Four children rescued in deep Pitkin County backcountry
A group of four children in an all-terrain-vehicle being driven by a 16-year-old were stranded for hours in deep Pitkin County backcountry before being rescued Sunday, according to a Pitkin County alert.
At 1 p.m. Sunday, March 30, the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center received a “text to 911” from a group stranded in deep snow after their Polaris RZR side-by-side got stuck, according to the alert.
The vehicle was stuck in the Four Mile Road area, nearly six miles south of the Babbish Gulch Trailhead, which is closed to wheeled ATVs in winter. Deputies from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office and Mountain Rescue Aspen responded on snowmobiles.
By 3 p.m., a deputy found the group walking toward the trailhead. Rescuers transported them one-by-one via snowmobile to a patrol car, where they warmed up.
No injuries were reported.
Officials remind backcountry users to carry proper gear and follow trail regulations.
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