Rollover on Black Bear Pass

This past weekend my wife and I had the opportunity to attend the 5th Annual 100s in the Hills held near Ouray, Colorado. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, it is a family-oriented gathering for fellow 100 Series Toyota Land Cruiser owners to get together and enjoy off-pavement adventure and camaraderie amongst the beauty of southwestern Colorado.

During the course of our weekend on the trails we had the opportunity to take in the beauty of Clear Lake, travel along Ophir Pass, and enjoy a thrilling excursion along Black Bear Pass. It was during our journey on Black Bear Pass that I saw first-hand how professional and capable the organizers of the event are and how the recreationalist community as a whole can come together in times of a crisis.

The day on Black Bear Pass began with nine vehicles in our group, led by Stan Wright who is not only a Director of 100s in the Hills but also a member of the OutdoorX4 staff. As we lined up at the trailhead and began our journey, the brilliant colors in the surrounding tundra provided exceptional photographic opportunities with towering peaks that were incredibly breathtaking. As we continued along the trail, we steadily began our approach to the more technical section of the trail in an area known as “The Steps”, a challenging section of Black Bear Pass whose views towards Telluride in the valley below are beyond words.

 

Black Bear Pass

Prior to our arrival at The Steps, we approached a couple who, only five minutes earlier, rolled their Polaris OHV several times, approximately 40 yards off the side of the pass, into a relatively shallow valley along a narrow river of mountain runoff. The couple, Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Vehnekamp of Florida, had an extensive amount of off-road experience and divide their time throughout the year between Florida and Colorado, often times spending months at a time in Colorado particularly during the warm season. Apparently, Mr. Vehnekamp and his wife approached The Steps and decided to turn around. Mr. Vehnekamp pulled over and unfortunately, he admittedly stopped too far to the right, causing their OHV to rollover.

Several of us, including Stan, hopped from our vehicles to first determine if there were any injuries and what, if any, first aid might need to be rendered. Stan’s trail guiding experience had the group prepared to handle the task of communicating to first responders in Telluride and once we had assessed the status of the couple involved in the rollover, Stan immediately contacted Tim Nakari of Gamiviti Racks via HAM radio, who was guiding another group down Black Bear Pass for 100s in the Hills, and asked him to contact 9-1-1. Along with several members of the Rising Sun Toyota 4×4 Club who were along for our group ride, Stan and the crew contacted appropriate personnel via HAM radio to notify them of what had happened as well as the unknown injury status of Ms. Vehnekamp who, at the time, appeared to have symptoms of internal bruising and possible internal bleeding. With the advice of a 9-1-1 operator and several members of our group, it was determined it would be best for her to wait until an EMT arrived to determine how best to bring her down the mountain. Because of our location, Stan volunteered to drive down The Steps, all the switchbacks, and then to the end of the trail to pick-up an EMT, then drive back up the same section of the trail to our location in order to get the necessary medical attention Ms. Vehnekamp required. This was a hugely significant operaration in itself, and he did so in a 100 Series Land Cruiser which, to my knowledge, is the first time anyone has gone up The Steps in such a vehicle. His years of experience on the trail, in this vehicle platform, and his altruistic personality were the determining factors in this decision.

In the meantime, my wife, Andrea Ledwell, stayed with Ms. Vehnekamp and along with the wife of another member of our group, they cared for and consoled her until Stan came back with an EMT and medical supplies. It’s also important to note EMS couldn’t reach the top in their vehicle (up Black Bear Pass) as it’s a county road and is one way only from The Steps down the switchbacks to Telluride. Throughout the entire process, the use of HAM radios and the community of recreationalists made this effort possible.

 

 

After the EMT determined it was best for Ms. Vehnekamp not to be moved and to seek help from Search and Rescue, Stan coordinated everything via HAM radio and in communication with the Sheriff’s office, a team was sent to help support the rescue effort. During HAM communications, it was also noted the bulk of resources, specifically the Telluride Town Marshalls, would be unavailable as they were in a training session and could not provide traffic support, etc. Again, this is where the community of recreationalists worked together to ensure a safe rescue of Ms. Vehnekamp and her husband, Timothy.

After approximately 90 minutes, a small group of Razr and Polaris OHV owners approached our group and one of the members of that group was a gentleman whose vehicle had significant wheel travel and the capacity to safely ensure Ms. Vehnekamp’s descent down The Steps and back into Telluride. Under the guidance of the EMT, who would not allow Ms. Vehnekamp’s descent without his presence, she was placed onto an inflatable gurney, slowly moved from her location, and placed into the OHV provided by one of the members of the group noted above (not a vehicle provided by the Sheriff’s office). Shortly thereafter, the members of our group moved our vehicles out of the way to allow the OHV carrying Ms. Vehnekamp, along with several other OHVs, down The Steps and back into Telluride where she and her husband were further evaluated.

While the events of this rollover were an unexpected part of our journey along Black Bear Pass, they were a true testament to how the recreationalist community helped make this a successful rescue and is reflective of the majority of those who travel along Black Bear Pass and every other trail in Colorado and throughout the U.S.. It’s true there were a handful of Search and Rescue personnel that were made available to help with the accident. However, if it weren’t for the recreationalists who came together, communicated via HAM radio, provided crucial information and guidance to decision makers back in Telluride, and eventually brought the couple down from Black Bear Pass, the process would have been much more time consuming and would have required far more human resources than were provided. This, in itself, is why I continue to be impressed with how selfless the off-road community truly is. I’ll also note despite the fact there has been quite a bit of misinformation and lack of details about this incident since it happened on Saturday afternoon, I can attest to how well prepared everyone on the entire 100s in the Hills crew was and at the end of the day, this was an accident that fortunately wasn’t worse than it was. It also wasn’t an accident that required so much local resources to warrant shutting down a trail that has become an important part of the local economy and the off-road community.

* OutdoorX4 – Promoting responsible 4×4 adventure travel and outdoor recreation