3 replies to this topic

[Aaron]

At 10:45 a.m. this morning, July 23, a park trail crew working near Lost Lake in the northeast section of Rocky Mountain National Park were notified about an ill 15-year-old male who was hiking with a group past Lake Dunraven at roughly 11,600 feet. Lake Dunraven is approximately 11 miles from the North Fork Trailhead and the young man was another ¼ mile south at an unnamed lake. The reporting party called park dispatch from the trail crews' satellite phone. The 15-year-old was complaining of chest pain and was nauseous. The young man had pre-existing health conditions, including asthma.

The trail crew hiked to the location with the reporting party and was on scene at 1:35 p.m. Due to the young man's condition, conducive weather conditions and an appropriate helicopter landing zone nearby, rangers requested assistance from Flight for Life from St. Anthony Hospital. At 3:11 p.m. Flight for Life reached the helicopter landing zone in Upper Beaver Meadows. At 3:30 p.m. it flew to the location of the patient and landed at 3:57 p.m. At 4:00 p.m. the helicopter was in the air flying back to Upper Beaver Meadows to pick up their second flight nurse. At 4:14 p.m. they were en route to Medical Center of the Rockies.

Due to the patient's age his name and hometown will not be released.

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[Igloo Ed]

Ah, then that was the Flight For Life chopper that I saw fly over Lyons today.

[DeeCeeM]

Update - RMNP issued a clarification that asthma was the young man's only pre-existing condition.

[Mark Zemmin]

It has been an amazing year for rescues in the park. There seems to be 3-4 every week right now.

Mark