Press Release Chaffee County Sheriff, July 10 2014
A Plano, Texas man who became stranded on Mt. Princeton had to be rescued from his perch on the face of a cliff during an operation that lasted into the dark hours of Wednesday evening. Andrew Goodman, 26, was finally reached by search and rescue volunteers shortly before 9pm. He had suffered an injured ankle but was otherwise uninjured.
A call for assistance from a fellow hiker was received in the Chaffee County Communications Center at about 5:15pm Wednesday. Twelve Search and Rescue North members responded to the trailhead near Silver Cliff Ranch on CR 162. Three team members, experts in high angle technical rescues, began their ascent of the trail at about 6pm. A support team of four volunteers followed a few minutes later carrying additional climbing equipment. Other volunteers arrived soon after to assist. Medics from the county’s Emergency Medical System participated in the effort also.
Search and rescue volunteers reached Goodman at about 9:45pm and determined that he was capable of assisting in his rescue and did not require emergency medical assistance for what appeared to be a sprained ankle. One team member, using ropes and other climbing equipment, assisted Goodman to a more stable area where he was then escorted back to the trailhead, arriving at 12:45am. Other team members repelled down the mountainside and returned to the trailhead about ten minutes later. The mission terminated at 1:30am.
