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 29th.
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