PITKIN COUNTY, Colo. — An 18-year-old was rescued from Maroon Peak after using a GPS device to call for help.
On Tuesday around 3 p.m., the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the InReach call center, which said the man used his InReach satellite communicator to ask for help. He had injured his ankle and stuck on a ledge on Maroon Peak.
The call center told authorities that the man was not able to make his way back down the mountain. They also said his InReach message contained his GPS coordinates.
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Around 3:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office and Mountain Rescue Aspen team started the rescue process.
At 4:42 p.m., a High Altitude Aviation Training Site Blackhawk helicopter and two MRA team members left the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport as a ground team started to make their way up the mountain.
The helicopter spotted the injured man at 4:55 p.m. and authorities inside were able to rescue him and fly him back to the airport.
The man was taken to a hospital by an ambulance.
Garmin’s InReach device allows users to venture off the grid and out of cell service, but remain able to call for help if needed.