A Colorado team is begging the public to be better prepared for winter conditions after another close call involving a hiker who fell foul to winter conditions this week. According to a social media post from Alamosa Volunteer Search And Rescue, they received a callout for a hiker in distress late in the evening of Sunday, November 17. The man had set out earlier that morning to hike to Willow Lake in the Sangre de Cristo range and camp for the night, but the five-mile hike in took him 10 hours, and he became too cold to continue.
Crews were dispatched to the scene by helicopter but could not land safely, so two team members were inserted into the field at 3 a.m. and met the hiker approximately 30 minutes later.
"The hiker was wearing all his layers, with trail running shoes and gaiters. He was showing signs of acute mountain sickness and was borderline hypothermic," reports the AVSAR. After several hours of warming the man with warming pads, hot liquids and a fire, he was in better condition but still unable to hike out.
Teams were finally able to evacuate the hiker by air at 12 p.m. on Monday, more than 12 hours after the initial call.
Members of AVSAR urge all hikers to have the proper gear for the environment you are in and know how to use it. The hiker reportedly was carrying a which he could have used to keep himself warm, but when the striker on the stove did not work, he assumed it was broken. They further stressed the importance of wearing proper footwear for , writi.