Volunteer Rescue Group Responds To 2 Stranded Hikers On Mount Royal

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Two climbers found themselves stuck on Mount Royal in Summit County Friday night. Two men started their climb at around 10 a.m. and nearly reached the summit.

One of the men saw his previous foot injury was being aggravated by the climb, to they decided to start climbing down.

They then became unable to rappel down the mountain because they weren't sure about some previously set anchors in the rockwall.

They called the Summit County Rescue Group for help.

"We are fortunate to have a climber very familiar with the climbing route. He situated himself on the other side of Interstate 70 and, viewing the two men through binoculars, was able to successfully explain, by phone, how to locate the pre-set anchors. Unfortunately, the climbers were not equipped with headlamps and light was quickly fading. They got to a point where they decided they would be unable to complete the descent without undue risk," said Matt Hage, Mission Coordinator for the rescue.

Crews finished the mission at around 2 a.m. The men returned home safely.