ALAMOSA COUNTY — On August 4, Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue (AVSAR) assisted an injured hiker on Ellingwood Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
AVSAR was alerted via a Garmin SOS activation from a hiker that had fallen on the southwest approach to Ellingwood Point. The individual fell with his leg pinned by a large boulder. He also suffered a severely broken arm.
Canon Helitack transported AVSAR members to the injured who rendered medical attention. The hiker was then extracted from the scene via a hoist by a Colorado National Guard helicopter. He was later transferred to a Reach Air Medical 71 helicopter and taken to a Front Range hospital.
On July 27, AVSAR rescued a hiker from Ellingwood who was also transported by a Colorado National Guard helicopter and a Reach 29 aircraft.
AVSAR thanked the Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office, Eagle Air Med, the Colorado National Guard, Colorado Search and Rescue Association and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control-Canon Helitack.
Rescue units such as the one used by the injured hiker during this event are small and lightweight. The Garmin inReach Mini 2 Satellite Communicator retails for $349.
