'He was looking for a cellphone:' Man slips into thick mud at Bear Creek Lake Park

Quicksand in Colorado? Not quite, but for Lakewood resident Chris Gama, it was the closest he's been to anything like it. On Tuesday morning at Bear Creek Lake Park, he found himself waist-deep in thick mud, unable to climb back out.

"The biggest problem, in this case, is decision making and deciding to keep going. He was looking for a cellphone," said Drew Sprafke, the Park Supervisor for the city of Lakewood.

Park rangers with Lakewood assisted West Metro Fire in the rescue. It took no more than 15 minutes to pull him out. Despite being uninjured, Gama was totally shocked.

Gama is an expert fly fisherman and told CBS News Colorado he was teaching a beginner the ropes. While the day ended well, his student realized he had lost his phone, so Gama returned Tuesday morning to look for it.

Gama only had time to speak over the phone to CBS News Colorado on Wednesday but said the fresh snow covered the thick mud. There was nothing he could do by the time he realized, he needed help. 

Fortunately, Gama is also a pastor. Not only did he have God on his side, but he also had his cellphone.

He called 911 and within minutes, West Metro Fire was on the scene.

"This is a very good place to get stuck if you're going to do it but other areas could be much worse," Sparfke said.

It's common around the shores of most Colorado Lakes. Sprafke says despite the low water levels this time of year, the shore is anything but dry.

"It's just very wet soil either clay or silt that tends to hold water a lot more and that's the areas you definitely sink in mud more," Sprafke continued, "this is kind of a risk you could face on any lake in Colorado, or any lake that has low water levels."

While it's rare, it's not the first time a mud rescue has occurred in the area. In 2020, crews with West Metro Fire pulled out all the stops to rescue a horse.

Other community members told CBS News Colorado they've had close calls and while some have advocated for more signage, Sparfke says they've tried.

"We did put them up after the horse rescue but there are so many ways you can access the shoreline that it's impossible to sign all the entrances. This is kind of a risk you could face on any lake in Colorado or any lake that has low water levels," Sprafke said.