Summit County Citizens Voice

The Gore Range Trail runs north-south along the east slope of the Gore Range. Click on the image for a full-size map.

Injured hiker was part of a youth group trekking the Gore Range Trail

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — 20 Summit County Rescue Group members responded to an all-call at about 5:30 p.m. regarding an injured hiker on the Gore Range Trail, according Kim Koegel, spokesman for the local search and rescue group.

The rescue mission was completed at about 8 p.m. when the injured hiker was brought to the Summit Medical Center. Koegel said he couldn’t reveal any details about the injury or the injured hiker because the person was under 18.

The rescue teams staged at the Rock Creek Trailhead, a few miles north of Silverthorne, Colorado. Koegel said the injured hiker was part of youth group. One of the group leaders called for help on a satellite phone.

Koegel said the team used a Teton Wheel, which is a one-wheeled rescue stretcher used on backcountry trails, for the first half-mile of the evacuation through wilderness.

For the final two miles back to the Rock Creek trailhead, the rescuers used an Orion transport box towed behind an all-terrain-vehicle.

Summer started quietly for the rescue group, with no missions during the Independence Day weekend, but last week, 14 rescuers helped retrieve a pair of stranded hikers on Mt. Royal, near Frisco.

Filed under: Summit County Colorado Tagged: | Gore Range Trail, Gore Range Trail rescue, hiking, search and rescue, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, Summit County Rescue Group