Alpine Rescue Team recounts emergency rescue of Colorado hiker struck by lightning

By Spencer Wilson

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    ALPINE, Colorado (KCNC) — A hiker was critically injured in Colorado on Thursday when they were struck by lightning on the summit of Torreys Peak. First responders said the rescue was a massive team effort between a few different agencies, starting with a radio call into the Alpine Rescue Team’s HQ.

“He comes back on to say more, which is that the two had made it to the summit,” Jake Smith, President of the Alpine Rescue Team, said. “He was on the phone with them and said they’ve been struck by lightning, and then at that time it was just kind of ‘Go, go, go get things ready, get out the door!'”

According to the Alpine Rescue Team, they received a page when two hikers went off route on Kelso Ridge just before 5 p.m. Mission leaders stayed on the phone with the hikers until they were able to get back to the route to the summit. They said the hikers made it to the summit around an hour later. It was there that the pair were in the path of the storm, and one of them was seriously injured.

“They were talking about, you know, it’s super windy up here, we’re kind of stuck in hail, we’re going to start descending. And then the next thing you heard was a super loud commotion, a phone drop, and just screaming,” Smith said, detailing the phone call. “After a few more seconds, somebody came back on the line had said, ‘We’ve been hit by lightning. My partner’s down. He’s not responsive. He’s foaming at the mouth. Do I start CPR? What do I do?'”

Five ground teams went to help the hikers and requested a hoist to evacuate them, but because of that storm, both helicopters that would typically show up to a rescue like this were unable to fly. Thanks to the National Guard, whose helicopter was able to make it through the storm and up to the top of the 14er, around 11 p.m., two rescue teams from Vail Mountain Rescue Group reached the critical patient. They were able to hoist that person out aboard a Gypsum-based Colorado Army National Guard helicopter. One of the ground teams helped the second hiker before they were flown from the summit at midnight.

“In the state of Colorado, we’ve had many rescues where we’ve had military helicopters land on the top of fourteeners,” Smith explained. “But for them to actually hoist a subject above that 14er and raise them up on the table, we’re fairly confident that this is the highest (hoist) in the state’s history.”

“This call illustrates how quickly situations change in Colorado’s high country, and the importance of having your 10 essentials and being prepared for a lengthy evacuation,” said Alpine Rescue.

They said they’re happy to help those having a hard time in the mountains, rain or shine, and for folks not to hesitate to call if they are in trouble.

“Don’t wait to call for us,” Smith said. “That could also take a situation from bad to worse. If you think you need help, we are happy to answer that call, even if it just means giving you some advice and maybe some encouragement. We don’t charge.”

A lesson to be learned from this, according to Smith, is to summit your mountains early in the day, and make sure you are descending early too. Afternoon thunderstorms make an almost daily appearance between 2-3 P.M., and while this situation included issues even later in the afternoon/evening, storms still came.

“If you’re on Bierstadt, you can see those storms coming from the west,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, if you’re on a peak like Torreys, you’re not going to see the storms until you’re at the top. So on those peaks where you’re approaching from the east, I’d say it’s especially critical to start early. Finish early because you may get to the top and find that there’s a huge storm wall headed your way, and you don’t have a lot of time to descend by using it.”

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