A nighttime rescue was initiated to save a camper near Aspen, Colorado on August 12.
According to a press release from the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office, the local dispatch center received a Garmin inReach SOS alert at about 9:35 p.m. on Monday related to a camper who was experiencing severe shortness of breath and was going in and out of consciousness at the base of Belleview Mountain near West Maroon Pass. While officials didn't provide a specific elevation for the incident, terrain in this area is around 12,000 feet above sea level.
A rescue team was quickly put together, with Mountain Rescue Aspen establishing a direct line of contact with a companion who was traveling with the sick hiker with the help of the International Rescue Coordination Center. Additional information revealed that the hiker had started to experience a severe headache and difficulty breathing about an hour before the initial SOS message was sent.
A CareFlight helicopter was requested and was en route by 10:18 p.m., with the first of two Mountain Rescue Aspen teams entering the field on foot at 11 p.m.
After the helicopter landed in the area of West Maroon Pass at about 11:15 p.m., the sick hiker was soon located and a medical assessment was initiated. The sick hiker was ultimately flown from the scene just after midnight, with all crews out of the field by 1:15 a.m.
The condition of the sick hiker remains unknown.
While not many details of the medical incident were released, this sounds like a case (be warned – I'm not doctor) of severe altitude sickness. While many outdoor recreators are familiar with signs of altitude sickness that include headaches, dizziness, exhaustion, and nausea, an often-overlooked symptom can be shortness of breath.
Said to impacted one in 10,000 Colorado skiers and one in 100 climbers at more than 14,000 feet of elevation, high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) impacts breathing as blood vessels in the lungs constrict and leak fluids into lung tissues and eventually the air sacs. This can be more rapidly fatal than high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), with HACE being what most people tend to think of when they're thinking 'altitude sickness.' Initial symptoms of HAPE include chest congestion and coughing, and like HACE, those suffering from HAPE should work to get to a lower elevation immediately.
A key cause of altitude sickness is lack of acclimation to high-elevation terrain. Insufficient water, too much alcohol, lack of sleep, overexertion, and lack of food can seem to amplify its effects. Hikers and campers headed to Colorado should give themselves at least a few days before attempting any sort of demanding activity above 8,000 feet, and know that for many, it can take two or more weeks to properly acclimate to the state's elevation.
Read more about altitude sickness and its effects on the body here .
If you're interested in supporting Colorado's volunteer-powered search and rescue operation, one way to do so is through the purchase of a CORSAR card . It's cheap, at only $5 per year.
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