This book of true stories from Colorado are universal cautionary tales of mountain dangers and mishaps. Readers will find accounts of volunteer rescuers' ingenuity, teamwork and bravery. Colorado-based, award winning author Kent Nelson writes with an authentic regional voice. His own rescue is included in the collection. www.mountainrescuestories.com
2. Get Ready for Adventure in the MountainsâŠ
What follows are
17 story titles,
a picture from each
and a quoteâŠ
3. Introduction
âPeople flock here to
get into wilderness, but
theyâre sometimes
unknowing, unprepared,
and encounter
circumstances they
hadnât imagined or
planned for.â
4. Ordeal on
Mount Sneffels
âSome people, though,
want even more
excitement and adventure.
âThey arenât content to get
to the top the easiest or
fastest way. Theyâd rather
take a more arduous path,
the road less traveled.â
5. East riverside slide
âOn the morning of Friday,
February 10th, avalanche
specialists were on their way
with howitzers to shoot
down the dangerous slides
on Red Mountain Pass.
âBut by the time they
reached marker 88, East
Riverside had already run,
and Highway 550 was
blocked with eight feet of
hard-packed snow.â
6. Jeepers Creepers
âNo one in the vehicle
was wearing seat belts
â they were going so
slowly â and, on the
terrible bounce-and-
roll down several
hundred feet, all four
people and the dogs
were ejected.â
7. A cautionary tale
âBears are wild animals,
imbued in legend for their
fierce and unpredictable
behavior.â
8. A million dollars of
death and
destruction
âAs one local man and
former rescue team
member said, âYou wouldnât
believe the car parts that
are down there in the river.
You could start a
business.ââ
9. Life is only once, if
you hurry
âRick also ran down an
elk. Indians used to do
this on the plains, but Rick
did it in the mountains.
The elk was so tired, Rick
walked up and put his
hand on the elkâs back.
But thatâs another story.â
10. Airways
âSmall planes, though,
have different issues. At
higher altitudes they are
more vulnerable, and bad
weather isnât a ripple but a
major jolt.â
11. A walk in the park.
âWhy she got scared, why
she sat down, and what
she knew remains a
mystery. But she would
not move from where she
sat down.â
12. A Sneffels anthology
âA hoist operation at
thirteen thousand feet is
practically unheard of,â
said Ouray Mountain
Recue Team Lieutenant
Cory Jackson, who was
still up on the mountain
with Simpkins.â
13. When it rains, it
pours.
âSkyrocket Creek went
crazy, too, and rocks and
gravel washed across and
closed Highway 550. In
the morning there was
shock and awe.â
14. Shooting the trees.
âLater that afternoon, the
boys decided their
comrade shouldnât be
moved and someone
should go out to Ridgway
and get help.â
15. Make mine with ice
âWhoever imagined a
successful business
venture that would
encourage people to risk
their lives climbing ice?â
16. Black Bear Road
âBlack Bear Road is the
scariest four-wheel-drive
track, the biggest bully,
and has the most
accidents of any jeep
road in the San Juans.â
18. Ski Sneffels
âAnd falling is a bad idea.
As one guy said about
skiing the couloir, âYou
fall, and itâs your only
fall.ââ
19. Where are you?
âEach of the dogs lost
Janiceâs trail at the head
of Winchester Gulch.
Several men rappelled
down the cliffs there, but
because of the heavy
snow cover, they saw no
colors, no sign of Janice.â
20. Thanks to the
Ouray Mountain
Rescue Team
âSince its inception, the
team has performed over
400 rescues. Rescues might
take an hour or up to a few
days. âYou donât know what
youâre getting into,â said one
member, âuntil you get on
the scene.â â
21. Rescues and Tragedies in the San Juan Mountains
Illinois Residents $30
Send check for $30 (includes shipping and IL tax)
payable to Twain Publishers
Non-Illinois Residents in US $27
Send check for $27 (includes shipping - no tax) payable to Twain
Publishers
Send Order to:
Paul LeRoux
Twain Publishers
505 N. Lake Shore Drive #5306
Chicago IL 60611-3410
(312) 467-2120
ta@twainassociates.com
www.mountainrescuestories.com