The Hardscrabble Pass through the Wet Mountain Range has historically been a route of tremendous beauty and danger. From the first documented expedition along Hardscrabble Creek in 1848 by John Fremont, the pass has proven to be hazardous. In the 1920s and 30s, state funds were used to improve the rough wagon track that existed so that motorized cars could come touring up from Pueblo as the former mining region of Silver Cliff and Westcliffe were looking to tourism for economic survival. Even in the modern era, the Hardscrabble is the artery that allows visitors and scenic motorists to access the region.
Yet the winding road, steep grade, constant rockfall, unpredictable weather, and wildlife crossings make the Hardscrabble a dangerous road for most vehicles. Motorcycles are at an even greater risk, and with the return of spring and warm weather, motorcycles are increasingly seen on local highways.
The danger of the Hardscrabble became starkly apparent on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18, when three motorcycle crashes on the Hardscrabble required three Flight for Life helicopter medical transportation to save the ridersâ lives.
The first crash on Saturday, May 17, involved a 19-year-old Cañon City man who was touring the scenic byway and was heading down the Hardscrabble. As the rider came to the Mackenzie Junction, where the road was still damaged from the big rockslide in January, the Colorado State Patrol report on the incident states that âThe motorcycle began braking and overturned. The motorcycleâs rider was ejected from the motorcycle and struck a guardrail.â This impact flipped the rider over the guardrail and almost over the edge toward Hardscrabble Creek.
The remarkable thing was that at that moment, a volunteer special deputy of the Custer County Sheriffâs Office, Cole Collins, who helps with the local dive team, was heading home and up the Hardscrabble. When the rider hit the guardrail, his leg and arm were almost completely amputated by the force of the collision and the unforgiving metal. Collins jumped from his car to assist and also contacted the local emergency services for more help. Collinâs was prepared with a tourniquet and was able to slow the bleeding until another on-duty deputy arrived with more tourniquets. According to the Sheriffâs Office, it took a total of four tourniquets to get the bleeding to stop, and the rider stabilized for the helicopter ride to Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. The State Patrol report did not say if speed was a factor in the crash.
But the carnage on the Hardscrabble continued on Sunday, May 18, as warm temperatures rose into the 70s and 80s along the front range, and hundreds of bikers took for the hills and the scenic byways. At 5:30 p.m., a 53-year-old Colorado Springs man was once again headed down the Hardscrabble in the tight switchbacks and failed to make a left-hand curve. The bike spun out of control when it hit the gravel shoulder, throwing the man into the guardrail, and requiring another Flight for Life helicopter ride.
And just an hour later, at 6:36 p.m., a motorcycle that was headed north on Highway 67 just leaving Wetmore failed to make the tight second curve on the highway and lost control. A 37-year-old married couple from Pueblo was riding a brand new 2025 Harley motorcycle, and both were thrown from the bike with the driver flown by Flight for Life to Colorado Springs and the passenger taken by Penrose EMS/Fire to Parkview in Pueblo.
This cluster of accidents likely came from rusty or inexperienced riders who were looking forward to the nice weather and took on mountain roads that were experiencing extremely windy conditions that weekend. In a statement from the Custer County Sheriffâs Office, the department had the riders in their thoughts and prayers.
The department also took a moment to explain how to prepare for severe bleeding injuries like Special Deputy Collins. âIf you ride a motorcycle, wearing a helmet is critical to ensuring your survival if you make a mistake and crash (only the first rider had a helmet. The other three did not). Right up there with a helmet of life-saving importance is a tourniquet attached to your jacket for quick access. Do you have a friend or loved one who rides a motorcycle? If so, consider buying them a tourniquet to protect them when they ride, especially in rural areas like Custer County, where an ambulance must travel a long distance to reach the patient. Consider taking the âStop the Bleedâ class so that you can help yourself and others who need help after a traumatic incident. You cannot use a belt successfully as a tourniquet. It wonât get tight enough to stop the bleeding on injuries like this above the femur.â The department stated that its deputies are all prepared with Snakestaff Systems tourniquets.
-Jordan Hedberg
