Day Hike Turns Into 48 Hour Backcountry Excursion In Colorado Search And Rescue Operation

Colorado’s Custer County Search and Rescue pulled off a mutli-hour rescue operation this week after a hiker suffered a knee injury near Broken Hand Pass in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.

Custer County SAR was activated Sunday, July 12th, at 4:45pm for a hiker with a knee injury just below the pass, a rugged and remote stretch of terrain in south central Colorado. Given the location and severity of the injury, the team immediately requested mutual aid from Chaffee County Search and Rescue South.

Flight For Life Colorado assisted by flying in four technical team members along with 125 pounds of gear. Fifteen additional ground team members made their way in on foot.

While crews made their approach, the operations team stayed in contact with the injured hiker and her companions by cell phone. According to Custer County SAR, the woman had extensive experience climbing Colorado’s 14ers. Although the outing was planned as a day trip, she was carrying warm clothing, food, water, a phone, a battery bank, a headlamp, a helmet, an emergency bivy and a Garmin inReach device.

Rescuers say that gear proved essential once the mission stretched far beyond its expected timeline. The rescue took several hours to complete, and what began as a day hike turned into nearly 48 hours in the backcountry for the subject.

After an all-night push, rescue teams and the hiker made it out of the field by 6am Monday.

In a statement, Custer County SAR called the incident a reminder that unexpected emergencies can happen even to experienced and well-prepared backcountry travelers, and that how people respond in those moments makes all the difference. The organization also thanked Chaffee County Search and Rescue South and Flight For Life Colorado for their assistance in the operation.

No further details on the hiker’s condition were released.

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