, a hiking and trekking company, with over 15 years of experience, was leading a group of 16 hikers along the demanding trail in Ras Al Ashr village on April 25 when he was alerted to an emergency. A Filipina woman from another hiking group had collapsed.

The three-hour descent to safety

"When we reached her, she was having seizures and her body temperature was extremely high. We had to take action fast because a cardiac arrest could happen," Shalmani, a Pakistani expatriate who has lived in the UAE for almost 22 years, told Gulf News. He is also a search and rescue volunteer with experience handling similar incidents.

Without delay, Shalmani and his team began administering first aid. They soaked cloths and used frozen water bottles from his backpack to cool her body, while he coordinated with authorities for assistance. However, the group was in a remote, hard-to-reach section of the trail, making a helicopter evacuation impossible and delaying emergency response teams.

“After a few minutes of cooling her down, she regained some consciousness, but her speech was impaired. The outdoor temperature was exceeding normal body temperature, and her body temperature was even higher,” he said.

Faced with limited options, Shalmani made a split-second decision.

“We realised it would have to be a land rescue. Instead of waiting, I made a makeshift carrier using my backpack. We learn techniques where you can turn your backpack into a casualty carrier. Even for a grown adult, you can secure them on your back and carry them down.”

From 12:45pm until 4pm in the afternoon, Shalmani carried the woman on his shoulders down the steep trail. His team poured water over him continuously as they descended, ensuring he stayed hydrated and that the rescued hiker remained shielded from the sun. Slowly, painstakingly, they made their way down.

When they finally reached the bottom, an ambulance was waiting. She was taken to hospital, monitored for several days, and has since recovered. The woman requested to remain anonymous.

Safety advice: What you need to know before hiking this summer

Beyond the rescue itself, Shalmani is passionate about prevention and with the UAE's summer temperatures set to climb even higher in the coming months, he is urging hikers, particularly beginners, to educate themselves before venturing out.

"During this summer weather, I won't recommend people going to remote places to hike, especially if you are a beginner or not experienced," he said. "Hiking in summer should be completed before 9am. The best sun protection in scorching heat is loosely fitted, light-coloured clothing."

His advice for anyone planning a hike:

• Pre-hydrate, starting the day before -"Your hike preparation starts at least a day before you set out. Drink more than three litres of water the day before, so that when you're on the trail, you won't need to carry as much."

• Carry at least one litre of water per hour of hiking.

• Apply sunscreen, wear sleeve coverings, a hat, and sunglasses.

• Bring a whistle - Mobile signal can disappear entirely on remote trails, a whistle may be your only way to call for help.

• Freeze a third of your water supply - "At least one third of the water you bring should be in the form of frozen bottles to cool yourself down, and to keep your snacks from spoiling in the heat."

• Always hike with a licensed guide, particularly if you are a beginner, and go in groups.

• Know the signs of heatstroke - Headache, dizziness, blurred vision, and feeling faint are your body's warnings. "If you start to feel these, you need to stop your hike. Your body is telling you to stop the activity."

For those who have never hiked before, Shalmani recommends a simple but honest self-assessment. "Ask yourself a couple of questions before you go out. Do I know how long the hike is? If it's five kilometres, can I walk under the sun for the full duration? Test yourself, climb the stairs in your apartment and see how fast you go and how long it takes you.”

A rescue driven by memory and loss

For Shalmani, however, the act of carrying her was about far more than one rescue operation. As he climbed down that mountain with her weight on his shoulders, his mind was elsewhere, on another trail, another day, and a friend he could not save.

In 2020, Shalmani was part of a search and rescue mission on the Al Rabi trail in Khor Fakkan. He didn't know at the outset who they were looking for. It was only when he was already on the mountain that he learned the truth, the missing person was his friend, Mohamad Hajjar. It was Shalmani who found him.

"His memory was on my mind," he said quietly. "I do not want to lose anybody on the mountain. We can't lose a precious human life there. So that kept me going."

He still carries a shirt bearing Mohamad's photograph when he climbs. "I do this for his memory," he said.