On July 18, three nonresident adults in their 50s set out from Bradfield Bridge Recreation Area at 11 a. Keith Keesling. Search teams on ATVs went to the Dolores River Overlook to scan with binoculars and search with a drone but had no luck. They returned to headquarters for the rescue boat and gear for a possible overnight excursion. At this point, the tubers had been missing for 25 hours.
The rescue helicopter found the stranded party on a second flyover of the river, then landed and picked them up, taking two trips. The tubers were only wearing shorts and T-shirts, had no outdoor gear and had run out of water and food. They were exhausted and dehydrated after their unplanned overnight stay on the river lasted almost 30 hours, Keesling said. All were medically cleared. The group had attempted to float the same Ponderosa Gorge section of the river on inner tubes the previous day from Bradfield Bridge.
They had lashed the tubes together, and some of the youths were not wearing life jackets. The teenagers ran into trouble when they lost a few of their inner tubes in a rapid about 9 miles into the trip. Wilson called in a rescue helicopter, and the youths 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. After two cases of stranded tubers, during high and low flows, Dolores County Search and Rescue advised caution. A flyover by four vintage airplanes, conducting the traditional missing man formation to salute lost soldiers, highlighted the parade. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Policy. Tubers rescued again on Dolores River. Cortez, Colorado.
Summary: Mixed precipitation today through Sunday. Search the The Journal. Account info Name: Screen name: Email:. Manage Account Logout. Flight for Life called in to find stranded adults. Hidden among the tree-covered slopes of Ponderosa Gorge, a Flight for Life helicopter searches for missing tubers on the Dolores River. Toggle font size. The Ponderosa Gorge averages 1, feet deep with no way to hike out. Other team members were positioned near power lines to facilitate communications.
