Routt County Search and Rescue called to 3 rescues in 24 hours
Dan Gilchrist
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Routt County Search and Rescue received three calls within 24 hours this weekend.
“It’s taxing on the team because obviously, we’re a small team,” said Search and Rescue volunteer Delbert Bostock, who served as incident commander on two of the recent rescues. “But we’ve had it before, and we’ll have it again, and we always make it work.”
At 2:07 p.m. Saturday, Search and Rescue was called to an all-terrain vehicle crash in the hills south of Stagecoach Reservoir. A man was working with his back turned to the ATV when the vehicle started moving and rolled over him, said Oak Creek Fire Protection District Captain Roger Moore.
EMS arrived at the scene before Search and Rescue, and volunteers were called off, Bostock said.
The 52-year-old Eagle man was transported to Denver Health via helicopter to be treated for multi-system trauma, Moore said.
Two hikers became disoriented Saturday afternoon near Bears Ears and spent most of the night walking to find the trail, Bostock said. At 5:08 a.m. the next morning, the hikers called Search and Rescue.
Search and Rescue located the man, woman and their dog. The 34-year-old Texas woman was exhausted and dealing with existing medical conditions. Volunteers carried her out on a stretcher to her vehicle, a distance of about a mile, Bostock said.
The man and the dog were able to hike out.
While responding to the first call, Search and Rescue received a second call at 1:04 p.m. A mountain biker was riding solo and crashed on the Flash of Gold trail on Buffalo Pass.
The 40-year-old man had an injured knee as well as scrapes and bruises, Bostock said. The man was carried out on a stretcher for about 350 yards before he was transported by ATV to Dry Lake Campground.
At the campground, volunteers met a West Routt Fire Protection District ambulance, which was stationed in Steamboat due to a high volume of calls in the area. The man was transported to UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center.
Bostock said the couple that found the injured man was in a bit of trouble themselves.
“They were out of food, out of water and lost. And somewhere in the mix of the mission as well, another couple was found that was out of food, out of water and were disoriented,” Bostock said.
“Make sure and take a map of where you’re going and plenty of water, because it’s so hot and so dry now,” Bostock advised. “Everyone gets dehydrated, and when you get dehydrated, you get a little bit disoriented, and you might not make the best decisions.”
To reach Eleanor Hasenbeck, call 970-871-4210, email ehasenbeck@steamboattoday.com or follow her on Twitter, @elHasenbeck.
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