MISSION REPORTS: July 1995 El Paso County Search and Rescue Colorado Springs, Colorado submitted by Ron Lee (ron.lee@symbios.com) Note: This is a very busy year for EPCSAR. Some quick statistics as of the end of July 1995: 1995 through end of July: Missions: 86 1994 through end of July: Missions: 48 1994 Total: Missions: 97 2 July, 1995...Overdue hiker on Pikes Peak. The hiker was making slow progress due to an affliction with Acute Mountain Sickness. A check with Barr Camp indicated he had passed their location on his way down the trail. Members of the Manitou Fire Department met the individual about one-half mile up the trail and determined that he did not need help. 2 EPCSAR Members participated. 3 July, 1995...15 year old boy reported missing from summit of Pikes Peak. He was reported overdue by his family two hours after having told his father he wanted to hike to a lower peak he could see from the summit (Sackett Mountain). He had apparently been caught in a severe hail/snow storm on the peak. An EPCSAR team searched the Summit and hasty teams were formed to follow the cog track to Sackett Mountain and to descend the Barr Trail. Team one, following the cog track, encountered a man and a woman, hiking to the summit, who were hypothermic. The couple was escorted to the summit and treated. Shortly thereafter, the Barr Camp caretakers reported by radio that the 15 year old arrived at there in good condition. (Barr Camp is located about 8 miles from the summit on the Fred Barr trail between Manitou, Colorado and the summit of Pikes Peak). The boy spent the night a Barr Camp and would hike the remaining 8 miles to Manitou in the morning. 21 EPCSAR team members participated. 4 July, 1995...Search near Rampart Reservoir in the Rampart Range northwest of Colorado Springs. The mission was terminated shortly after a general EPCSAR call-out when it was determined the missing parties had hiked to Cascade, Colorado and called in their location. 19 EPCSAR team members participated. 5 July, 1995...Parents reported missing son. Parents returning home found blood on the stairs and their son missing from home. The case was referred back to the Sheriff's office as a police matter. It turned out the son had injured himself, but was OK and had gone off on a trip to Taylor Reservoir. 1 EPCSAR team member participated as IC. 6 July, 1995...AMS victim at Barr Camp. An individual from Texas was reported ill at Barr Camp with Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) with severe headaches, diarrhea and couldn't keep down food or water. Barr Camp was talked through an evaluation of the individual and advised on what to do for him. Following that, the caretaker at Barr Camp was able to get the individual the 1.5 miles by trail to the Mountain View siding of the Pikes Peak and Manitou Cog Railway. He then rode the railway to Manitou, Colorado. An ambulance met the individual at the Manitou station. 4 EPCSAR team members participated. 7 July, 1995...Support to Elbert County (neighbors El Paso County on the north). The Elbert County Sheriff's Office requested help searching for three children who were missing from a play area near the Elbert-El Paso County line. An EPCSAR Mission Coordinator was on his way to take stock of the situation when the Lincoln County Sheriff's office reported the children had walked to a farm house and called for help (all three counties adjoin). 2 EPCSAR team members participated. 7 July, 1995...Overdue hikers at Rampart Reservoir. Two elderly individuals had taken a walk around Rampart Reservoir in the Rampart Range northwest of Colorado Springs, CO. They failed to show up when expected and a friend, waiting at the reservoir, got worried and called for help. An EPCSAR page went out and Rescue 27 was sent to the reservoir. Other team members were enroute. The elderly individuals and the friend had underestimated the time it would take to walk around the reservoir and showed up about the time Rescue 27 arrived. 6 EPCSAR team members participated. 9 July, 1995...Search for overdue drunk camper at primitive campsite off Rampart Range Road, east of entrance to Rampart Reservoir. Squad 1, sent to the last seen point, used its siren as an attraction. The siren apparently woke the missing camper who had fallen asleep in the woods after wandering off for firewood the night before. Another EPCSAR team, on their way to the campsite, found the missing person along the Rampart Range road. 23 EPCSAR team members participated. 9 July, 1995...Rich Buzzelli, a highly regarded photographer of the Pikes Peak area was struck by lightning on Pikes Peak near the Gravel Pit at milepost 18 of the Pikes Peak Highway. The young lady with him got to the road and summoned help. An EPCSAR emergency response page was transmitted, but Buzzelli was reported dead by Pikes Peak Patrol medical personnel by the time EPCSAR units arrived. EPCSAR teams recovered the body. 17 EPCSAR team members participated. 9 July, 1995...Someone, while viewing the area above the Garden of the Gods from northeast Colorado Springs reported seeing a possible signal light. Rescue 70, using a good pair of binoculars, determined that the light was probably the red and blue flashing lights of a police vehicle on the Rampart Range Road. 2 EPCSAR team members participated. 14-16 July, 1995...Custer County - EPCSAR teams responded, along with SAR teams from several other counties, to a request from Custer County to search for a 77 year old male who did not return from a short hike to a rock bluff after being caught in a severe thunder and hail storm. EPCSAR responded with search, rock, and dog teams. The subject was not found. 20 EPCSAR team members participated. (UPDATE 8/3/95: As of this date the subject has not been found despite continued efforts by local teams). 