Six rafters, including four children, saved from Roaring Fork River’s strong currents
Six people rafting on the Roaring Fork River were rescued from potential disaster Tuesday by Garfield County Search and Rescue, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and Glenwood Springs Fire Department, a news release states.
At about 7 p.m.,the Sheriff’s Office was notified of two adults and four children, ranging in ages from 7 to 14, whose raft became pinned on a rock near Iron Bridge, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Strong currents caused by high water runoff forced the rafters into the precarious position.
An operation led by Search and Rescue assisted the group in escaping the currents by traversing 70 yards of steep embankment, a news release states.
All six rafters were safely extracted from the river by 9 p.m., according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“This is a good reminder to everyone how powerful the river waters can be especially as we approach peak flows in both the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers,” the news release states. “Even experienced rafters can be caught ‘off guard’ and be stranded. It only takes a few seconds of indecision or inadvertently making a poor choice to wind up in a potentially disastrous situation.”
Aspen Journalism: Water managers vote to continue conservation program, with tweaks, in 2024
The Upper Colorado River Commission decided unanimously to continue the federally funded System Conservation Program in 2024 — but with a narrower scope that explores demand management concepts and supports innovation and local drought resiliency on a longer-term basis.
