Rescue workers were able to reach a 76-year-old Durango man who fell and injured his head Monday in the La Plata Mountains west of Durango.

Rescue workers received a distress signal about 10:35 a.m. from a remote satellite device in the mountains, said Ron Corkish, with La Plata County Search and Rescue.

The signal was activated southwest of Babcock Peek, about 12,435 feet in elevation and 0.8 miles east of the Montezuma County line, he said.

The victim, who was not identified, suffered scrapes and a head injury, Corkish said. He was one of five in a group, he said. A Flight for Life helicopter helped identify the man’s exact location and then ferried rescue members into the mountains. A staging area for the helicopter was set up at Hesperus Ski Area.

Rescuers reached the man about 1 p.m. Monday. By the time they arrived, the man was feeling better and was able to walk to his vehicle with assistance.

Corkish described the man’s fall as a tumble, not a vertical fall.

Rescue workers were able to communicate with the group through text messages, but those communications were somewhat spotty and lacked information, Corkish said.

shane@durangoherald.com