16 July, 1995...Two individuals driving on Rampart Range Road became stuck in mud. The wife of one individual reported them overdue. The EPCSAR coordinator requested a two party team to search Rampart Range Road in Rescue Truck 2. The overdue individuals attempted, the entire night, to free their vehicle. Failing that, they walked to Woodland Park, Colorado and called the wife the following morning. The mission was terminated. 3 EPCSAR team members participated. 17 July, 1995 Missing 12 year old on Barr Trail. Subject had mountain-biked from the summit of Pikes Peak with his uncle and others. He had gotten ahead of the group and being unfamiliar with the trail, had gotten lost exploring different trails to find his way. Three EPCSAR hasty teams conducted sweeps of Barr Trail and adjacent trails. The subject had stopped when it got dark and was found in the French Creek Crossing area by two other mountain bikers descending the trail. He accompanied the mountain bikers down the trail until he was intercepted by EPCSAR teams. He was escorted down the trail by EPCSAR teams to relatives waiting at the Barr trailhead. 13 EPCSAR team members participated. 18 July, 1995...Three 67 year old individuals reported in trouble at the Cirque on the east face of Pikes Peak during thunderstorm. A "Summit House" medic got to them, determined they were OK, and reported they were making their way slowly to the top. The mission was called off when the subjects made it to the summit. 9 EPCSAR team members participated. 19 July, 1995...Two overdue hikers on Fred Barr Trail between Manitou, Colorado and the Pikes Peak summit. The EPCSAR coordinator called Barr Camp located about half way along the 14 mile trail and found the two hikers had elected to spend the night and would be returning the next morning. 2 EPCSAR team members participated. 22-23 July, 1995...Rescue of woman with injured knee from Pikes Peak. EPCSAR teams evacuated the woman by litter from just below the "16 Golden Stairs" to a restricted road used by EPCSAR for a vehicular evacuation point. The subject and the rescue team were transported off the mountain by vehicle from this point. This was a 12 hour overnight mission. 24 EPCSAR team members participated. 23 July, 1995...Overdue Nebraska campers on Rampart Range Road. A man and his two sons were reported missing by the man's wife in Nebraska. She said they had reported camping just off the Rampart Range Road, but did not know where along the road. (Rampart Range road is a gravel road that runs through three counties along the ridge lines from Colorado Springs to the Denver area). The subjects were supposed to call the wife daily via cellular phone, but had not called since Friday. Since the wife did not know in which of the three possible counties her husband and sons were located, she was directed to file a local (Nebraska) missing persons report to elicit appropriate action. No further EPCSAR action was judged to be required at that time. 1 EPCSAR team member participated as IC. 25 July, 1995...Missing hiker on Pikes Peak. Team of four requested to search down the Barr Trail from the summit. Shortly thereafter, it was reported the hiker had been spotted about 30 minutes below the summit and the search mission was put on hold. The mission was terminated when the hiker reached the summit. 5 EPCSAR team members participated. 26 July, 1995...Overdue hikers in Stanley Canyon. The hikers showed up just as the IC was talking to the reporting party.1 EPCSAR team member participated as IC. 29 July, 1995...EPCSAR was requested to support another search for the missing 77 year old man in Custer County (See 14-16 July). Dog and ground search teams were sent, but no new evidence was found. 10 EPCSAR members participated. Custer County provided great hospitality to visiting teams! 29 July, 1995...Missing mountain bikers near Palmer Lake. A three person search team was formed, but the mission was terminated when the two missing bikers hiked out without their bikes and were determined to be OK. 5 EPCSAR team members participated. 29 July, 1995...Woman needing help on Pikes Peak. A Pikes Peak summit medic stated that an injured woman had been reported about one-half mile below the summit on Barr Trail. The medic got down to the woman and determined that she was not in that bad of condition. He was able to get her to walk to the summit after giving her some food and water. She was met by friends on the summit who drove her down. 4 EPCSAR team members participated. 29 July, 1995...Three dehydrated mountain bikers on Cheyenne Mountain. Three mountain bikers from out of state had to abandon their bikes while ascending Cheyenne Mountain from the west. They were ill prepared with only one bottle of water and no food while attempting a long, very difficult route. They became extremely dehydrated and called 911 on their cellular phone. EPCSAR responded with a fast moving team to get the bikers some food and water. The bikers recovered sufficiently to hike down the jeep trail to the Will Roger's Shrine accompanied by the EPCSAR team. They were met by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo officials who explained to them that they had been trespassing on private property. The zoo officials transported the bikers to the zoo entrance where the bikers had arranged to be met. 11 EPCSAR team members participated. 29 July, 1995...Person overdue from Garden of the Gods. An out-of-state individual, who was in town to attend a wedding reception was reported missing after leaving to take pictures in the Garden of the Gods and not returning for the reception. A general EPCSAR page was issued about 2300 hours requesting the support of search and dog teams. It was discovered that the individual had returned to the party, but had to park some distance away and was assumed to still be missing because of the apparent absence of his car. The subject reported back to his brother's home about 2:30 am and failed to give an accounting of his time. Mission terminated. EPCSAR team members probably slept good after 5 missions in one day! 18 EPCSAR team members participated. ------------------------------------