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SUMMIT COUNTY — Two snowshoers veered off course while attempting to summit Baldy Mountain Sunday afternoon, requiring local volunteers to rescue them.
Summit County Rescue Group spokeswoman Anna DeBattiste said the two hikers — a man and a woman — became disoriented in “white-out” conditions and called 911 around 4 p.m. A rescue coordinator spoke to them directly by cell phone, and 23 volunteers commenced searching for the couple from both the Baldy and Boreas Pass trailheads.
“Some teams (were) on snowmobiles and others (were) on snowshoes or skis,” DeBattiste said.
After almost four hours, the hikers — whose identities have not been released — were found approximately three-fourths of a mile north of Baker's Tank. They were uninjured, and the mission wrapped around 9 p.m.
“Their intended route was to go from the Baldy trailhead up to the Iowa Mills mine site and then to the summit of Baldy Mountain. But when they saw lightning, they left their route for safety reasons,” DeBattiste said.
DeBattiste also said the hikers didn't follow their footprints back to their start because there were two complicating factors — they didn't want to go back up on the ridge because of the weather, and the wind and snow may have already covered their tracks.
Caitlin Row can be reached at (970) 668-4633 or at crow@summitdaily.com.
Summit County Rescue Group spokeswoman Anna DeBattiste said the two hikers — a man and a woman — became disoriented in “white-out” conditions and called 911 around 4 p.m. A rescue coordinator spoke to them directly by cell phone, and 23 volunteers commenced searching for the couple from both the Baldy and Boreas Pass trailheads.
“Some teams (were) on snowmobiles and others (were) on snowshoes or skis,” DeBattiste said.
After almost four hours, the hikers — whose identities have not been released — were found approximately three-fourths of a mile north of Baker's Tank. They were uninjured, and the mission wrapped around 9 p.m.
“Their intended route was to go from the Baldy trailhead up to the Iowa Mills mine site and then to the summit of Baldy Mountain. But when they saw lightning, they left their route for safety reasons,” DeBattiste said.
DeBattiste also said the hikers didn't follow their footprints back to their start because there were two complicating factors — they didn't want to go back up on the ridge because of the weather, and the wind and snow may have already covered their tracks.
Caitlin Row can be reached at (970) 668-4633 or at crow@summitdaily.com.
