A long and tricky ascent of Quandary Peak turned into an even longer night at 14,271 feet.
Lieutenant Mike Schilling, with Summit County Sheriff’s Office, shares details from a 15-hour rescue mission on Breck’s hometown 14er, where a man and his teenage son left the trailhead at 10 a.m. on June 19.
“Their plan was to climb the west ridge and then hike down the east ridge, which is not your standard Quandary route. The West Ridge is considerably more difficult,” Schilling tells Krystal 93. “Around 8 p.m. they ended up calling for help. The two climbers were cliffed out.”
Summit County Rescue Group sprang into action. A Flight For Life helicopter dropped a rescue team on east Quandary at dusk. By the time they reached the father and son and brought them safely to the summit, everyone was uninjured but exhausted.
“The father and son were really cold,” Schilling says. “They didn’t have a whole lot of extra clothing with them, so rescuers set up a tent. They had a bunch of warm clothes. Everybody huddled up and made it through the night high on the mountain.”
Early this morning, the father and son were hoisted to safety by a Black Hawk helicopter. The rescuers were supposed to be hoisted until gusty winds got in the way. They ended up walking back down. Everyone was safely off the mountain by 11:30 a.m.
Some armchair rescuers on Facebook want to know: Will Colorado start charging for rescues, or mimic a Washington state sheriff who wants to ticket people who get in over their heads?
“Bad days happen to all of us, and we’re the type of community that that is there for everyone,” Schilling says. “The idea of charging for rescues just doesn’t work. The last thing we want is anyone to hesitate.”
Schilling says these two climbers did a lot of things right before they got into trouble.
“They started their day early in the morning,” Schilling says. “They had a plan, and they had talked to another family member who knew what their plan was. They had a communication device with them and when they realized they were in over their head, they called.”
Search and rescue in Colorado is always free. Do not hesitate to call if you are in trouble.
The sheriff’s office thanks Summit County Rescue Group, Flight For Life and the Black Hawk pilots from HAATS, the U.S. Army National Guard High Altitude Training Site in Gypsum. A man and his young son spent the night stranded on the summit of Quandary Peak, the 14er just south of Breckenridge.
Summit County Sheriff’s Office confirms the two called for help after dark when they could not navigate safely down the mountain.
Summit County Rescue Group sent a team of rescuers to meet them with food and clothing. The stranded pair was not ready for a night at 14,271 feet, where temperatures dipped into the low 40s. Rescuers spent the night with them.
A helicopter crew with the U.S. Army National Guard tried twice overnight to hoist the hikers from the summit. Both times the chopper was turned around by gusty winds.