Saguache County, Colo. – A solo hiker activated their Garmin In-Reach on Sunday afternoon, launching a large scale multi-agency rescue effort in the Kirk Couloir, that lasted overnight, and concluded mid-morning on Monday. The Kirk Couloir is a narrow couloir splitting the cliffs between Kit Carson and Challenger peaks.
Coordinates placed the hiker at an elevation of 13,400 ft, in Saguache County, and the mission response was delegated to Custer County SAR. Due to mixed rock, snow and ice conditions, the hiker had become stranded on a narrow ledge, unable to either ascend or descend.
Responding agencies included Custer County SAR, Saguache County SAR, Chaffee County Search and Rescue – South, Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue, Colorado Search and Rescue, DFPC’s Cañon Helitack, Flight for Life Colorado, Colorado Army National Guard and the Colorado Hoist Rescue Team. Patient care was transferred to Flight for Life and the individual was transferred to an area hospital, where they were treated and later released.
According to 14ers.com, the Kirk Couloir should only be attempted with stable spring/early summer snow. Crampons, helmet, ice axe, and avalanche gear are recommended for this snow-only climb.
Custer County Search and Rescue would like to remind recreationalists that while winter conditions have arrived in the Colorado mountains, winter routes are not fully established. You may find locally heavy ice beginning to form, areas holding snow, along with shorter days and overnight freezing temperatures. Rescues can take hours to organize, aviation assets are weather and often daylight dependent, and back-country users need to be self-sufficient while waiting on rescue resources to arrive.
