An injured hunter was rescued via helicopter from the Lime Creek drainage south of Silverton on Sunday morning during one of the most ominous storms of the season.
The San Juan County Sheriff's Office and search-and-rescue teams from Ouray, San Juan and La Plata counties were dispatched, but with treacherous terrain and deteriorating weather, air support was called in to aid searchers.
Mark Webber, of Bayfield, was hunting big horn sheep in the mountains northeast of the Lime Creek Campground, San Juan County Sheriff Sue Kurtz said, when he cut his leg in a rugged, remote and steep environment.
"He got the sheep on Friday and was (preparing) to pack it out on Saturday," she said. "He slipped and cut his leg with his knife."
She said the rescue began Saturday at about 4 p.m., and the terrain - coupled with inclement weather - complicated efforts.
"It was a difficult area to maneuver in, and it was dreadful downpour," she said. "Very treacherous."
Initially, a Flight For Life medical helicopter was used, and it did help pinpoint Webber's location, picking up his location by GPS from his cellphone.
"That's one reason we really encourage people to carry their cellphones," Kurtz said. "Even if they think they're not going to work."
Webber was in a vast, lofty area, surrounded by cliffs, loose rocks and steep slopes.
"He was actually at the edge of a cliff that had a waterfall going over it," Kurtz said. "When we figured out what a difficult situation it was, we called in the Air National Guard."
With rescue efforts at bay until daylight, ground teams moved in, located Webber and treated his wound. Two more personnel followed, resupplying them with food and water. They stayed in place overnight during the passing storms, and a Black Hawk helicopter flew in Sunday morning.
About 10 a.m., Webber was flown to Durango-La Plata County Airport.
Kurtz said Lime Creek had reached a flood stage, morphing from a slow, meandering stream to a raging rapid.
"We wouldn't have been able to get across it without some kind of line over it, but with the helicopter, that wasn't necessary."
bmathis@durangoherald.com
