A flight of thanks as woman remembers her rescue

LARIMER COUNTY - From 1,000 feet above the ground, 25-year-old Latisha Tucker got to see exactly where she spent two very cold nights in a remote section of Larimer County.

Wednesday, the Civil Air Patrol invited Tucker to fly on one of their planes over the area she got lost in a few weeks ago.

"It's amazing!" she told Major Brian Smiley, the Civil Air Patrol pilot who first spotted her.

On Saturday, June 26, the Fort Collins resident headed out for a short hike in the Comanche Peaks Wilderness area. When Tucker encountered strong storms and heavy rain, she turned around and headed back to her car, but then realized she was lost.

"Once I got back into the trees, I apparently veered off on an animal path," Tucker said.

Tucker tried unsuccessfully to find the correct trail, and ended up spending two cold and wet nights outside. Then, on the evening of Monday, June 28, a Civil Air Patrol plane on a mission to find Tucker spotted her in a clearing. She was waving a white shirt.

"I had not cried up to that point," Tucker said, "but when I saw that plane, it was such an amazing feeling that I bawled."

Smiley was flying the plane and spotted Tucker, but he is quick to point out there was a large team of people who helped in the successful rescue.

"It's not just the air crew that you see. [There are] a lot of people behind the scenes, and it takes a lot of work," he said.

Wednesday, Smiley pointed out exactly where Tucker was found, and how he directed the Larimer County Search and Rescue teams to find her.

"That was one of the best experiences I've had, and for it to come out of such a horrible event is kind of exciting," Tucker said. "It changes my mindset on having been lost a little bit."

The Civil Air Patrol is an all-volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. The group conducts 90 percent of inland search and rescue missions in the U.S., and the Colorado Wing has saved four people, including Tucker, during the past month.