A 31-year-old La Plata County woman reported missing after she failed to return from a run on Red Creek Trail northeast of Durango Monday has been found.
According to a sheriff’s department news release, a person walking their dog on a trail heard calls for help above them today around 12:30 p.m.
That person contacted a group from Colvig Silver Camp that had been helping with the search for Marla Luckey. They reached Luckey at about 1 p.m. and helped her back to the Red Creek Trailhead, where her car was parked.
Luckey said she became lost while running. She was not prepared to stay out overnight and was only wearing basic running clothes. As temperatures dropped to the upper 30’s, she sat with her knees drawn up to her chest and pulled her running shirt over them in an attempt to preserve body heat.
La Plata County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dan Bender said Luckey was smart to stop when it got dark. “People who continue to move after nightfall when lost in the backcountry often sustain injuries as a result, compounding their problem.” Bender said.
La Plata County Search & Rescue and La Plata County Mounted Patrol began their search for Luckey Monday evening and continued to search through the night because they were concerned that she was unprepared to spend the night outdoors.
Bender said anyone venturing off-road for any reason should carry basic survival items with them.
“Most of the people we have overnight or multi-day searches for were only planning to be gone for 1 to 4 hours and most fail to carry what they need for an overnight stay,” he said. “In the summer, temperatures in our area can drop by 40 degrees or more when a rain and wind systems pass through or night falls. Anyone who heads out on foot, on bike, on ATV, or whatever should be prepared to face rapidly changing weather and temperatures.”
