On May 20th, 2022, at about 12:40 pm, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office received a report of two campers in distress on the Conundrum Creek trail approximately six miles in. It was reported that one of the campers was suffering from frostbite and was unable to move. The campers, both in their 20s, also had several items of gear break and were unable to make food.
Conundrum Creek is located just outside of Aspen and is considered a challenging 18-mile round trip hike to the Conundrum Hot Springs.
Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA) was immediately notified and mobilized. At approximately 2:30 pm, MRA sent a ground team onto the Conundrum Creek trail to locate the two campers.
At approximately 5:04 pm, the MRA ground team made contact with the two campers on the Conundrum Creek trail. The campers did not have any serious injuries and were able to walk out on their own with assistance from MRA volunteers.
17 MRA members and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office contributed to the safe and successful completion of the mission. All members were safely out of the field at approximately 11:30 pm.
Mountain Rescue Aspen would like to remind backcountry users to exercise caution and be prepared for the forecasted weather conditions when navigating the backcountry.
