Crews assist woman stranded near Hays Creek Falls near Redstone

Rescue crews assisted a woman stranded Saturday night near Hays Creek Falls after she became trapped by rising waters in the area above the falls, which are located a short distance from Highway 133 about 2 miles south of Redstone, according to a news release Sunday morning.

The 31-year-old Grand Junction resident was uninjured but needed help crossing the creek and traveling back down the mountainside. The report to the Pitkin County Regional Dispatch Center indicated that she was barefoot and wearing only a shirt and shorts, the release states.

Dispatch received the report at 6:22 p.m. Saturday; a man had flagged down the reporting party on the highway to get help.

Responders from the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District (CFD) were first to arrive and shortly thereafter requested assistance from Mountain Rescue Aspen for the technical rescue. First responders from CFD made voice contact around 7:20 p.m. Mountain Rescue Aspen members were deployed from Aspen at 7:25 p.m. and arrived at the scene at approximately 8:20 p.m.

At 8:37 p.m., Carbondale Fire crews informed dispatch that they made physical contact with the woman; they began to work their way out of the field with the woman about 10 minutes later. Mountain Rescue Aspen crews also had entered the field and assisted CFD first responders. All rescue crews and the woman were out of the field by 9:30 p.m.

CFD paramedics evaluated the woman and released her shortly thereafter.