Cell Phone Rescue A Peak Experience

The emergency 911 call has reached new heights, thanks to cellular phones.

When a mountain climber broke his ankle at 12,700 feet on Lizard Head Peak, his companion whipped out the phone and called 911.

The call was picked up by several 911 centers because the mountain sticks out of the San Juan Range in southwestern Colorado, with little to block a cell phone’s signal.

The San Miguel County sheriff’s office took over, sending a team by helicopter to rescue Dick Muchow of Phoenix from the 13,113-foot mountain.

Doug Steakley of Carmel, Calif., who was with Muchow when he fell May 28, said he pulled the phone from Muchow’s pack.

“I was pleasantly surprised when it worked,” he said.