One of the highest mountain rescues in Colorado history takes two from top of Torrey's.
Extreme weather conditions at 14,000 feet put experienced high-altitude rescue teams to the test with one of the highest helicopter hoist rescues in Colorado history, taking two men from the top of Torrey's peak.
It was just before 5 p.m., June 12 when two hikers on Kelso Ridge, heading toward the summit of Torrey's peak in Clear Creek County, contacted Alpine Rescue in Evergreen with concerns over the final push to the top as serious weather moved in.
"The call we initially got was for a party of two who were climbing Kelso Ridge... They called saying they were pretty close to the summit, they were at a place we refer to as the "White Rock" it's kinda the last challenge before you get to the summit (Torrey's)... part of it Involves going out on a pretty exposed knife edge," Alpine Rescue Public Information Officer Jake Smith said.
Mission leaders familiar with the trail guided the pair up the mountain.
"They felt like they were off-course and asked if they should try and descend. Smith said. "The safest option for those guys was to continue to climb and take the "Summer" trail down rather than going down the way they came up," Smith said.
After about an hour, the two hikers reported they had made it to the summit and were ready to descend.
During the ongoing conversation with the hikers, a small team of Alpine Rescue volunteers had assembled at "The Shack," Alpine Rescue headquarters in Evergreen, just in case.
"We got word the two had made it to the summit, so we can all stand down and go back to our regular lives," Smith said.
While on the phone with an Alpine Rescue mission leader an audible strike of lightning hits near the hikers.
The next response was: "We've been hit by lightning, my partner is unresponsive."
"That was an unexpected twist to the call and it quickly became one of the most significant calls I've had in my career," Smith said.
Those few words instantly set in motion an incredibly complex orchestra of local, state and federal first responders and mountain rescue crews who have, for years, trained together for a mission-critical response scenario.
This time it was real.
"Myself, and I think everybody else, our bodies just start dumping adrenaline," Smith said. "We're immediately thinking OK, what do we need to grab and more importantly, what are we going to do to get up there because we know they were on the summit when this happened... so we've got a huge operation ahead of us."
Within an hour, five ground teams made up of at least 30 Alpine Rescue volunteers were organized and sent into the field to perform an evac from the summit, while simultaneously a rescue helicopter and hoist were being sought out.
Two Flight for Life helicopters in the Denver area were both grounded due to the severe storms at the time.
Wasting no time, Clear Creek Fire Authority provided a tracked Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) to take rescuers and equipment as close as they could to Torrey's peak. Two Alpine Rescue members and one Clear Creek EMS member were the first to head up the mountain.
"We are constantly trying to look at how the situation is unfolding and thinking two-to-three steps ahead," Smith said.
During the initial staging, a rescue-capable Blackhawk helicopter was identified at the High Altitude Army National Guard Aviation HATTS Training Site in Eagle County Airport near Vail.
The Guard accepted the mission and quickly gathered crew members and equipment for the rescue.
Two Rescue Techs from Vail Mountain Rescue Group were inserted on the summit around 11 p.m. and were able to hoist the critical patient, according to Alpine reports.
A small Alpine team continued to the summit to assist with the second patient. The second patient, along with a Rescue Tech and the Alpine members, were airlifted from the summit at midnight.
According to Alpine Rescue, the initial, unresponsive patient was flown to a waiting Clear Creek County EMS ambulance and transported to a Denver-area hospital for critical care.
As of June 18, he continued to receive treatment for severe burns, according to Alpine.
The second hiker, who sustained minor injuries, was evacuated via a second helicopter flight after a two-wheel landing on the summit. He was transported to a local emergency department and released.
Agencies responding to the high-altitude rescue included the Alpine Rescue Team, Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office, Clear Creek EMS, Clear Creek Fire Authority, Colorado Army National Guard (High Altitude Aviation Training Site), Vail Mountain Rescue Group (Rescue Technicians), Flight For Life Colorado, Colorado SAR Association, and the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.
"This was a massive team effort and we're incredibly grateful for the assistance from all," Smith said.
The Alpine Rescue Team never charges for rescues but does rely on local donations to the all-volunteer organization.
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