DENVER (KDVR) — Two men were rescued on the summit of Longs Peak after spending the night near the top of the over 14,000-foot mountain.
The Rocky Mountain National Park said park rangers were contacted on Friday night after two climbers, 47 and 50-year-old men, on Kiener’s Route in the Longs Peak area needed assistance. The men said they were at approximately 14,000 feet, but they were “incapacitated,” couldn’t continue and hadn’t planned to stay overnight.
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Rangers were able to keep contact with them overnight, and the rescue took place on Saturday morning when two Rocky Mountain National Park search and rescue teams and members of Larimer County Search and Rescue began hiking toward the climbers.
The park said a U.S. Forest Service helicopter and a Flight For Life helicopter tried to fly, but couldn’t continue due to wind conditions. With the help of Colorado Search and Rescue, more resources were requested from the Colorado National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility at Buckley Space Force Base.
A Chinook helicopter was able to take off with rescuers from Alpine Rescue and Rocky Mountain Rescue and landed on the summit of Longs Peak. Around 2:15 p.m., the climbers moved to the peak and were flown to upper Beaver Meadows Road in the park…