Man rescued from Indian Peaks Wilderness
Courtesy GCSAR
A man lost in the Indian Peaks Wilderness with altitude sickness was helicoptered out of the area on Friday after Grand County Search and Rescue received his call for help.
Around 8 p.m. Friday, a man called 911 because he was experiencing possible altitude sickness while hiking near Pawnee Lake, about 7.5 miles past Monarch Lake. Due to poor service, dispatchers were unable to get an exact location and the man’s name.
The last few miles of the trail are still covered in downed trees from the wind events last fall, so GCSAR relied on an analysis of a cell tower on Table Mountain to try and pinpoint the man’s location based on where cell phone calls are possible.
GCSAR requested Flight For Life Colorado to fly over the area and search for the man. Using night vision capabilities, the helicopter was able to find the man and land nearby.
The flight crew assessed the man and determined he was experiencing High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. The man was flown to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver.
Eight GCSAR members had prepared to hike in or be inserted by helicopter, though they were not ultimately needed in the field.
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