JACKSON, Wyo. — On Thursday, Oct. 3, Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR), along with two Jenny Lake Climbing Rangers from Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), assisted in the recovery of a deceased trail runner in the mountains of Grand County, Colorado.
The body of the runner, who had fallen into extremely rugged terrain on Aug. 28, was in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, which is located about an hour’s drive west of Boulder, according to TCSAR.
After others made numerous failed attempts to retrieve the body, TCSAR was called in, and rescue teams began exploring options for executing a short-haul recovery operation. Short-haul is a method of rescue in which rescuers can be inserted or extracted via a long rope connected to the belly of the helicopter. It is often used in terrain that is too steep or rugged for a helicopter landing, according to TCSAR.
TCSAR shared via press release that after determining that local search and rescue (SAR) personnel would have backup heli support if necessary, a specialized team from TCSAR and GTNP departed Jackson at 3 p.m. on Oct. 2. The Wyoming team flew to Rawlins, refueled and then continued to Boulder, where they met the local SAR team with the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.
TCSAR said that on the morning of Oct. 3, the team choppered to the site on Arikaree Peak, a steep, rugged 13,146-foot mountain with numerous couloirs and loose rock. Once the Wyoming team located the body, they were able to short-haul themselves onto the scene.
“This was a unique rescue for us for many reasons,” TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart said via press release. “This was the first time we have been called down to Colorado and there were a lot of individuals and agencies involved in the rescue effort. This was also a tough rescue for us to assist with, from both a technical level and the heavy nature of the job.”
First-responders recovered the body and provided transport to the Granby Airport via a long line connected to the helicopter. The helicopter returned to Arikaree and short-hauled the rescuers off the mountain.
The team debriefed the mission with Grand County SAR, and departed for Jackson, with the ship safely landing at the TCSAR hangar at 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 3.
“We are grateful that we were able to help get this man off the mountain and home to his family,” Lockhart said.
TCSAR expressed its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and thanked its partners with GTNP, Grand County Sheriff’s Office and SAR and Colorado Search & Rescue for assistance in bringing this operation to a successful close.
