Finding Kindness at Valley View After a Medical Emergency on the Four Pass Loop

Carrie Copeland and her nephew Robbie had just reached the top of Frigid Air Pass on the Four Pass Loop when the clouds above them turned deep black.

She knew she needed to get to lower ground quickly. What she didn’t know was that everything would change when she reached the bottom.

Hurrying down the mountain with a 35-pound pack was the last thing Carrie wanted to do. She and Robbie, an adventure photographer and avid thru-hiker, had already climbed two passes above 12,400 feet that day. After all that effort, Carrie had hoped to stop and savor the views from the top, but the approaching storm left her little choice but to keep moving.

“I was exhausted, honestly,” she recalled. “But we still had a few miles to go to reach camp and be ready for the next pass the following morning.”

Credit: Robert J. Hill

Carrie got a head start down the pass while Robbie followed behind, eventually catching up with her at treeline. Together they reached camp that afternoon, but the strenuous climbs and descents that day left Carrie dehydrated and severely fatigued. Robbie was alarmed by his aunt’s condition.

“He said I looked ‘pale as a sheet’”, said Carrie.

What happened next confirmed Carrie’s belief that everything happens for a reason.

That evening, a family set up camp just across from Carrie and Robbie’s site. Carrie recognized one of them, a woman she’d seen hiking repeatedly earlier in the day. Carrie’s condition worsened overnight, and the next morning, the woman came over to check on her.

Her name was Anne, and she was a doctor.

Anne checked Carrie’s pulse and recognized an irregular heart rhythm consistent with atrial fibrillation, or AFib, a serious condition which can increase the risk of blood clots and stroke. Intense physical exertion, dehydration and high altitude had all contributed to Carrie’s episode.

Recognizing the severity of the situation, Robbie activated the SOS button on his Garmin device. A CareFlight of the Rockies helicopter arrived 24 minutes later to transport her to emergency care.

“I remember when they touched down and one of the crew members came and put his arm around me,” Carrie said. “I was crying so much, and they were all so kind.”

Carrie was flown alone to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs. Robbie was unable to join her on the flight and would have to finish his hike and meet her a couple days later.

With no family beside her and a longstanding anxiety around health care, Carrie was feeling scared and vulnerable. But the kindness and compassionate care she experienced over the next few days transformed what could have been a frightening hospital stay.

“What I found at Valley View was some of the best care I’ve ever received, anywhere,” Carrie said. “From the ER to Acute Care, every single person was calm, kind and fully present. Nothing was rushed. Nobody was short with me. People asked who I was, told me about their own lives and made me laugh when I needed it most. Valley View, you are a gem. Thank you for taking care of me when I couldn’t take care of myself.”

Reflecting on her stay, Carrie expressed gratitude for everyone on her care team, shouting out staff like Gabby, Baird and Bailey in Acute Care, as well as Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner Heidi Schoephoerster.

Carrie was also moved by the certified nursing assistants (CNAs), technicians and other team members she met. Some were nursing students who shared how much they loved Glenwood Springs and working at Valley View.

“They were all so fantastic, and you could tell they truly cared,” Carrie said.

During her stay, Carrie received medication and support for AFib while her care team monitored her condition. Before leaving Valley View, Heidi Schoephoerster helped Carrie coordinate follow-up cardiology care near her home on the Front Range. Navigating multiple health systems can be complicated; Carrie was grateful she didn’t have to do it alone.

With her doctor’s approval, Carrie has since returned to hiking. She hopes to come back to the valley when the time is right — not to prove anything, but to revisit a place that showed her kindness, community and care. To her, the hike wasn’t a failure, but a powerful reminder of what matters most at this point in her life.

“When you train so hard for something, it can feel like, ‘I didn’t finish,’” Carrie said. “But when I look at it now, I realize that wasn’t the point. Coming to Valley View was the point. I’m not worried about hiking—I’ll get back to it when I’m ready. What’s important was the kindness I saw in all the people who cared for me. That whole experience has been life-changing for the better.”