Teller Team Bombarded with Slew of Deployments in Last Month
Trevor Phipps
Cold and winter conditions have struck our area hard, sparking a spree of dangerous incidents that caught local outdoor enthusiasts by surprise.
And in some cases, these situations could have led to fatalities or bad endings, if it wasn’t for the work of highly trained local volunteers who came to their aid.
Last month, Teller County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) crews made headlines twice after rescuing people stranded in Teller’s high mountain back country. They also had an extensive presence during the Highland Lakes fire that ignited at the end of October, leading to the evacuation of several thousand residents.
Mother Nature hasn’t treated us nicely in the last few weeks, with bad storms, sudden weather changes and fire disasters, a scenario that has rescue officials pleading with outdoor buffs to make proper preparations when enjoying the Teller high country. More importantly, they urge outdoor-goers not to rely on their smart phones and GPS aps as emergency solutions.
In the past few weeks, spotty snowstorms have quickly blown into the region and made traveling treacherous in some parts of the county. In two recent incidents, the winter weather conditions played a major role in emergency calls for help and summoned the aid of search and rescue teams.
The first rescue took place on the night of October 18 when the Ute Pass region received its first rain/snow storm of the season. According to TCSAR’s Public Information Officer Heather Davis, the incident occurred when two people were out in a remote area north of Divide and Florissant riding dirt bikes.
“The storm came in pretty fast, and they lost the connection to the map they were using on their phones, and so they decided they didn’t know how to get back to their vehicle and they were wet and very cold,” Davis said. “So, they decided to call 911. They were able to give us their location, so we were just able to drive up as quickly as possible and get them in a warm vehicle.”
Davis said that the first incident was a good example of people being a little too dependent on technology. “We really rely on our technology whether it’s Google Maps or COTREX or whatever it is that our phone always has, and it was just one of those things where it stopped working and no longer showed where they were on the map,” Davis explained. “So even though they were familiar with the area, because it was super foggy and snowy, they made the right choice to call before they got into a very dire situation.”
Then at around 6:30 p.m. on October 26, a hiker called 911 and said that they were having medical issues and they needed assistance near Pancake Rocks off of Highway 67 in between Divide and Cripple Creek. First responders from the Divide Fire Protection District, the Southwest Teller EMS and the Teller County Sheriff’s Office first responded to the scene where they were tasked with hiking three miles from the Horsethief Falls and Pancake Rocks Trailhead off of Hwy. 67.
According to Davis, TCSAR was the last agency to respond to the scene since most of the crew lives about a half-hour away in Woodland Park or Divide. But once they arrived, the search and rescue team sent 12 crew members three miles up the mountain to assist the other first responders.
Once the team arrived, the paramedics already had the person packaged, stabilized and ready for transport. Once TCSAR got to the patient with their rescue equipment, they then hiked the injured person back down the steep and treacherous three-mile descent down several switchbacks.
“We did not know there was still snow and ice up there along those switchbacks,” Davis said. “It is a very windy and narrow trail and it was not easy to do with a subject. It was really a big, inter-agency helpful operation. We all took turns carrying the subject the three miles down because it is very tiring.”
Davis said that she did not know specifically what medical issue the person suffered on the trail. There was also no information available regarding the hiker’s condition after the rescue at press time.
During the Highland Lakes Fire, the search and rescue crews made themselves available to help first responders with the evacuation process. The crews were on scene just in case they were needed to find anyone who was displaced due to the fire and had trouble getting out.
Local Crews Handle Rescues Around-the-Clock
Since Teller County is located in the high mountains with elevations ranging from 7,000 feet to 12,000 feet in some areas, the rough terrain and sporadic weather often creates challenges for those recreating in the outdoors. Therefore, TCSAR stays busy around-the-clock helping rescue those who need assistance.
According to Davis, the number of calls this year for TCSAR has increased. But she attributes this hike to the large snow event that occurred in March 2024. This historic storm dumped four and five feet of snow in parts of Teller and stranded most residents for several days. During an unusually, lengthy period the area was riddled by heavy snow, TCSAR conducted several mutual aid missions to check on people who needed help because they couldn’t get out.
“We are definitely up in mission load for the year, but we still have maintained our average of somewhere between three and six missions a month,” Davis said.
She said that now that winter is just around the corner, the agency’s number of calls for service is expected to hover around what they experience in the spring and summer seasons. However, she did say that the types of calls for service change during the winter. In fact, TCSAR receives more calls for stranded motorists when the weather gets bad.
“As soon as you know you have a problem you should call,” Davis said. “Because it is going to take us a while to get there because most of us live in different parts of the county. So, you are better off to call as soon as you know you need help and not put it off.”
