Sioux Falls, South Dakota – This week, Custer County search and rescue (SAR) teams were busy with emergency rescues on the Cathedral Spires trail.
In a Facebook post, Custer County SAR stated that they were “dodging bullets” with two rescues in the area within the last two days.
On Tuesday night, SAR was called for an elderly hiker with a knee injury on the Cathedral Spires trail. Crews arrived from the Cathedral Spires trailhead, along with Custer Ambulance and a rescue team.
Patient contact was made, and while medical care was being provided, the crew determined they’d have to enter through the top of the trail, which meant carrying the stretcher back to the UTV and redeploying at Little Devil’s Tower trail #4 — extremely dangerous terrain to navigate.
Custer County SAR stated in a Facebook post that, despite having the best UTV available, only a few members can operate it safely in the area.
Crews successfully transferred the patient to the UTV and returned to the Little Devil’s Tower trailhead, where the ambulance had been redeployed.
Just as SAR had finished the call, a powerful thunderstorm struck the area. Custer County SAR stated that if the storm had hit 30 minutes earlier, the rescue would most likely have had to be postponed until the next morning due to the hazardous wet trails. If there had been a storm, helicopter extraction would not have been possible.
On Wednesday, the rescue efforts continued as SAR received a call for a lost child on the Cathedral Spires trail. The child was discovered shortly after crews arrived, “dodging another bullet” as SAR put it.
Custer County SAR reiterates that the majority of the trails leading to Black Elk Peak are strenuous, and those with pre-existing health conditions should avoid them.
“The Cathedral Spires trail has many offshoots, nooks, and crannies for a child to wander off and get lost,” SAR wrote in a blog post. They recommend keeping a close eye on any children who venture out on these trails.
