July 17, 2010
Pair of hikers safely plucked from the Crestone Needles
Custer County Search and Rescue members’ safely plucked two hikers stranded on Crestone Needles Saturday. Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 17, local SAR was notified two hikers were stranded on the Saguache side of Crestone Needles. Reportedly, the hikers. whose names were not released, had veered off the route and were spotted by others in the area, who notified the Saguache County sheriff’s office via cell phone. Saguache officials contacted the Custer County sheriff’s office and Custer SAR took control of the rescue mission. Nine local SAR members trekked below the Needles and above Cottonwood Lake at an elevation of’ 12,800 feet, while six Saguache SAR members remained on stand-by. Harnesses were lowered to the two uninjured hikers, and they climbed approximately 100 feet to safety before climbing down the mountain with the SAR members. The mission was completed at 3 a.m. on Sunday. – Nora Drenner (Courtesy The Wet Mountain Tribune – 22 July, 2010)
