The Gazette
ROUTT COUNTY, Colo. — It might not be obvious to those on the Front Range, but wintry weather is starting to arrive in Colorado. The first snowstorm of the season brought multiple issues to the Routt County area with the local search and rescue team responding to three calls for help over the course of just 14 hours.
The first snowstorm of the season, which occurred about a week ago, happened to coincide with the start of rifle season, and with six-plus inches of snow falling in parts of northwest Colorado amid plunging temperatures, safety concerns popped up.
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The first call for help that Routt County Search and Rescue received was at 2:49 p.m. on October 14, when their team was paged to help the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office in the search for an overdue hunter near Dunckley Pass, which is about 19 miles outside of Yampa and surrounded by the Flat Tops Wilderness. Thankfully, this situation was resolved relatively quickly, with the hunter found just after dark by Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel and Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
At about 7:49 p.m., just 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first mission, the Routt County Search and Rescue team was called to the Bears Ears area, which is about 20 miles north of Hayden. This mission also involved a hunter, who had been separated from their party amid dark and snowy conditions. The situation was further complicated by the rescue subject having a dead phone, though thankfully, the subject was able to call 911 before their phone died. This call provided general coordinates of where the subject may be located.
Multiple teams were requested to help given concerns about the hunter’s lack of survival equipment and the very remote location where the hunter was believed to be. The hunter was ultimately found alive, but very cold and unable to walk. The combined search and rescue team, which also included personnel from Moffat County , packed the hunter in a hypothermia wrap and utilized a wheeled litter to haul the hunter 1,500 feet uphill through about eight inches of snow with the help of bystanders. The hunter was successfully delivered to an awaiting ambulance.
Not long after the mission concluded, the Routt County Search and Rescue team responded to the same area again during the early morning hours of October 15 . This mission involved rescuing a hunter who had been seriously injured by a tree strike. With a similar makeup of search and rescue agencies that had been involved in the prior Bears Ears mission, the hunter was quickly located and given medical care.
Thankfully, all three of these missions resolved with good outcomes, serving as a great reminder to Colorado’s backcountry users that wintry conditions may be present. This makes it crucial to pack to survive colder and potentially snowy conditions. Remember, just because it might be sunny out at the start of a hike, issues may arise that mean spending the night in the backcountry. Bring warm layers, plenty of food and water, and have a communication device that allows for getting a message out amid a lack of cellular reception. It’s also important to remember that cold weather can tend to drain batteries quickly – keep phones and other communication devices near the chest to keep them warm opposed to keeping them in a backpack.
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