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Mission Report - Bald Mountain Road - 12.22.2017

Published on 2/12/2018

At approximately 1745 we received a call from a party stating they were stuck on Bald Mountain Road. After initial information gathering and due to extraneous circumstances, it was decided to dispatch 3 members of our SAR-ES Team for a rapid vehicle recovery. The RP had multiple people and pets with them, one person being 7mo pregnant. They had plenty of supplies, and were warm and comfortable as they waited. As per our policies, Gilpin County Sheriffs office was notified of this mission and its circumstances.

At 1815 three members were notified, and began their response. A fourth was placed on standby. To the right you can see the APRS vehicle tracking as they came up the canyon and proceeded though Central City and on to Bald Mountain.

At 1945 the team arrived at the trailhead.

At 1952 the team located the stuck party, and began their assessment.

At 2040 the vehicle had been recovered, and the team began escorting the party out.

By 2112 the team was back to the trailhead.

All team members were home by 2211, with total man hours equalling 15hrs 39 mins.

For the vehicle recovery, our team utilized one winch and an anchor vehicle. The RP's vehicle was nearly mired to the frame in hard packed snow, and digging was required to help the vehicle climb back onto the snow crust.

The importance of quick, rational decision making, and knowledge of safe recovery practice is open reason why this team is so specialized, and relied on.

Constant communication was kept with our dispatchers back in Denver using Ham Radio.

We wish to thank our team members for their quick response, professionalism, and hard work on this response.

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