Ragged Mountain rescue aided by cell phone

A rescue on Ragged Mountain last weekend is one of several recent incidents at the 500-plus acre preserve with access off Wigwam Road. Fire officials are urging hikers to take their cell phones and remember the area is wilderness not a park.

The South Kensington Fire House received a call at about 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22 that a 26 year-old man had fallen about 40 feet off the side of a cliff. A call had been made to 911, via cell phone from the hiking party that included the victim. The rescue took more than three hours and parts of the operation occurred after sunset. All four town fire departments were called in to assist. The Berlin Fire Department worked with LifeStar which was landed in a field near Harts Ponds on Reservoir Road.

The man was hiking with two friends, a man and a woman, who were able to descend without assistance. The man who fell had a head injury and was flown to Hartford Hospital.

Chapman said, at this time, authorities are not sure what happened to cause the man to fall.

The incident took place off the blue-red trail and the terrain was difficult, Chapman said. Firefighters employed a rope rescue technique. One firefighter suffered a sprained ankle.

"I'm very thankful for all four departments for working with me on this," Chapman said.

Ragged Mountain preserve includes elevations to 500 feet that rise above the Quinnipiac River Valley to the west. Acording to several trail directories, the mountain consists of a series of high bluffs and several lower tiers of ledges. Much of Ragged Mountain has been conserved as a nature preserve, rock climbing preserve, and as public watershed lands. A number of hiking trails and rock climbing routes traverse the mountain including the Metacomet Trail. Trails range from easy to difficult. The mountain is considered to be Connecticut's most popular rock climbing destination.

The most recent rescue on the mountain was preceded by several other incidents this season.

"We've also gone up the mountain for stranded and lost hikers, lately," Chapman said. He urged people who hike the area "to take their cell phones up there with them." He said with a 911 call combined with use of the Global Positioning System, it is much easier to locate individuals.

Access to the mountain is via trails, and that implies that the terrain is difficult, he said.