5 Hikers Rescued In 3 Days In Boulder County

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — Between Sunday morning and Tuesday afternoon, Boulder County crews rescued five hikers in four separate incidents.

First responders were called just after 10 a.m. Sunday to help a woman who had fallen and injured her ankle near the Switzerland Trail, just southeast of Bald Mountain, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said.

Sugarloaf Fire Protection District firefighters and the Rocky Mountain Rescue group were able to rescue her from a rocky and unstable slope, and she was hospitalized, authorities said.

Then the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group was called again Sunday evening to help a man and his dog who were stuck in difficult terrain. A City of Boulder Open Space ranger found the man and the crews helped him to safety. No injuries were reported.

The third rescue occurred Tuesday afternoon after an Arizona man fell into a gully off Sanitas Valley Road, the sheriff's office said. The Rocky Mountain group and first responders with the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District spent several hours on the rescue and brought the man to safety, where he was taken to a local hospital. The extent of his injuries was not known.

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The same afternoon, two young men called 911 after they got stuck in a cave on the Regency rock formation. The weather changed and the pair didn't have the right climbing equipment to get back to safety, the sheriff's office said.

"These hikers did the right thing and realized they could not safely get out of the situation and called for help," the office said in a news release.

"Rescue teams in Boulder County don’t charge for rescue and would much rather help someone who is beyond their capability than respond to an emergency after something goes wrong. The Sheriff’s Office encourages those recreating in the foothills and mountains to use conservative decision making while planning routes or trails. Everyone should have proper equipment and training to manage Colorado weather changes and the terrain that you are likely to encounter."