Rescuers saved a man who had become stuck attempting to descend a Colorado mountain without proper equipment last week. The man had become stuck hundreds of meters above the trail he should have been following after accidentally wandering off track, and his headtorch wasn't providing enough light for him to see the way down.
As the Sacramento Bee reports, the man (who hasn't been named) found himself 'cliffed out' and unable to move up or down while trying to descend Mount Princeton, which is generally regarded as one of Colorado's easiest 14ers (mountains at least 14,000ft above sea level).
“He reported that he had gotten off route while descending from the saddle, and quickly became uncomfortable with the terrain," said rescuers "Additionally, his headlamp was not providing enough light for him to safely move any further."
Be prepared
When the man decided to call 911, his GPS co-ordinates revealed that he was 250ft above the hiking trail, stranded in "steep and loose" terrain. Rescuers reached him after around two hours, gave him a better headlamp, and led him safely down the mountain. Although cold, he was uninjured.
"We’d like to remind people that even the most straightforward fourteeners can become significantly more difficult in the dark, especially without a good light," said the team of rescuers. "Routefinding certainly becomes more difficult."
- Best headlamps: find your way safely when hiking or running after dark
