Crews dig out pair

[swaterfall]

This article appeared in the Ouray Plaindealer last week.

 

"Crews dig out pair"

 

We can be sure that Donnie Hanes is a welcome sight to his wife Michelle. And in the wee hours of Thursday morning at Senator Gulch near Canyon Creek, city equipment operator Hanes was a most welcome sight to two back-country skiers from Washington State.

 

After a day of snowy adventure near Mount Sneffles and a harrowing brush with an avalanche, the two alpinists ecame stranded in heavy snow three miles up County Road 361. More than two feet of snow had fallen and their Dodge Dakota was stuck as night fell, said Sheriff Junior Mattivi.

 

Even worse, they had been hit on their descent by an avalanche, and one man's backpack, containing vital gear that could help them survive the night, had been swept away.

 

But they made it back to Senator Gulch, one of the few places in the Canyon Creek drainage with cell phone service and they called for help.

 

At about 9 p.m. Wednesday, Mattavi consulted with Ouray Mountain Rescue Team officers and city personnel. City police officers Tony Chelf and Ted Wolfe headed up 361, getting as far as the Harris Bridge, then Thistledown before deep snow halted their four-wheel-drive vehicles.

 

It became evident heavier machinery was called for, Mattavi said, and he started a phone search for more manpower and equipment. Enter Haines.

 

The city worker was scheduled to get up at 3:30 a.m. Thursday to plow streets, but was willing to man a city loader to break the remaining trail to the stranded men.

 

Mattavi said Hanes had slow but steady going, and finally reached the happy and nervous men, who had kept their cell phone active afte 1 a.m.

 

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So my roommate was out hiking with his girlfriend and saw these guys when they were heading up. He tried to stop these guys and tell them that a blizzard was coming in and maybe it wasn't the best time to go to Yankee Boy Basin. They blew him off.

 

Also, if they would have checked the avalanche forecast that day they would have found out that Telluride Heli-Trax had observed several natural slab avalanches in Yankee Boy Basin in the previous week.

 

I'm glad that they didn't get hurt and that no one had to seriously risk themselves to rescue the pair, but I still gotta say... LAME!!!

[thelawgoddess]

they're lucky. hopefully they learned something.