A lost hiker on El Diente Peak was rescued by helicopter Monday, according to a San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office post on Facebook.
Search teams from Dolores and San Miguel counties coordinated the effort to aid a 35-year-old Durango man who had become stranded on a cliff on the south-facing slope at 13,600 feet elevation.
The hiker contacted rescuers by phone Sunday evening and informed them he was stranded but uninjured. He was advised of a rescue plan.
The man was well prepared for the backcountry and spent the night on the mountainside.
Colorado Highland Helicopters flew to the area Monday morning. The man was flown to the Telluride Airport and released.
El Diente Peak has a summit elevation of 14,165 feet and is in the San Miguel range in Dolores County.
