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‘Never know how long it will take': 2 hikers rescued in 2 days near Telluride prompt warning
DENVER (KDVR) — Two women from out of state were rescued from the same popular hiking area near Telluride within days of each other, prompting a warning from rescuers as the summer season kicks off.
One woman from Ohio was hiking Friday, and the other from Illinois on Saturday, at Bridal Veil Falls, the tallest free-falling waterfall in Colorado, when they were injured, according to the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office.
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'This is the second SAR mission in two days,' San Miguel County Sheriff Dan Covault said in a Facebook post after the second rescue. 'I want to thank the men and women on our SAR team who are regularly willing to drop everything and respond to these rescues.'
The Ohio woman, 39, suffered a knee injury on her hike, and rescuers from San Miguel County Search and Rescue and the Telluride Fire Department spent three hours rescuing her. The woman had a friend drive her to a medical center.
Just a day later, the Illinois woman, 56, injured her ankle hiking. Rescuers from San Miguel County Search and Rescue and the Telluride Fire Department rescued her in an excursion that took over two hours, and an ambulance took her to a medical center.
The rescues prompted a warning from Covault on how to be safe on hikes during summer.
'With a busy summer season underway, we will see an increase in people venturing into the backcountry. We want to remind folks to be prepared with proper footwear, appropriate clothing, and extra food and water in case of an emergency,' Covault said. 'For all kinds of reasons, including weather and location, you never know how long it will take rescuers to get to you.'Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
