Two hikers were rescued late Thursday night after being struck by lightning near the summit of Torreys Peak, a popular fourteener in Colorado’s Front Range.
The Alpine Rescue Team was alerted just before 5 p.m. on June 12 to reports of two individuals who had gone off-route along Kelso Ridge, a technical climbing route leading to the summit of Torreys Peak.
Rescue team leaders established phone contact with the hikers and guided them back onto the correct route toward the summit, from where they planned to descend via the standard summer trail. The hikers successfully reached the summit about an hour later.
However, while still on the phone with Alpine Rescue personnel, the pair was struck by lightning. One of the individuals became unresponsive, prompting an immediate emergency response involving Alpine Rescue Team, Clear Creek EMS, and Clear Creek Fire Authority.
Five ground teams were deployed to begin the evacuation. A helicopter hoist operation was also requested. Around 11 p.m., two technicians from the Vail Mountain Rescue Group were inserted near the summit and successfully evacuated the critically injured hiker.
A second rescue team reached the summit shortly after to assist the other patient. That individual, along with a rescue technician and members of the Alpine Rescue Team, was airlifted from the summit around midnight. All remaining ground teams exited the area by approximately 3 a.m. on Friday, June 13.
The coordinated effort involved multiple agencies, including the Colorado National Guard, Colorado Search and Rescue Association (CSAR), Jeffcom 911, and the Vail Mountain Rescue Group.
Alpine Rescue Team officials emphasized the rapidly changing nature of weather in the Colorado high country and urged hikers to always be prepared with the “10 Essentials” — a set of recommended survival items — in case of an emergency.
