10 Essentials To Pack For Winter Hiking in Grand Junction Colorado

It's already been a busy start to 2022 for the Mesa County Sheriff's Office. Officers participated in a near five-hour rescue on Monday evening that involved a Grand Junction woman and her two dogs.

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office reported that the woman had gone snowshoeing near Colorado's Lands End Observatory and had gotten lost. As the sun finally set and the temperatures dropped officers set out to find her. Can you imagine being the Rural Area Deputy during a blizzard up there? We are so lucky to have great people looking out for all of us.

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Rescue Efforts Near Colorado's Lands End Observatory Took Almost 5 Hours

The 1 thing that may have saved this woman's life was that she was carrying a device with GPS that could send out an emergency signal. Officers were able to locate the emergency signal and eventually make their way to the woman's location. Both the woman and her two dogs were found and safely removed from Mesa top near Lands End that evening.

When I flew out of Grand Junction for the holidays, our plane flew over the Grand Mesa and I could see a person by themselves either cross-country skiing or perhaps snowshoeing. It's a popular place and it's not uncommon to see someone enjoying the Mesa by themselves. If you prepare ahead of time, you'll be in much better shape for a fun day of exploring. There is also a very handy resource you can check before going up on the Grand Mesa you can see below.

10 Colorado Essentials to Pack Before a Winter Hike

Winter in Colorado means cold weather, and conditions that can change very quickly. Planning for a winter hike means taking more than a bottle of water and a pair of gloves with you. In fact, there are actually 10 essential items you should ALWAYS take with you if you are going out on a winter hike in Colorado.