Nighttime rescue on ‘easy’ 14er highlights basic hiking mistakes that can turn deadly

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – In recent days, two siblings found themselves in a sticky situation on Summit County’s 14,272-foot Quandary Peak – often considered one of Colorado’s “easier” fourteener climbs, but still a mountain that comes with deadly risks.

According to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, the brother and sister duo were attempting to reach the summit of the mountain with a late-day start from the trailhead. As the two were climbing, darkness crept in and the sister decided to stop and turn around while her brother pushed on.

Unfortunately, the sister did not have a headlamp, food or water, as her brother took all of the supplies with him. Eventually, as night fell and her brother had not returned, she called for help.

Deputies along with the Summit County Rescue Group sprang into action, forming a team to find the siblings. The siblings were successfully located and had no injuries, escorted back to the trailhead by their rescuers.

Thankfully, this situation has a happy ending, and ultimately, it can be used to provide a quick lesson on a few basic mistakes that hikers make that can lead to some pretty nasty outcomes.

Let’s start with the mindset that Quandary Peak is an “easy” fourteener climb. While this wasn’t explicitly noted as a factor in this rescue mission, this tends to be the reputation the peak gets – often among the first of the Colorado 14ers that hikers will tackle thanks to the shorter length of the hike and its relatively straightforward nature.

This case goes to show that no fourteener should be considered “easy” – even peaks that don’t bring the same challenges of more dangerous mountains can come with hazards that could result in serious injury or death. Whether the fourteener a hiker is tackling is a “class one” or a “class four,” full preparation for the climb is needed to responsibly hit the trail. Gear may vary depending on the specific hike and the season, but the “10 essentials” are a good place to start.

A second key mistake that the hikers made was starting late in the day. While hiking at night can be done safely with proper preparation, it doesn’t sound like this duo was prepared for that. Plus, later hikes can also mean a higher chance of surprise storms during many months of the year and don’t forget about that drop in temperature that comes with waning daylight, too. It’s always best to plan for a fourteener hike to take longer than expected and to pack accordingly.

A third key mistake made by the hikers was splitting up. This is ill-advised and has many times resulted in a hiker getting lost on the trail. It’s better to stick together, and in this scenario, both people should probably have turned around if one needed to abort the hike.

A fourth mistake that should be highlighted is related to gear. The group should have enough food, water, light, etc., so that everyone has what they need. This could have prevented the sister being left without basic survival supplies.

It’s also worth noting the pair’s lighting situation. A policy I’ve learned in my days of caving can apply to nighttime hikes, too – if you’ve got one light, you’ve got none. If you’ve got two lights you’ve got one. If you’ve got three lights, you’ve got two, and hopefully that’s enough – and your phone doesn’t count. In other words, always make sure you’ve got plenty of back-up lighting packed, as a loss of light can often be immobilizing. In general, I’ll bring two rechargeable options, as well as a battery-powered option with fresh batteries and a set of back-up batteries, too.

Of course, it should also be noted that the sister did do one major thing right – she called for help when help was needed, ultimately resulting in the rescue of the two. Sometimes people will avoid calling for help out of embarrassment or fear of associated costs – don’t do that. Colorado’s volunteer-powered search and rescue teams would prefer you call for help before a situation gets worse and there’s no cost associated with the response in nearly all cases unless medical transport is required.

In summary, here’s the takeaway from this one – pack adequate gear, keep the group together, and be aware of how nightfall can impact a hike.