2 lost teenagers rescued with drone aid at Roxborough State Park

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Two teenagers were rescued this weekend with the help of drones after getting lost on a hike at Roxborough State Park.

Douglas County Search and Rescue, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and other agencies were called to Roxborough State Park around 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Two teenagers called 911 after getting lost near Carpenter Peak.

"We had an idea of where the lost children were. They actually did an excellent job. They stayed put after calling 911, which makes our job a lot easier," said drone lead Darren Keralla of DCSAR. "Got dark quick, we had weather rolling in and it was getting pretty windy so they hunkered down."

Keralla fired up the drone as on-foot crews began to ascend toward the teenagers. He quickly found the pair on the drone, who could be seen flashing a light while taking shelter under trees.

"Some of our challenges were the high winds. Knowing a general area of where our subjects were helped, but once we were able to get the drone on top of them, verify their location using lat/long, we can really streamline the rescue coordination from there," said Keralla.

For the first time ever, DCSAR said a family member was able to communicate with another family member through the drone's speaker. One of the teenager's dads was able to talk to his son directly on scene.

"From their standpoint, here they are lost in the wilderness, you know, you could hear dad coming over the speaker with some positive words of encouragement. I think it really uplifted their spirits," said Keralla. "We can't receive audio but we typically ask them if you're okay, give me a thumbs up, and they'll respond with a thumbs up. We can interpret a lot from their motions and what they're communicating back to us physically."

Crews were eventually able to meet up with the pair and walk them safely back down, with the help of a light shining down from the drone. The whole operation took about two and a half hours.

"I have to credit our missing kids because they had a plan in place with their parents where if they were not back by a certain time, the parents would call for help and that is how this all played out," said Keralla. "Roxborough is hilly, rocky and it's bigger I'd say than most state parks that we're within range of."

DCSAR is reminding all hikers to bring the essentials with them while hiking, be educated on the area and wear bright colors so if you need to be rescued, rescue workers can find you.