Story:
Our plan was an out and back bushwhack. What developed was a shuttle hike, courtesy of the local Search and Rescue (SAR) team!
Thorodin Mountain's name is unusual, and locals tell the following stories regarding the origin of the name. Years ago, the locals couldn't decide on the name of the Norse gods, Thor, and Odin. So...Thorodin...combining both. A better story is that the two summits of the mountain were called Thor and Odin, and the mountain name shortened to ThorOdin. Your choice!
We bushwhacked from Gap Rd, and tagged all the summits. The true summit of Thorodin is not clear, and somewhat confused. The USGS quad show the correct approximate location of the true summit, but 3rd party mappers like Garmin, GoogleMaps, AboveTheTimber, and others are way off. There are two candidates for the true summit, that are within a few feet of elevation difference, and 155' distant from each other. I had a hand level, and "shot" both summits from opposite directions to confirm that the large, popular "summit" is not the true summit. You can see further details here, if this interests you.
So...the shuttle hike. After completing the climbs, we were descending a jeep trail for a short distance, and one of our team slipped and fell, detaching his quadricep tendon. Couldn't stand, or walk. We called for help (GSM cellphone worked, CDMA didn't). We were 400' from the summit of Starr Peak, which has a microwave relay station on the summit, as well as cellular panels, and ham radio relay station.
Two of us hike down the jeep trail to hopefully meet the first responders, and direct them to the injured. The SAR team was outstanding, and can't thank them enough. 2hrs-36min after the fall, the injured was sitting on the tailgate of the fire truck at the Ops base, being examined by paramedics. They gave our drivers a ride back to the trail-head, completing the shuttle hike.
Our plan was an out and back bushwhack. What developed was a shuttle hike, courtesy of the local Search and Rescue (SAR) team!
Thorodin Mountain's name is unusual, and locals tell the following stories regarding the origin of the name. Years ago, the locals couldn't decide on the name of the Norse gods, Thor, and Odin. So...Thorodin...combining both. A better story is that the two summits of the mountain were called Thor and Odin, and the mountain name shortened to ThorOdin. Your choice!
We bushwhacked from Gap Rd, and tagged all the summits. The true summit of Thorodin is not clear, and somewhat confused. The USGS quad show the correct approximate location of the true summit, but 3rd party mappers like Garmin, GoogleMaps, AboveTheTimber, and others are way off. There are two candidates for the true summit, that are within a few feet of elevation difference, and 155' distant from each other. I had a hand level, and "shot" both summits from opposite directions to confirm that the large, popular "summit" is not the true summit. You can see further details here, if this interests you.
So...the shuttle hike. After completing the climbs, we were descending a jeep trail for a short distance, and one of our team slipped and fell, detaching his quadricep tendon. Couldn't stand, or walk. We called for help (GSM cellphone worked, CDMA didn't). We were 400' from the summit of Starr Peak, which has a microwave relay station on the summit, as well as cellular panels, and ham radio relay station.
Two of us hike down the jeep trail to hopefully meet the first responders, and direct them to the injured. The SAR team was outstanding, and can't thank them enough. 2hrs-36min after the fall, the injured was sitting on the tailgate of the fire truck at the Ops base, being examined by paramedics. They gave our drivers a ride back to the trail-head, completing the shuttle hike.
Tips:
An observation was made: "Call 911 and not any government jurisdictional entity, such as State Parks, or the USFS." We encountered extreme difficulty in communicating our location, both with GPS coordinates, and geographical data (400' from Starr Peak, on jeep road). 911 is better equipped to process GPS coordinates, and geographic features. Our mistake in calling gov entity.
The first responders were dedicated, professional, and in short....just amazing! Thanks for being there.
An observation was made: "Call 911 and not any government jurisdictional entity, such as State Parks, or the USFS." We encountered extreme difficulty in communicating our location, both with GPS coordinates, and geographical data (400' from Starr Peak, on jeep road). 911 is better equipped to process GPS coordinates, and geographic features. Our mistake in calling gov entity.
The first responders were dedicated, professional, and in short....just amazing! Thanks for being there.
Comments (3)
Thanks for your interest and kind comments. The injured hiker had surgery and is doing good. Yes, for a low level peak, the views are great...can see Pikes Peak 75 miles away.
by jimlarkey on Oct 27, 2011
Another great hike. One I have to do one day, as I see Starr nearly every morning driving down the Diagonal to Boulder. Hope your fellow hiker heals quickly.
by joegrim on Oct 25, 2011
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