SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 6, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake County Search and Rescue responded Monday afternoon to help an injured mountain biker on the Spine of the Wasatch Crest Trail.
The all-volunteer team was already conducting a rescue on the Mill B Trail when the call came in at 4 p.m., SAR said in a Facebook post.
“The biker had hooked a bar end, crashed, and suffered a significant leg injury. Unable to put weight on the leg or to continue pedaling down the trail, he called for help. Other bikers on the trail stayed with him until first responders arrived,” the post says.
Search and Rescue teams headed out on foot, up Mill D Canyon/Desolation Trail and on the Crest Trail from the top of Big Cottonwood. The teams on the Crest drove within a couple miles of the Spine and carried heavy gear to transport the injured man.
Paramedics with Unified Fire and SAR team members stabilized the patient and then transported him by wheel and litter down the Desolation Trail.
“The carry out was smooth and successful with many team members taking turns as litter attendants and belayers,” the post says. “There was much debate about who would get to take the patient’s very nice mountain bike back to the trailhead. A high ranking teammate exercised his seniority and successfully returned the bike to family waiting at the trailhead.”
Everyone was off the mountain by 8:30 p.m.
“We wish a speedy and full recovery to our patient and hope to see him back on the trails soon,” the post says.
