A recent incident that took place in Grand Canyon National Park captures a scenario that can be encountered in Colorado’s backcountry, providing a great learning example when it comes to best practices for wilderness travel.

On the evening of September 15, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office reports that a call for help was received from an Apple device with satellite connectivity in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon area’s Kanab Creek.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that five friends had been backpacking along the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park when one member of the group, a 63-year-old male, took a fall and suffered a severe shoulder injury that needed emergency medical attention and would ultimately require evacuation.

A search and rescue team was activated and when contact was made with the injured hiker, it was discovered that the other four in his group opted to continue their trek following the accident, which occurred around 2 p.m., leaving their injured friend behind. At that point, the group was three to four days into a hike that was set to continue for three or four more days.

Despite the hiker being left alone and with a serious injury, the rescue mission went well and a helicopter was used to transport the hiker from the scene.

This incident provides a great example of what NOT to do when someone in a hiking party gets injured. Never leave them alone to wait for help or attempt a self-rescue. The only case where that might be the right call would be if a hiking partner must leave the scene to call for help, but this necessity can be prevented by making sure a line of communication is established via a GPS-based communication device.

Keep in mind, rescues can take a long time and a person’s adrenaline is often pumping in the time immediately after an injury is sustained. As this wears off, pain and the extent of an injury can become more apparent, sometimes severely limiting someone’s ability to think clearly, travel, and communicate with rescue services.

The desire to continue onward with an outdoorsy mission can be strong when one person in the group must stop or turn around. It can be even easier to make the call to do so if the person in need of assistance is insisting that they’ll be alright on their own. Even in instances where this is the case, do not leave someone in the party behind to fend for themself. In general, splitting up tends to be a bad idea during outdoor recreation excursions.

Have a plan for what to do if things go wrong prior to setting out on an adventure and stick to it.

If you’re interested in supporting Colorado’s volunteer-powered search and rescue operation, one way to do so is through the purchase of a CORSAR card. It’s cheap, at only $3 per year.

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