<\/p>\n
Six Dolores County youths reported missing on the Lower Dolores River were found Sunday morning by a Flight for Life helicopter, according to the Dove Creek Fire Department and Dolores County Search and Rescue.<\/p>\n
The group had attempted to float the 18-mile Ponderosa Gorge section of the river on inner tubes. They had put in at the Bradfield Bridge about 2 p.m. Saturday and lashed their tubes together. Officials reported that some members of the party were not wearing life jackets.<\/p>\n
The teenagers ran into trouble when they lost a few of their inner tubes in a rapid about 9 miles into the trip, said Capt. Keith Keesling of Dolores County Search and Rescue. Walking along shore, they came upon \u201ca nice family\u201d who gave them food and invited them to stay overnight at their camp.<\/p>\n
There is no cell service in the canyon. When the group failed to arrive at their scheduled takeout that evening, a search was organized.<\/p>\n
Dolores County Sheriff Don Wilson called in a rescue helicopter, and the youths were found shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday. They were extracted by a Flight for Life helicopter that landed on the edge of the beach, its tail jutting out over the river. Three flights were required to bring out all six people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe helicopter crew did a great job,\u201d Keesling said.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the section of river where the youths were tubing was running at a high flow of 3,400 cubic feet per second.<\/p>\n
It was fortunate that there were other rafters on the river to assist the teenagers, said Grant Allen, assistant chief for the Dove Creek Fire Department.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of boaters on the river right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Search and Rescue access by foot into the steep and remote Ponderosa Gorge is limited, he said, which is why the helicopter was called in.<\/p>\n
Family members and about 20 rescue personnel arrived at the Bradfield Bridge put-in and the Dove Creek Pump Station takeout, in part to conduct on-the-ground searches.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt high water, rivers can be very dangerous for the inexperienced, and they are definitely not suitable for inner-tubing,\u201d Allen said. \u201cIn this case, the teenagers didn\u2019t realize how dangerous the conditions were. It\u2019s a big relief that everyone is OK.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the incident, the sheriff and search and rescue crews met with the teenagers and their parents about river safety and the ill-advised tubing adventure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids were very glad to be back home. I think they learned from their mistakes,\u201d he said. They were not charged for the rescue efforts.<\/p>\n
The rescue effort included Dolores County Search and Rescue, Dove Creek Fire Department, Dove Creek Ambulance District, Flight for Life Colorado and the Dolores County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
Waterways were running at near-peak levels this week after the San Juan Mountains received above-average snowfall this winter.<\/p>\n
The high water can be alluring to river users, but it\u2019s also dangerous for inexperienced or unprepared boaters, kayakers and tubers.<\/p>\n
John Brennan, an engineer with the Durango Fire Protection District, said anyone going on the river should go with others and wear a life jacket, closed-toed shoes, a helmet, thermal protection and bring extra clothes in case they go for a swim.<\/p>\n
When the water reaches discharge levels above 500 cfs, it is \u201chighly frowned upon\u201d to be out on inner tubes, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a really dangerous activity because you don\u2019t have a lot of control over that craft,\u201d Brennan said.<\/p>\n
Officials also warned boaters of a river hazard below Snaggletooth Rapid. A large tree fell into the river from the right bank. Boaters need to go river left after the rapid to avoid the hazard.<\/p>\n