PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. — A Chicago family was rescued from the Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness area Wednesday evening.
According to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office, multiple deputies responded to part of the volunteer search and rescue efforts. The Rye Fire Department and Flight for Life also assisted in the rescue operation.
Law enforcement agencies say the family, began the day by taking the Greenhorn Trail just west of the town of Rye. The family which included three adults and two children, set out for the summit Wednesday morning.
The family encountered snow and inclement weather nearing the top and quickly realized as dusk approached they would not make it back to the trailhead. Lacking proper weather gear and food the family called 911 for help.
Flight for Life airlifted members of the search and rescue team to the top of North Peak, where they were able to find the hungry and cold family and get them some food and warmth before beginning the trek out.
Members of SAR were able to hike with the family about a mile across the peak before meeting up with members of the Rye Fire Department. The entire group then made their way to the top of Ophir Creek where emergency personnel were waiting with vehicles to take them off the mountain. The family was reunited safely with the rest of the family that did not attend the hike after a seven-hour rescue operation.
The search and rescue teams are commending the family for doing the right things in a situation that could have become a serious life-threatening situation. The family luckily had some emergency survival kit items with them and informed other family members about where they would be hiking. The families quickly thought to call 911 before their phone died at dusk and stayed in the area where they reported they were, likely saving their lives.
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