Vail – Juan Llaneza learned several vital lessons in backcountry safety last week.
As he spent two grueling dawn-to-dark days scouring the dense timber and sprawling scree fields below Mount of the Holy Cross in search of a missing friend, the novice outdoorsman grasped the importance of a principal tenet in safe wilderness travel.
“The most valuable lesson of all: Never leave your partner,” said the Denver businessman, who before his time on Mount of the Holy Cross could see how summit fever would split a climbing team. “I could understand going for the summit after you have six, seven hours invested. Now, no way. It was an eye- opener up there.
“I learned many little lessons, like carry some matches or a lighter. I wore shorts the first day, and the day ended in the high 20s. The change in the weather was totally intimidating. I have a totally new respect for the mountains after those days. One slip up there, and a good day can turn ugly.”
Last week, officials called off an emotional, week-long search for Michelle Vanek, a Lakewood mother of four who disappeared after she separated from a hiking companion only 200 feet shy of the 14,005-foot Holy Cross summit, above Minturn. The intense search included a one-day push Oct. 1 involving 200 volunteer searchers and 100 support personnel, making it the largest search in Colorado history. Sadly, when local authorities and the Vanek family called off the search that night, it became one of the rare unsuccessful searches in the state’s history.
The state Department of Local Affairs, which distributes the state’s search-and-rescue fund to sheriff’s and search teams for costs incurred, counted 1,427 search missions by search-and- rescue teams across the state in fiscal 2004. The fiscal year starts in July. The number is up from 1,228 missions in fiscal 2003 and 682 in fiscal 2002, a year when drought and wildfire limited backcountry travel. Experts say the rate of growth in search missions roughly mirrors the growth in the state’s population.
For volunteer searchers such as Llaneza and rescue veterans, tragic losses like that of Vanek, a 35-year-old triathlete and experienced hiker, underscore the fact that Colorado’s alluring backcountry can be a killer as well as a playground. It’s a message that needs more exposure among the state’s growing population and newer residents, they say, especially as the change in season brings harsher weather.
“A searcher came up to me …, and, oh, it was emotional. She said, ‘Well, I know at least 100 people who learned one thing today: Never, ever separate,”‘ said Bob Armour, a nearly two-decade rescue veteran from Vail Mountain Rescue. “What a hard, hard way to learn a lesson.”
Tragedy is the traditional teacher when it comes to playing in Colorado’s hills. But it doesn’t have to be. Preparation and good judgment can deter doom. Accidents happen, especially when romping through the untamed wilds of the Rocky Mountains, and simply knowing that trouble lurks on every peak and every hike is the first piece of armor needed for safe travel.
“It’s a different world out there. Once you get out of the car and onto the trail, you need to play by a different set of rules,” said Dan Aguilar, a 25-year rescue pro with Vail Mountain Rescue and longtime big-mountain guide. “Staying together is one of the cardinal rules of climbing and mountaineering. Strength in numbers is the key. Maybe that message getting out is the only good that will come from this tragedy. Colorado is a beautiful place, but it can hurt you. You have to respect that.”
There are not many rules for playing in the wild, but adherence to the few all-season requirements can make a big difference. Stick together is the golden rule. Another important step is to make sure someone else knows where you are going. Aspen mountaineer Aron Ralston, who amputated his arm after being pinned under a boulder for five days in a remote Utah canyon in 2003, underscored that lesson. Another mandatory rule is to be ready for trouble: Pack the right gear and know how to avoid emergencies and, should they arise, deal with them.
“One small mistake is all you have to make. A tiny mistake early can become compounded into a very big problem,” said Bill Barwick, a 21-year search-and-rescue specialist with the Evergreen-based Alpine Rescue Team, which averages between 80 and 90 missions a year.
Two days after Vanek went missing, search teams discovered the body of 66-year-old Jose Lopez, a solo hiker from Glenwood Springs, on the western slope of the 14,092-foot Snowmass Mountain. The same teams discovered the body of climber Mark Golden, a 31-year-old from Arvada, last year in the same spot. Vail Mountain Rescue searchers were called to the Mount of the Holy Cross area five times before the search for Vanek. Two months before Vanek went missing, Barwick’s team found a German hiker who had separated from her hiking companions on 12,000- foot Chief Mountain in Clear Creek County. A common theme in searches typically involves a hiker separating from his or her group or partner.
Knowledge and common sense are the most essential safety tools in the backcountry, the experts say. Know the terrain. Know personal limits and be prepared to turn back. Watch weather and realize that dangerous storms and lightning can sweep into an area with little warning. Know that the best strategy when lost is to hunker down and wait for help.
“The thing a lot of people don’t understand is that you can’t go out and learn this stuff on the spot,” said Carl Weil, a third-generation mountain guide and internationally renowned wilderness medicine expert. “Seeking adventure is dangerous. That’s why it’s called adventure.
“But you try to improve your odds by improving your training, improving your safety conditions and being prudent. Use some judgment. Understand basic survival skills.”
Staff writer Jason Blevins can be reached at 303-820-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com.
