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Woman rescued in North Routt County after getting lost in woods at night

Scott Franz

— A woman who got lost in the woods on Saturday night trying to chase after her Maine Coon cat in remote North Routt County made it back safely to Steamboat Springs on Sunday afternoon with the help of good Samaritans and Routt County Search and Rescue volunteers.

Search and rescue volunteer Kristia Check-Hill said the woman in her late 30s called 911 at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night to report she couldn’t get back to her vehicle because she was lost in the woods.

The woman wasn’t able to provide much information about her whereabouts other than her vehicle was on a dirt road near Routt County Road 129 in North Routt.



Her cell phone died shortly after the initial call.

After U.S. Forest Service employees and the Routt County Sheriff’s Office were unable to locate the woman’s vehicle Saturday night, search and rescue volunteers deployed Sunday morning.



“It was a needle in a haystack, and we needed to find the vehicle first,” Check-Hill said.

One group of rescuers took ATVs on Forest Service roads to the base of Hahn’s Peak.

Another group took Routt County Road 80 into California Park and then into Slater Park.

A helicopter also took part in the search.

The initial search efforts were guided by attempts to ping the woman’s cell phone.

Searchers on Sunday were able to get more information about the woman’s whereabouts from her boyfriend in Steamboat.

The woman eventually made her way back to a Forest Service Road in the northern part of Big Red Park and got help from a group of campers who were passing by.

She told rescuers she spent the night in the woods before daylight allowed her to find her way back to her vehicle.

The woman, whose identity was not released Monday, had water with her and a flashlight.

Search and rescue teams escorted the woman back to Steamboat.

Check-Hill said the woman was in good physical health, but she was shaken up by the incident.

The woman’s Maine Coon cat was still thought to be lost Sunday.

Search and rescue volunteers continued their work Sunday when they were called to help retrieve the body of a person who died near a campground in Garfield County.

To reach Scott Franz, call 970-871-4210, email scottfranz@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottFranz10


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