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rock climbers at the top of a steep cliff

rock climbers on the side of a rock face

rescue volunteers at the edge of a river

St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 1 of 11

A popular climbing route called Superior Crack, at Palisade Head on the north shore of Lake Superior. Team member Devin Shaw picks off partner Campbell Bergstedt as topside personnel raise them up using a 9:1 Batwing hauling system.

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 2 of 11

Jarrid Johnson squeezes through the top of Superior Crack during a training evolution at Palisade Head on the north shore of Lake Superior.

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 3 of 11

A rigging pod christened Stubby gets quite a workout, serving as point of attachment for eight different system elements.

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 4 of 11

With Carter Nelson coaching, Sammi Good puts her “knees in the breeze” for the first time. The location is nearly a half-mile underground in the now-closed Minos Laboratory at the bottom of the Soudan Mine. The lab was located here, 2,341 feet (713 meters) underground to reduce contamination from the sun’s cosmic rays. Scientists still come here to study bats, mineralization, and a host of other experiments, so the St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad trains here in case they get into trouble.

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 5 of 11

Carter, left, goes cliffside to perform a pickoff on Kevin, below, as Dan coaches. Location is the West Tower Pit of the Soudan Mine complex, a 300-foot (91-meter) deep hard-rock hematite mine, operated from 1880 to 1962, now a state park. Mining shifted from open pit to underground operations in 1902.

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 6 of 11

Matt Graves lowers Rick Slatten safely to the ground using “Minimalist Archetype 3” during the last day of training with Reed Thorne.

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 7 of 11

Ascending on a rope is tough work, and Dan Hamilton has secured his place around the campfire after ascending 270 feet (82 meters) from the bottom of the West Tower Pit, all while hoisting a wrecked bicycle that a vandal tossed over the side. Ten feet to go!

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 8 of 11

Squad member Andy Paasch inspects the rigging before going cliffside as part of a rescue training scenario in Superior Crack at Palisade Head.

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 9 of 11

A shot of the hauling system being configured and tensioned during the rescue of a trapped canoeist at Basswood Falls in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on July 6, 2015.

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 10 of 11

Matt, left, simulates an anxious subject trapped on the cliffside as Carter prepares to pick him off. The orange tarp-like device that Carter carries is a Yates Rescue Triangle, which is basically a giant diaper harness that Carter will use to scoop Matt onto his system.

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St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad: No. 11 of 11

This is what US$3,800 in pulleys looks like. Lighter, stronger, and more efficient.

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