BAKER CITY HERALD • SATuRDAY, ApRIL 30, 2022 A5
REGION
Survivors describe cold night in the canyon
BY KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
Editor’s note: This is the sec-
ond story in a two-part series
about three young men who
headed to the mountains south
of Pilot Rock on July 1, 2021.
Part 1 was published in the
April 2 issue. Their destination
was a swimming hole on West
Birch Creek above a cascading
waterfall. Braydon Postma, 23,
was the first to slip on a mossy
rock near the edge of the water-
fall. Cody Watson, 21, tried to
save him but also slipped, fol-
lowed by Kyler Carter, 23. All
three initially survived the fall
into the rocky canyon. Carter,
with two collapsed lungs and
missing his glasses, hiked out
for help.
PILOT ROCK — Braydon
Postma and Cody Watson lay
on their backs on a bed of cold
river rock. Postma had a bro-
ken leg, pelvis and arm. Wat-
son’s leg was shattered.
The two men and their
friend Kyler Carter had fallen
about 50 feet from a swim-
ming hole above a waterfall
and landed in the shallow,
rocky creek bed below. As dusk
turned to dark, they talked.
Their rescue, they realized, was
not assured.
Carter, with injuries to his
lungs and the loss of his eye-
glasses, had gone for help.
“Cody and I didn’t know if
Kyler had internal injuries or
something,” Postma said. “As
much faith as we had in him
to do it, we didn’t know if he’d
make it.”
The men, not able to move
and separated by the creek, re-
alized their situation was dire.
They concentrated about what
was important.
“We talked about family,”
Postma said. “We said we loved
each other. Cody talked a lot
about how he loved his mom
and his brothers and sister.
He talked about how much he
loved his friends, and Kaybob
and me.”
“Kaybob” was their nick-
name for Carter.
At one point, Watson half-
joked that it was so cold from
waterfall mist that he wished he
could come over and snuggle.
Both men cracked up.
After the sun rose high
enough to shine into the can-
yon and warm the air, they de-
Mary Otteson/Contributed Pphoto
Longtime friends Cody Watson, Braydon Postma and Kyler Carter pose for a photo after Watson and Carter
surprised Postma at his bootcamp graduation in January 2019.
created a helicopter landing
zone. Another team devised a
system of ropes in case a heli-
copter rescue wasn’t possible.
A National Guard Black Hawk
hoisted the two men from the
canyon bottom and flew them
to St. Charles Medical Center
in Bend.
Those who knew Watson
can’t quite believe he is gone.
“Cody was an exceptional
young man,” said Sharon
Gaines, his grandmother.
“Truly. He was our corner-
stone.”
Help arrives
It’s been a rough year for the
Midmorning July 2, Postma
family. Holli’s husband Kyle
heard voices above him. His
Hill died in September 2020.
voice was hoarse from yelling
The day of Cody’s accident was
back and forth to Watson, but Saying goodbye
Holli and Kyle’s first wedding
he grabbed a stick and banged
Postma spent almost two
anniversary since Kyle’s death.
it loudly on the ground to at-
weeks in the hospital while
“It was a beautiful hot sum-
tract attention. About half
Carter was released to heal at
mer day,” she said. “We were
an hour later, Postma’s father
home. Holli Hill postponed
supposed to be camping in
Adam Otteson appeared along her son’s memorial service
the mountains. All three of
with Carter, who had decided several weeks until both
those boys were supposed to
to return despite his injuries
friends could attend.
because of worry about his
On that day, three busloads be going to my camp for the
weekend.”
friends. Otteson rushed to the of soldiers from Watson’s Na-
Sharon’s husband Gene died
site after learning about the
tional Guard unit in the Wil-
fall. Postma couldn’t see Wat-
lamette Valley arrived in their this fall. As a boy, Cody and
son from where he lay, but he
dress blues, bringing with them his grandfather spent a lot of
time tromping around in the
and Carter soon learned their a Howitzer with the name
friend was gone.
Cody imprinted on the barrel. woods together, Sharon said.
“It was pretty terrible,”
Postma, a helicopter mechanic “I’m sure they’re in a duck
Postma said.
with the aviation unit in Pend- blind somewhere in Heaven
Paramedics reached the spot leton, said members of his unit telling stories.”
and attended to Carter’s and
also attended. Many had got-
Postma’s injuries. A U.S. Forest ten to know Watson, who was Gratitude to responders
Service fire crew from Ukiah
planning on joining the unit af-
Gaines, an insurance agent
dug trail to the bottom and
ter flight school.
and member of the Blue
cided to close their eyes.
“Let’s just get some sleep
while we can,” Postma remem-
bered Watson saying. “I think
that was the last thing he said.”
energytrust.org
Sharon Gaines/Contributed Photo
Cody Watson sports a sharpshooter medal he won in March 2020,
while deployed in Qatar.
Mountain Insurance Profes-
sionals, which recently donated
$5,000 to Umatilla County
Search and Rescue, thanked
the people who responded to
the fall.
“What most people don’t un-
derstand is that these people
are volunteering their time to
put themselves in harm’s way to
help our fellow citizens when
they’re in a bad situation,” she
said. “It’s a huge county that
goes from the desert to the
mountains and everywhere in
between.”
Carter and Postma also ex-
pressed gratitude to first re-
sponders.
“Search and rescue did a
really great job,” Carter said.
“They worked as a team. It
took a while for them to get
down there, but that’s because
of how hairy it was. They as-
sisted us all the way through.”
“It was very challenging,”
said SAR Supervisor Dwight
Johnson, who organized much
of the rescue operation. “It was
a narrow area, very hazardous.”
Not being able to rescue
Watson still bothers Johnson
even though he knows re-
sponders did all they could.
“It wasn’t the outcome I
wanted,” he said.
Carter still grapples with
guilt about not getting to the
pickup faster despite his inju-
ries and lost glasses. Gaines re-
jected that notion.
“The first time he saw me
(after the fall), he said, ‘I’m
sorry I failed,’” Gaines said.
“He didn’t fail in any way. He
was heroic.”
Postma has returned to
work and recently started run-
ning again. But even as his
body heals, his mind often
strays to Watson.
“Nothing will ever replace
him,” he said. “Part of Kyler
and I died up there with him.
That’s just how it’ll always be.”