I was heartsick when I read about the woman who became lost in the Flattops Wilderness for three days, and I thank God that she is OK.  

You see, I was walking my dogs on Main Street in Yampa when she pulled up next to me in her car and asked which road she should take to get to the Devil’s Causeway (not an uncommon question). I remember thinking she seemed a little out of her element, and her car wasn’t the greatest for the mountains.

I wasn’t surprised to read that she was a fitness instructor, as she was high energy and seemed like a woman on a mission. I did suggest she go to the Forest Service building, but now I realize it wouldn’t have been open as it was a holiday and they were closed. I told her which road to take and as I watched her drive away. I thought she would meet some people at Stillwater Reservoir who would assist her, a bad assumption on my part. 

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I realize now that I did not engage her as I should have. Although I don’t think I could have dissuaded her from going, at the very least, I should have made sure that someone knew where she was going and what time to expect her back, even if it was the front desk of the hotel where she was staying.

This has been a huge wake-up call for me and all of us who live here. We have a responsibility to visitors to let them know that a hike in the Flattops is not a stroll in the park. From now on, I am going to be an unapologetic busybody, making sure that anyone who asks for my assistance is well informed and making sure that someone knows their agenda.  

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The woman who was lost suffered terribly, physically and mentally, and she nearly lost her life. She learned a big lesson, I learned a big lesson and, by the grace of God, she lived to tell the tale.

Katherine Cain

Yampa