Hiker lying on trail was ‘blue in the face’ and unable to speak, Colorado rescuers say

Rescuers acted fast to rescue a sick hiker struggling to speak on a popular Colorado trail, officials said.

Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue received a call about a hiker in need of immediate help on Sept. 1, the nonprofit wrote in a post on Facebook.

“It was reported that the hiker was blue in the face, having trouble speaking, with an elevated heart rate and numb hands, while laying on the trail unable to walk,” rescuers said in the post.

The hiker was 2 miles up the Zapata Trail, an approximately 2-mile trail in southern Colorado. Five search and rescue personnel set out on foot. The team contacted an air medical response team and the Colorado Army National Guard for assistance, rescuers said.

Search and rescue found the hiker and immediately gave him oxygen. They needed to get the man 150 feet uphill so he could be hoisted into a helicopter and taken to a hospital, rescuers said.

“The hiker greatly struggled even moving 150ft,” search and rescue said. Then the team helped him get to the opening in the trees.

The helicopter hoist was successful, and the hiker was taken to an ambulance that transported him to the hospital, rescuers said.

This story was originally published September 4, 2024 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Hiker lying on trail was ‘blue in the face’ and unable to speak, Colorado rescuers say."