DeCaLiBron Rescue

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Jorts
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DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by Jorts »

A couple was rescued this evening from the cliffs below Cameron by PCSAR with assistance from SCRG. They saw their car from above and attempted to go directly to it by going off trail. After descending a couple hundred feet into a steep gully they became cliffed out. PCSAR was able to access them and lower them to safety.

They had no cell service. A passerby who happened to be off the main trail up to Dem was alerted by their shouts for help. If not for him, the outcome might not have been so fortunate.

1) Stay on trail.
2) Possess an InReach or SPOT.
Traveling light is the only way to fly.
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Scott P
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by Scott P »

Cliffed out on Cameron? How does that even happen?
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by peter303 »

Scott P wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2019 12:22 am Cliffed out on Cameron? How does that even happen?
Texas or Kansas license plates?

Thats why I hope beginners take classic routes. Could be a hundred people on the mountain see if you get into trouble. Rejoice it had a good outcome.
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nyker
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by nyker »

I do remember seeing some cliffs underneath Cameron and Lincoln to the East, Here's a shot I took from Buckskin: That would make an ugly descent.
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by GregMiller »

Does Viesturs need to write a sequel? “No shortcuts to the bottom”?
Still Here
been scared and battered. My hopes the wind done scattered. Snow has friz me, Sun has baked me,
Looks like between 'em they done Tried to make me
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by painless4u2 »

And another, similar incident on Princeton...
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Bad decisions often make good stories.

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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by Jorts »

These were the cliffs. They were above the SAR member you can faintly make out.
These were the cliffs. They were above the SAR member you can faintly make out.
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Traveling light is the only way to fly.
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by seano »

Jorts wrote: Thu Jul 25, 2019 11:54 pm They had no cell service. A passerby who happened to be off the main trail up to Dem was alerted by their shouts for help. If not for him, the outcome might not have been so fortunate.

1) Stay on trail.
2) Possess an InReach or SPOT.
I really wish the passerby had coached them back up and onto the standard route instead of calling SAR. At some point these stranded hikers need to learn to get themselves out of trouble in the mountains; getting cliffed out on a downclimb and reversing your route is tiring and discouraging, but a necessary experience.
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by justiner »

Shadows of the Capitol Peak accidents in this one.
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by Jorts »

seano wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2019 7:38 am
I really wish the passerby had coached them back up and onto the standard route instead of calling SAR. At some point these stranded hikers need to learn to get themselves out of trouble in the mountains; getting cliffed out on a downclimb and reversing your route is tiring and discouraging, but a necessary experience.
They were between the proverbial/literal rock and a hard place.

The passerby hiked to their location. One of the party had taken a short fall onto a ledge. It started raining. And this was their first 14er excursion. It’s easy to speculate what should happen, but scrambling back out of there was not going to happen in this instance. Lowering for extrication was easier than an uphaul.
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by wildlobo71 »

seano wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2019 7:38 am

I really wish the passerby had coached them back up and onto the standard route instead of calling SAR. At some point these stranded hikers need to learn to get themselves out of trouble in the mountains; getting cliffed out on a downclimb and reversing your route is tiring and discouraging, but a necessary experience.
You know, I've heard quite a lot of this sort of feedback this week with my own accident and injury; I'm sure some on here harbor some of those similar thoughts to me and to other rescues in the past - the injury isn't life threatening in and of itself, but it's still debilitating and trying to push on with it may cause a deterioration of conditions rapidly. Likewise, when you are physically healthy yet stuck past the point of logical comprehension - you have placed yourself in a position where mentally you cannot get out from, and in hiking this can happen to anyone, you are as debilitated as if injured - this is exactly what happened to the people exiting incorrectly at Capitol who ended up dead. They were physically fine, it is assumed, they were just in a position where a move out of desperation and panic probably caused their death.

I don't resent their needs for help and the people who came to offer first assistance were not professionals, not in a place to safely get them back up on the route. They made the correct decision in reaching out for help. End of story. Their takeaway is always stay on route, regardless of appearances. Luckily they get to live to practice that, it could easily have ended up worse.
Last edited by wildlobo71 on Fri Jul 26, 2019 10:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: DeCaLiBron Rescue

Post by bmcqueen »

We need some of these catchy phrases you came up with to be more common when people give advice to folks for their first 14er.

Don’t get cute,stay on route: https://14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=53310
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment." --- Nasreddin

https://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Conte ... queen&t=14
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