Summit County Rescue Group

In a strenuous all-night effort, the Summit County Rescue Group evacuated an injured man from near Mirror Lake, in the Northern Gore Range, on July 29^th.

The call came in at approximately 6:30 pm on the 28th, as the Group was conducting its regular Wednesday night training meeting.  Approximately 28 volunteer members responded directly from the meeting and staged at the Elliot Ridge trailhead.

The subject was a 78-year-old man from Alaska who was hiking with his 45-year-old son from Denver.  The man had slipped on a log and cut himself on a branch, and his son was able to make a 911 call from his cell phone.

The rescue was complicated by thunderstorms and periodic rain, and rescuers had trouble finding the subject during the night.  They finally camped for a few hours at about 2:00 am, and found him on the west side of Mirror Lake at 6:30 am.

Rescuers carried him as far as the wilderness border and then used an ATV and a wheeled litter carrier to bring him out, reaching the trailhead at about 1:30 pm.   He declined ambulance transport and was driven to the hospital by his son.

The hike was an annual one for the two experienced hikers, who were well-prepared for the backcountry.

Photo by Katie Menaugh of the Summit County Rescue Group

April 23, 2010-- The Summit County Rescue Group rescued a 22-year-old Minnesota man from the rock bands on the north side of Mount Royal last night.

At 4:00 pm on Sunday, February 28th, the Summit County Rescue Group received a 911 call from two snowshoers in the area of Boreas Pass/Baldy Mountain.

The rescue coordinator was able to make direct contact with the snowshoers via cell phone, and they stated that they were in a white-out and had become disoriented. Their intended route was to go from the Baldy trailhead up to the Iowa Mills mine site and then to the summit of Baldy Mountain, but when they saw lightning, they left their route for safety reasons.

23 volunteer rescuers responded during a heavy snowstorm and and began to search from both the Baldy and Boreas Pass trailheads, with some teams on snowmobiles and others on snowshoes or skis. The subjects were found approximately 3/4 of a mile north of Bakers Tank, at 7:45 pm. They were uninjured, and the mission wrapped up at approximately 9:00 pm

The Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG) responded to a request for assistance from Lake Dillon Fire Rescue (LDFR) at 4:30 this afternoon.

A car traveling east on I-70 towards Eisenhower Tunnel went off the road near mile marker 211, plunging approximately 300 feet down a steep embankment. The two occupants of the vehicle suffered only minor injuries.

Colorado State Patrol, CDOT, the Summit County Sheriff's Office and the Summit County Ambulance Service also responded to the call, along with two fire engines from LDFR and 24 volunteer rescuers from SCRG.

SCRG assisted by setting up a rope and pulley system called a 3 to 1 mechanical advantage system. Fire fighters and SCRG members descended the embankment and loaded both patients into litters, which were then pulled up the embankment using the uphaul system. The rescue operation was finished by 6:30 pm.

Photo by Katie Menaugh

The Summit County Rescue Group received a call at 2:00 am Tuesday for a lost hiker in the area of Keystone Ranch. The hiker, a 23-year-old local, was attempting to hike from a house in Summit Cove to his home in the Keystone area when he became disoriented and cold. He was ill-prepared for the weather, wearing only tennis shoes. He made a 911 call from his cell phone.

The Summit County Communications Center (dispatch) was able to calculate location coordinates for the hiker from his cell phone call. Rescuers staged at the end of the Keystone Ranch road, quickly located the subject, and evacuated him via snowmobile at approximately 3:30 am.

The hiker was lucky to have been able to get cell phone reception when he needed help.

The Summit County Rescue Group received a 911 call today for an injured ice climber in Officer's Gulch.

Two men were climbing a popular ice route called the Shroud, off Interstate 70 between Frisco and Copper Mountain, when one man fell from a height of about 40 feet. His companion called 911 at approximately 12:15 pm.

22 volunteer rescuers responded to the call. Team members were shuttled up the bike path via snowmobiles to the area of the Shroud, and evacuated the patient from the bottom of the climb via a toboggan. The patient was then transported to a medical facility by the Summit County Ambulance Service.

Photo by Shari Topping of the Summit County Rescue Group

At 2:30 this afternoon, a 911 call was received by both the Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG) and Vail Mountain Rescue (VMR) for injured snowmobilers on Lime Creek Road on Vail Pass.

25 rescuers from SCRG and VMR responded to the call and sent rescuers into the field via snowmobiles. The two patients were evacuated to the Vail Pass parking lot via covered litters pulled behind snowmobiles, arriving at approximately 5:40 pm. An ambulance from the Summit County Ambulance Service transported them to the Summit County Medical Center from there.

The two injured parties were from Florida and were driving rented snowmobiles. After their accident, they called the snowmobile rental company, which made the 911 calls.

The cause of the accident is unknown at this time.

Photo by Aaron Parmet.