{"id":15619,"date":"2026-07-15T23:07:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15619"},"modified":"2026-07-15T23:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:07:12","slug":"how-an-injured-hikers-pack-list-saved-her-on-broken-hand-pass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15619","title":{"rendered":"How an Injured Hiker\u2019s Pack List Saved Her on Broken Hand Pass"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>When a seasoned hiker injured her knee on Colorado\u2019s chossy Broken Hand Pass, her 13-hour rescue in the dark became a testament to why prep isn&#8217;t just for beginners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">The hiker&#8217;s 13-hour rescue required a helicopter and 24 responders from two volunteer teams<!-- --> (Photo: CCSAR)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published July 15, 2026 04:34PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>On July 12, an experienced hiker found herself in a situation that most people fear. After successfully summiting two peaks, and completing a high-alpine traverse in Colorado\u2019s Sangre de Cristo Mountains, she\u00a0slipped on loose rock about 400 feet below the summit of 12,585-foot Broken Hand Pass.<\/p>\n<p>The hiker, whose identity has not been released, then endured a 13-hour rescue that required a helicopter and 24 responders from two volunteer teams. But rescuers told <em>Outside<\/em> that the hiker brought a collection of gear with her that likely saved her life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re never in control of what happens out there. A rock can slip under our foot. Unexpected things happen, and we have no control over that,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/custersar.org\/member-spotlight-melissa-harth\/\">Melissa Harth<\/a> with responding agency, Custer County Search and Rescue (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chaffeesarsouth.org\/\">CCSAR<\/a>), told <em>Outside<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>When accidents strike, a well-prepped daypack can make the difference in life-or-death scenarios.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities say the hiker was adequately prepared to wait out a long rescue. Although she had planned only a day trip, she carried warm, brightly colored clothing layers, food, water, a phone, a battery bank, a headlamp, a helmet, an emergency bivy sack, and a Garmin inReach satellite communicator. Luck also played a factor in her rescue\u2014she just so happened to be in a spot with cell service.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FCusterSAR%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0DCwMncryABDuLKcDukXnAVcYp5kGuS7n7iK6YqrLwJeLaxJgQsi4CK2CLQP57ueBl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>After injuring herself, she called the CCSAR at 4:45 P.M. A Flight For Life Colorado helicopter flew four technical team members and 125 pounds of gear to the area in about five minutes. By road, the same trip from the team\u2019s search base would take nearly two hours on a rough four-wheel-drive track.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe helicopter was a time-saving measure, and they had the capacity to also carry in our gear, which makes it easier for rescuers to get there faster if we\u2019re not carrying as heavy packs,\u201d Harth said.<\/p>\n<p>In all, 19 Custer County members and five from CCSAR responded, with ground crews hiking roughly two miles from the parking area to reach her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTransporting a non-ambulatory patient through this terrain is challenging in the dark. It\u2019s challenging in the light. It\u2019s just challenging,\u201d Harth said. Rescuers set up a technical rope system to safely lower her in a litter, and nearly all of the operation took place in darkness.<\/p>\n<p>While rescuers worked their way to her, the hiker continued to communicate with responders over her cell phone, and her headlamp proved especially important.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe could start signaling,\u201d Harth said. \u201cWe could see where she was because she had her headlamp on. She could see us because we had headlamps on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" style=\"border:none;overflow-y:hidden;background-color:white;min-width:320px;max-width:420px;width:100%;height:420px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiagps.com\/public\/K6tjtj5nqluHPrqeXXOXfDxy\/?embed=True\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The night was clear and calm, with wildfire smoke drifting in from nearby burns, and temperatures dropped into the upper forties Fahrenheit\u00a0despite it being mid-July. Those on scene were cold, and it serves as an important reminder that even in the heat of the summer, packing a little layers can go a long way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had every layer that I had in my pack on, and a beanie,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/custersar.org\/member-post-laura-matthewson\/\">Laura Matthewson<\/a>, CCSAR responder, told <em>Outside<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s a combination of you\u2019re sweating a little bit, and then you come to a stop, and then it\u2019s cold. And the wind wasn\u2019t even blowing, thank goodness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere we are in the middle of summer, and cold is a factor,\u201d Harth added. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to convey how long it takes for us to get to you and how cold you can get when you\u2019re not moving. You could be two miles from the trailhead, but if you can\u2019t walk, that\u2019s still a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mission wrapped at 6 A.M.\u2014more than 13 hours after the call came in.<\/p>\n<p>For Harth, the mission underscores a core message of her team: Preparation is not just for beginners.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<section id=\"\" class=\"content-card rounded-xl px-base-loose pt-base-loose pb-loose shadow-sm shadow-black\/10\">\n<h2>The Survival Gear List That Kept Her Safe<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Cell Phone: <\/strong>Service isn\u2019t guaranteed, but can speed up communication when connection is available.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A High-Lumen Headlamp:<\/strong> Authorities were able to locate the hiker because she had her headlamp on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Warm, Brightly Colored Layers:<\/strong> Extra clothes helped keep the hiker warm and visible to air teams.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emergency Bivy Sack:<\/strong> Provided a barrier against the cold and wind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Garmin inReach Satellite Communicator:<\/strong> Allowed her to send GPS coordinates and served as a backup for her cell phone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>External Battery Power Bank:<\/strong> Kept her phone charged, which was crucial since she unexpectedly had cellular service.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Climbing Helmet:<\/strong> Protected her head from rockfall on the steep, chossy pass.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Extra Food and Water:<\/strong> Sustained her through the 13-hour ordeal.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/section>\n<p><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/hiking-and-backpacking\/broken-hand-pass-colorado-hiker-rescue\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a seasoned hiker injured her knee on Colorado\u2019s chossy Broken Hand Pass, her 13-hour rescue in the dark became a testament to why prep isn&#8217;t just for beginners. The hiker&#8217;s 13-hour rescue required a helicopter and 24 responders from two volunteer teams (Photo: CCSAR) Published July 15, 2026 04:34PM On July 12, an experienced<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}