Capitol Peak Rescue on 8/16/2025

[seannunn]

I think this would be a great spot for a sign. While it's possible people are panicked, I could also imagine myself, with a clear head, looking at that steep, loose gully down to the lake, thinking "this isn't the standard route because it looks terribly unpleasant, but I can see the lake right there, I've got to get down off this ridge before a storm" or something. I've followed gullies that look similarly inviting. Maybe "Danger, no descent, large cliffs at the bottom of this gully, must return via knife edge"

+1. I have skirted mountains to avoid reclimbing summits before, not because I was delusional or completely exhausted but simply because it looked easier.
The same principle applies here. Nothing is going to deter some people from doing dumb things. However, a sign might dissuade someone who is coming back from the summit, tired (honestly who isn't tired at that point?), didn't read up too much about the mountain, and seems to think that "maybe this is an easier route to descend back to Capitol Lake."

If you think about it, there are some scree slopes that, for some people, are miserable to climb but not as bad to descend. Who knows, maybe some people are thinking that would be the case getting back down to Capitol Lake?
A sign might disabuse them of that notion.

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO

[HikerGuy]

If a sign does get placed up there, I think it should be placed at or near the start of the knife edge. It should clearly state that difficult climbing lies beyond and you MUST return over the knife edge, there are NO other routes off the mountain, you WILL get cliffed out if you do not return to this point. The person reads the sign in a clear state of mind and everyone passes through that point, folks off route may not descend the same gully. My two cents.

[rijaca]

I learned a long time ago the following maxims:

Don't climb anything you're not willing to descend.
Don't descend/skirt anything unless you know it goes, unless you're prepared to retrace your steps.

Some questions re this incident:
When and where did this couple start the hike/climb?
What happened to the rescued party after she departed the saddle? How did she get hurt? How/where/why did she get off route?

And lastly, I'm opposed to charging for SAR rescues, but I think that this lady should contribute a significant donation to MRA.

[Peak200]

How about a sign that says this way is closed;
The death gully really has put a lot of SAR people in harms way

[Gandalf69]

Sign ideas. Just wanted to point out that even hikers in jeans knew the correct route down.

[astranko]

Put a sign at the top of the gully that says "Shortcut!" and then a big net at the bottom.

Once a week we'll have a blackhawk come in and scoop everyone up and drop them off in either Walsenberg or Ft. Morgan.

Even weeks to one, odd to the other.

[HikerBox]

I think a simple "Days since last climber death from shortcutting the descent:" and a counter would get the point across.

[Veory]

How about littering the couloir with miscellaneous bones? If they won't read a sign, perhaps the ominous setting will bring them to their senses.

[justiner]

As per tradition! I will leave this video here of a sign warning of a low bridge, which gets constantly ignored by truckers: professional who have training and licensing in what they are doing:



If you wanna see how well signs work, come to Boulder and check out the base of the Second Flatiron where there is a sign saying, "hey this is dangerous!" and watch the line of gumbies.




isn't danger itself one of the reasons some go into the mountains?

[jfm3]

Put a sign at the top of the gully that says "Shortcut!" and then a big net at the bottom.

Once a week we'll have a blackhawk come in and scoop everyone up and drop them off in either Walsenberg or Ft. Morgan.

Even weeks to one, odd to the other.

On several of the trips I've made to the Sangres, that gas station just off I-25 in Walsenburg, before going over the hill to 160, has been the sketchiest part of the trip. There are some interesting characters around there after dark.

[seano]

If you wanna see how well signs work, come to Boulder and check out the base of the Second Flatiron where there is a sign saying, "hey this is dangerous!" and watch the line of gumbies.

Every time I come through Boulder I am amazed that I have yet to witness a serious fall, given so many young males close to so many big rocks. The only wheel-out I have seen was a hiker who twisted her ankle. Eleven deaths in ~75 years seems like shockingly low to me.

[climbingyogi]

If you wanna see how well signs work, come to Boulder and check out the base of the Second Flatiron where there is a sign saying, "hey this is dangerous!" and watch the line of gumbies.

The last time I went scrambling up the 2nd Flatiron (early last summer) there was a man at the base watching us start up the climb. I think he said he was visiting from Kansas?

He yells up to us 'Is that even legal?', to which I replied, 'yes, definitely legal, but you should only climb it if you have some climbing experience. It's slabby low 5th class'. I'm going to guess he had no idea what I was saying, because he started climbing up right after my response. My partner and I were super relieved when he decided to bail pretty shortly after he started.