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Rangers help evacuate military training on Colorado peak

Park rangers plan to fly them down from the snowy summit by helicopter if weather permits.

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The group was involved in a climbing training and consists of military personnel affiliated with Fort Carson.

U.S. Army Special Forces troops were airlifted from a mountain peak inside Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park on Friday after some had trouble climbing one of the state’s highest peaks.

The group was not planning to stay overnight in the area and are self-rescuing by helping each other to climb to the summit of Longs Peak.

Kyle Patterson, a spokeswoman for the national park, said none of the personnel were missing. They called for help and ended up spending the night on the mountain.

Eleven special forces soldiers from Fort Carson training on Longs Peak were airlifted off the 14,259-foot mountain on Friday. Once they reached the top, a helicopter began ferrying them down the mountain.

But “it’s important to recognize (the soldiers) were able to finish the climb this morning without assistance”, said Mark Pita, the park’s chief ranger, according to The Denver Post.

Park rangers and an 11th soldier went up to offer help, Army officials said.

Officials said two in the party had gotten altitude sickness – a condition where the body struggles to adjust to thinner air, with less oxygen, in higher elevations.

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14,259 ft Longs Peak is seen on January 12, 2016 in Estes Park, Colorado.

The military personnel at the summit of Longs Peak