It’s common for people to refer to some fourteener hikes as ‘easier,’ especially among communities of seasoned peak baggers. That said, it’s important to be aware that risk is always present – it’s always possible for a day to take a bad turn fast, and being in high-elevation terrain can often exacerbate the consequences of something going wrong.

While Mount Bierstadt is undoubtedly one of the ‘easier’ fourteeners to summit – the standard trail up the 14,066-foot peak is 7.25 miles with 2,850 feet of gain – no fourteener hike should be considered ‘easy’ or a ‘sure thing.’ Factors like weather, health aliments, and injury can be unpredictable and should not be overlooked or underestimated. A recent rescue on Mount Bierstadt put this reality on display.

According to a report from Alpine Rescue Team, personnel responded to the report of a hiker on the mountain who had sustained a lower leg injury near the summit on September 7. The injury was not specified, but even something as simple as a twisted ankle or severe cramping can be immobilizing.

In order to get the hiker off of the mountain, Flight For Life Colorado was called in, successfully airlifting the injured person off of the peak.

The experience level of the hiker involved in the rescue wasn’t mentioned – but frankly, it doesn’t matter. Anyone can be subject to injury while climbing a mountain at any time. ACLs can pop, slips can happen, and even seemingly small rocks can tumble and break bones.

With this in mind, it’s important to always prepare ahead for a potential injury – bring a satellite communication device that allows for a call for help without cell phone service, bring extra layers to help keep the body warm when the forward progress stops and the sweat continues, and bring extra food and water as some rescue missions can take many hours. Planning ahead is key to mountain safety, as is realizing that accidents and injury can happen at any time.

Shoutout to Alpine Rescue Team for the successful mission. According to a post on the matter, the rescue mission was completed hours after eight of their team members had competed in the Devil on the Divide trail race, which climbs more than 3,500 vertical feet and travels over the Continental Divide. A bit of rest would have likely be nice following the run, but per usual, Colorado’s search and rescue volunteers were there to help.

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