Late in the evening of 11/17, AVSAR was requested to assist SAGSAR for a hiker in distress. The hiker had hiked to Willow Lake in the Sangre de Cristo range and was reported to be very cold, could no longer feel his feet, and could no longer walk. The hiker had set out the morning of 11/17 with the intention of camping at willow lake, but the five mile hike in took him 10hours.
After accepting the call to assist, the Incident Command Staff began requesting helicopter assistance to speed up the extraction process of the hiker. REACH 71, based in Alamosa, accepted the mission. Once on scene, around 0230 on 11/18, it was decided that first REACH71 would fly over the hikers location and attempt to land and extract the hiker, but the pilot could not find a suitable landing zone under NVG, and decided that inserting two AVSAR team members would be best. Two AVSAR team members were inserted at 0300 and arrived to the hikers location at 0330. They immediately began assessing the hiker and getting warm foods and liquids ready. The hiker was wearing all his layers, with trail running shoes and gaiters. He was showing signs of acute mountain sickness and was borderline hypothermic. The team members began warming the hiker with warming pads, hot liquids and a fire. After a few hours, the hiker greatly improved but still was not able to make the five mile hike back out of the field. The incident command staff then began requesting helicopter assistance, and also requested several ground team members to assist with a five mile carry out, if helicopter assistance was not available. Several teams from across the state accepted the request for assistance.
Once again, REACH 71 accepted the mission. If REACH 71 was not able to extract the hiker and the two AVSAR team members, Montrose Helitack was on standby to assist. At 1030, REACH 71 extracted the hiker from the field, where he was immediately assessed by the REACH71 medical crew. The hiker refused any medical care and stated he was feeling much better. Then, REACH 71 extracted the two AVSAR team members and the hikers camp/gear. All team members were out of the field and the mission concluded at 1200.
Things to take away from this mission:
Be prepared for ever changing weather in the Sangres.
Trail running shoes are not adequate in deep snow and freezing temperatures.
Know your limits!- if you are in over your head, know when to call a stop and turn around.
Have the proper gear for the environment you are in and know how to use it- the hiker had a stove, but when the striker on the stove did not work, he assumed it was broken. Had the stove worked, he could have possibly warmed himself enough to get out.
We cannot thank all of the responding agencies for their assistance and willingness to help on this mission.
Saguache County Search & Rescue
REACH Air Medical Services
Eagle Air Med
Colorado Search and Rescue Association – CSAR
Chaffee County Search and Rescue – South
Chaffee County Search and Rescue North
South Fork Fire Rescue
Custer County SAR
Western Mountain Rescue Team
Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office
Saguache County Sheriff’s Office