Alpine Rescue Team sees spike in rescues as pandemic complicates response
Click here for updates on this story
Evergreen, CO (KDVR) — The Alpine Rescue Team is experiencing a spike in the number of rescues as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to complicate how they respond to calls.
Public Information Officer, Dawn Wilson says the all-volunteer team responded to 13 calls in just over a week. She says it’s not uncommon for this time of year. However, COVID-19 precautions have slowed their response times in certain situations.
“It does take a little longer for things to occur because we have to make sure we have the right precautions. We have to have masks for ourselves and the people we’re rescuing. Our leaders are making choices like do we need to send the entire team or do we meet at headquarters and send out a few people,” Wilson said.
Wilson says some team members living with high-risk individuals are choosing not to respond to calls.
“If we go out and we have 25 members at a mission and that person as Covid and we possibly all contract Covid, that’s 25 responders that are not available for the next two weeks or more,” said Wilson.
Wilson says the nature of the calls for rescue are not out of the norm. She says it is primarily people with lower extremity injuries or hikers who are lost. Bill Scully is among those rescued by the team in the past week. He and his daughter hiked Grays Peak and Torreys Peak Monday. While attempting Kelso Ridge, he says his daughter slipped and fell a ways down, cutting her hand. They were unable to climb out on their own.
“We got out the solar blanket and the poncho and tried to get settled in while we waited. It rained on us and hailed on us,” said Scully.
Scully says it took more than four hours for the rescue team to reach them and another 12 hours to hike back to the trailhead.
“We had to relay all the way back up to the ridge which from what I understand was 200 feet. And then another 1,500 feet back to the top of Torreys Peak,” said Scully.
Scully credits the Alpine Rescue Team for saving their lives. He says it’s unlikely they would have made it out of the situation without the group of volunteers.
Wilson advises people to do their research before heading to the backcountry and know exactly where they’re going. She says hikers tend to get into trouble when they try to conquer a challenge to great.
“Now is not a time to push your limits,” Wilson said.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
