Outward Bound said the victims of a fatal May 25 canoe accident in at Willow Lake in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains of Colorado were not trainees as erroneously reported by some news outlets.
The Outward Bound Administrative Incident Commander, who was on call at the Leadville, Colo. base camp, was immediately contacted via satellite phone by the senior Outward Bound staff trainer who was on the scene of the accident and reported the above information about Brechtel and Peterson. The Incident Commander then contacted the Saguache County Sheriff, who stated that Search and Rescue (SAR) would be sent out the following morning. Outward Bound staff assumed responsibility for the continued well-being of Brechtel during the night. Outward Bound staff also searched the perimeter of the lake for Peterson from 8:00pm to 8:30pm that evening, as well as from 6:30am to 7:30am the following morning, but found nothing.
Outward Bound staff continued to offer assistance to SAR when their quick response team arrived on foot at the scene later on the morning of May 26. The staff also offered continued support in the event that the follow-up SAR team, arriving by horseback, needed additional help portaging equipment at several creek crossings.
“Outward Bound is deeply saddened by this tragic accident that we encountered and for the loss of Jesse Peterson. We remain concerned for the well-being of Natalie Brechtel,” said Peter A. O’Neil, Executive Director of Colorado Outward Bound School. “Outward Bound’s instructional staff receive significant training and certification in wilderness emergency medicine and crisis response and were able to address the situation accordingly. The actions of our instructors exhibit one of the founding principles of Outward Bound: being of service to others.”
