PITKIN COUNTY, Colo. — A hiker had to be rescued from the trail above Crater Lake Monday, about 10 miles southwest of Aspen, Colorado at the base of the Maroon Bells.
The Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center got an "S.O.S." alert just after 8:30 p.m. Monday that an injured hiker did not have food or water and was unable to continue hiking down the trail.
The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office and Mountain Rescue Aspen coordinated a rescue operation just before 9:30 p.m. with ten volunteers working their way up the Elk Mountains to find the injured hiker.
Just before 11 p.m., the Mountain Rescue Aspen team of volunteers located that person, performed a medical evaluation and escorted the injured hiker down the trail to the Maroon Bells parking lot.
The entire operation and all personnel were out of the area just before 1:30 a.m.
The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office and Mountain Rescue Aspen advises hikers know their limitations and prepare for the unexpected when traveling backcountry.
