View Full Version : Hiking in shorts and tank top, dog in tow, and needin' a rescue
Gotta think that Darwin was robbed on this one.
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/09/16/hikers-rescued-colorado-indian-peaks/
FreeGoldRush
09-17-2018, 08:18
They called for a rescue at 5:30 pm? That sounds early in the day to begin to panic. What was the weather like?
illabelle
09-17-2018, 09:21
This was pretty interesting from among the comments on the article:
A few decades ago, I climbed up an ice chute to the top of Handies peak near Silverton along with some other technical climbers and as we sat atop the peak eating our lunch on a beautiful partly cloudy July day, we watched a pair of lightly dressed summer strollers and their dog coming up the easy trail from the south. We soon also noticed our hair starting to stand up on end and our pack frames and climbing axes starting to buzz so we immediately dumped our lunches, grabbed our gear and fairly flew back down the ice chute we just climbed. Within 30 to 45 seconds of our rapid departure from the peak, a bolt of lightning hit exactly where we had sat. To this day I swear I can hear the faint yelp of a dog about a millisecond before an explosively loud thunder-clap when I think back on it. I can only assume the dog got to the top of the peak and was sniffing out our dumped lunches with it's owners just a few paces behind. We never did go back because within minutes it started raining which quickly turned to snow. Moral is: Be prepared for anything all the time when out in the mountains.
Hikingjim
09-17-2018, 09:32
"it was warm on the bottom!"
colorado_rob
09-17-2018, 09:54
They called for a rescue at 5:30 pm? That sounds early in the day to begin to panic. What was the weather like?
The weather's been near perfect, but they were apparently just plain lost in some complicated terrain and it gets pretty dark much earlier this time of year, so it makes sense some totally ill equipped folks would ask for help. Close call, but I personally wouldn't quite call this one a potential Darwin event, just yet another bunch of badly equipped hikers. Glad all turned out well.
colorado_rob
09-17-2018, 10:14
And by the way, just a couple days ago we climbed a series of 4 13ers wearing shorts and tank tops most of the day.... Record high temps and no clouds.... But of course we had full gear in our packs.
Sounds like a typically tourist hiking in the White Mountains
cneill13
09-17-2018, 11:12
That is going to be one expensive hiking outing for those guys. I read that helicopter rescues can cost upwards of $25,000+. Not sure how it works in Colorado.
I wonder if they had CORSAR cards?
I wonder if they knew what a CORSAR card is?
https://dola.colorado.gov/sar/cardPurchase.jsf
They survived thanks to the SAR folks.
Wayne
colorado_rob
09-17-2018, 17:00
I wonder if they had CORSAR cards?
I wonder if they knew what a CORSAR card is?
https://dola.colorado.gov/sar/cardPurchase.jsf
They survived thanks to the SAR folks.
Wayne I highly doubt they had corsar cards, given their obvious lack of experience and preparedness. Still, I doubt they will have to pay for their rescue. The word is that Colorado sar folks are not generally inclined to charge, though I've never thoroughly researched this. Good question though.