A hiker on the required the assistance of crews this week when they say they became ill after drinking contaminated water. The news comes just weeks after we reported on at Havusapai Falls. According to a Facebook post by Saguache County Search and Rescue, the hiker activated an to call for assistance from a remote part of the trail in southern Colorado on Monday evening.
Using 4 x 4 and Utility Terrain vehicles, six members of search and rescue deployed to the area. After encountering downed timber, they continued on foot towards the beacon location where they made contact with the hiker. "The survivor believed that they drank some contaminated water that led to their weakened state and dehydration.
Realizing they couldn’t continue on the hike, the spot device was activated," writes SCSAR. Teams were able to hike the subject to the vehicles and had them out of the field by 1 a.m.
on Tuesday, however the incident prompted them to warn hikers about health and safety in the backcountry. "Water purification capability is critical in the backcountry. Equally important is to clean your hands before eating and purifying water so you don’t cross-contaminate yourself.
" If you find yourself in a life-threatening situation in the backcountry and need to drink natural water, some sources make better choices than others. If you have to drink standing water, a pool of very clear, untouched-looking water may not be the safest option. In fact, if there’s nothing living in it and other.
