ALAMOSA COUNTY — On July 26, Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue (AVSAR) received a call from a hiker on Ellingwood Point who had fallen on his descent from the 14,057-foot mountain and needed to be rescued.

Due to threatening thunderstorms, his rescue was delayed until the following morning when he was extracted by a Colorado National Guard helicopter.

Ellingwood is part of the Blanca Massif and is an 18.4-mile out-and-back hike that usually takes about 11 hours by experienced hikers. This strenuous day hike turned into an unexpected overnight experience.

On the first day of the rescue, an AVSAR 4x4 team traveled up Lake Como Road and within 300 vertical feet of the injured hiker. The rescue team bedded down at nightfall and resumed operating at first light.

On the following morning of Saturday, July 27, AVSAR contacted the Colorado National Guard, which dispatched a helicopter and, upon arrival with the injured and rescuers, hoisted him out at 6 a.m. He was flown down to the nearby rescue helipad and, transferred to a REACH29 helicopter, which transported him to a local hospital at 6:45 a.m. The injured was treated and released.

AVSAR's statement included, "Unfortunately, the climber was highly unprepared for overnight conditions and was out of water-food."

The Alpine Rescue Team from Evergreen, Colorado, assisted with the State SAR Coordinator during this mission.

The Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue is a non-profit, all-volunteer group that partners with the Alamosa Sheriff's Office to assist mountaineers in need.

"AVSAR encourages you to avoid needing SAR in the first place" and offers the following, "Don't rely on anyone else's opinion about the difficulty of a route — bring your common sense instead. Don't try a new route alone. Pay attention to the weather. Set a turnaround time and stick to it. Tell someone responsible where you are going, what time you will be back, and who to call if you don't make it back as planned."

The word "volunteer" in the group name, Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue, is the operative here. Volunteer, "A person who does something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it," is a description of what the members of AVSAR do; it is also the definition of the word from the Cambridge Dictionary.

A way to support the group is to attend the annual SUDS 4 SAR block party on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 4 to 10 p.m. at the San Luis Valley Brewing in downtown Alamosa. The event will include live music, AVSAR merchandise, a silent auction, and more.

The motto of AVSAR says, "An all-volunteer, non-profit organization providing search and rescue services and education in Alamosa, Colorado, so that others may live.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers the CORSAR card for sale that helps fund volunteer search and rescue teams throughout the state.

To learn more or donate, visit www.avsar.us andwww.cpw.state.co.us.