La Plata County Search and Rescue has for years provided valuable services to our Durango community devoted to hiking and outdoor activities.
Recently, they showed a special depth of empathy for the people they serve. A family of three with an 11-month-old daughter reported being stalked by two mountain lions in the Purgatory Flats area. They were frightened for their safety, especially that of their young daughter.
Search and Rescue President Ron Corkish estimated that it would take at least two hours or longer to rescue them by traditional means. That was too long for them to be in agony. So a Flight For Life helicopter was called, and the family was transported to safety within 52 minutes, saving the family more than an hour of terror. An unusual step but one that was morally justified. Kudos to Search and Rescue.
Richard O. Mason
Durango
