Hours-long overnight rescue saves hiker after 200-foot fall down Chaffee County mountain

CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – An injured hiker who became stuck on a steep mountain slope after falling 200 feet through loose rock is now receiving treatment, thanks to a multi-hour overnight rescue from the Chaffee County Search and Rescue team.

Accoding to Chaffee County Search and Rescue North (CCSAR-N), at 5:36 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 – just after the sun had set – the crew was paged to a 911 call on North Sheep Mountain.

The caller had reported that while helping some fellow hikers, a member of a three-person group had slipped on steep terrain and fallen approximately 200 feet through loose rock.

CCSAR-N said the hiker suffered multiple injuries to their head, back and extremities before coming to a rest in a head-down position, stuck high on a steep slope.

The injured hiker's companions immediately rushed to their aid, providing them with additional clothing, assessing the hiker's injuries, and even improvising an anchor by attaching a belt to a downed tree to prevent the hiker from falling further.

CCSAR-N said near-freezing temperatures paired with darkness and steep, technical terrain ruled out helicopter extraction, leading a ground rescue team to climb to the subject overnight.

After locating the injured hiker, the team prepared them for transport, moving them out of the gully to a safer location before additional rescue personnel arrived with a rescue basket and 800 feet of rope.

Over the next six hours, CCSAR-N said rescue members worked to lower the hiker roughly 1,600 feet through steep terrain.

While that hours-long process was underway, another rescuer worked to bring the remaining stranded hikers to safety, with falling rock remaining a constant danger in the area.

After reaching the Colorado Trail, CCSAR-N said the rescue team was able to wheel the hiker to the trailhead, where Chaffee County EMS was waiting to transport them to a hospital for further medical care.

All rescuers and hikers were returned to safety by 4:41 a.m., the team said.

"Colorado’s mountains are stunning — and unforgiving. These hikers were equipped with several of the Ten Essentials and were able to call for help and communicate their position, which significantly improved the outcome," CCSAR-N said in a social media post announcing the successful rescue.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.