*** Icy Evacuation on Pikes Peak ***

Tue Jul 25 07:35:35 1995
Letter  : 5464161    From: Lee, Ron
Address : RLEE@cosmpdaero.ftcollinsco.ncr.com
Subject : EPCSAR 7/23 Woman rescued, rescuer injured

To: SAR Info BBS <sarinfo@mindlink.bc.ca>


El Paso County SAR rescues woman from Pikes Peak, rescuer suffers injury.
Colorado Springs, CO - July 23, 1995

Saturday July 22, Report received by radio from "Summit House" atop Pikes
Peak of a "man down" near summit. EPCSAR members were notified by alphnumeric
pagers at 18:09 to report directly to summit via Pikes Peak Highway or
carpool at tollgate.

Further details received by radio while team members were enroute indicated
that the victim is a woman, located about 3/4 mile below summit. The EMT
assigned to the Summit House was on scene and reported the victim had a
hyperextended knee.

Command was established at the top of Barr Trail on the 14,110 foot summit.
The EPCSAR team encountered considerable ice on trail and several snowfields
of rotting snow. Decision was made to evacuate the patient down the trail by
wheeled litter.

The team arrived at Barr Camp with the patient at 05:38 hrs on July 23. Barr
Camp is located about 6.25 miles from the scene and evacuation to this
point took about 9 hours hours, due to severe trail conditions above the
timberline. Use of the litter wheel had to be curtailed for much of this
segment of the evacuation. After an 45 minutes rest at Barr Camp and arrival
of a relief team from below, all members continued the evacuation to an
abandoned mountain road located 1.5 miles below Barr Camp, arriving at 07:30.
Another 45 minutes by 4 wheel drive vehicle over rugged terrain and the
victim was reunited with friends and relatives and a waiting ambulance. The
ambulance service and further medical attention were waived, with the victim
planning to return to Oklahoma that day where she works in a doctor's
office.

During the descent from the summit, team member Mike Porter suffered a
second degree ankle sprain and returned out of action, accompanied by another
team member sent from the summit to assist. Extreme trail conditions
including ice and boulders made manouvering his return to the summit
extremely difficult.

Following this hard day/night on the mountain 4 team members faced being
shuttled back some 25 miles to the summit to retrieve their vehicles.

submitted by Ron Lee - Rescue 67 - El Paso County Search and Rescue,
Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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