On December 27th, 2009, seven hikers on Quandary went well
beyond the call of duty to assist an injured man. The man was
"speed gliding", which means he was skiing down the mountain with a
small, foot-launched parachute, and he lost lift and crashed into
some rocks near the summit of the 14,000 foot peak. While the
Summit County Rescue Group scrambled to respond, these seven hikers
did everything they could to help the injured man. One of them
stabilized him and kept him warm while another made the 911 call.
Others came over to assist, and the group stayed with him while
waiting for rescuers. When three members of the rescue group were
flown by a Flight for Life helicopter to a spot 1500 feet below,
some of the hikers descended part of the way down to help them
carry up heavy medical gear. One of the hikers helped to set up an
anchor and run a belay station, and others actually helped carry
the litter for the first 1000 feet down the mountain.
You might think that anyone would have done the same for a person
in trouble, but at this point temperatures were below zero and it
was well after nightfall. The trail was slippery and dangerous, and
carrying the litter was difficult. Most of the hikers had been on
the mountain since early that morning, and it was after 9:00 pm
when they finally came down. One of them even separated from his
group in order to stay and help.
This week, citizen commendations were sent out from Sheriff Minor
to each of the seven hikers. They read, "Without your help, the
rescue would have taken hours more than it did. The citizens of
Summit County, the Summit County Rescue Group and the Summit County
Office of the Sheriff deeply appreciate your efforts."
Photo by Dale Atkins of Alpine Rescue Team