Campers with broken gear and no food rescued after 9-hour operation, Colorado cops say

Campers had no way to make food while stranded on a hiking trail after some of their gear broke, Colorado deputies said.

The campers were on a difficult 18-mile hiking trail near Aspen on May 20, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said. The two were about 6 miles into the Conundrum Creek trail when they got stranded.

“It was reported that one of the campers was suffering from frostbite and unable to move,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “The campers, both in their 20’s, also had several items of gear break and were unable to make food.”

With no food and broken gear, the campers called for help at about 12:40 p.m., deputies said. At about 2:30 p.m., Mountain Rescue Aspen sent a team of people to find them.

Rescuers found the campers on the trail nearly two and a half hours later.

The campers were not injured and could walk with assistance from volunteers. The rescue took about nine hours.

“Mountain Rescue Aspen would like to remind backcountry users to exercise caution and be prepared for the forecasted weather conditions when navigating the backcountry,” deputies said.

This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Campers with broken gear and no food rescued after 9-hour operation, Colorado cops say."