A man fell 80 to 100 feet from a cliff while hiking Tuesday on Ice Lakes Trail east of Silverton.
The Silverton Medical Rescue team and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office moved the man from the trail to an awaiting Flight For Life helicopter that took him to Mercy Hospital.
The man’s identity and health status were not released Wednesday in a news release from San Juan County’s Office of Emergency Management.
People who witnessed the fall notified authorities using a portable satellite device.
“The entire mission took a little bit over seven hours,” said DeAnne Gallegos, spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Management.
It took rescue workers only an hour to reach the patient from the trailhead, she said. It took another four hours to stabilize the patient and set up a rope rescue system to lower him through the steep, rocky terrain to a more accessible location. And it took another two hours to get a helicopter on scene as a result of storm conditions.
Gallegos said those who recreate in the wilderness need to be aware of the risks.
“What we really, really want to stress is that everyone is recreating at their own risk,” Gallegos said. “These amazing resources are not guaranteed nor always available, especially the helicopter.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
A previous version of this story erred in saying the rescue occurred Thursday. It occurred on Tuesday. The error was made in editing.
