Difficult, 3-hour-long cliff rescue saves injured Colo. hiker

By Cleo Westin
The Gazette

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A heavy presence from the Colorado Springs Fire Department was at North Cheyenne Cañon Park on the city’s southwest side as they successfully performed a high-angle rescue for a hiker who fell approximately 25 to 30 feet.

The hiker, who fell from a rock, was reported around 2:15 p.m. Monday and was reached by crews around 3:30 p.m., according to CSFD posts on social media. By 6 p.m., the hiker was taken down to the road and loaded into an ambulance. He then flew to a hospital in a helicopter.

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High-angle crews maneuvered for three hours around “rough terrain very high up” from the road to rescue the hiker, who was not wearing a helmet, according to CSFD. The Fire Department had initially posted that the hiker fell approximately 50 feet and later revised that number to around 25 to 30 feet in its final update around 7:30 p.m.

An ambulance and emergency responders with whole blood were awaiting the hiker once he was rescued.

Uphill traffic to the park was closed during the operation, and CSFD encouraged those traveling in the area to be cautious while firefighters are present.

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