Hiker Stranded Overnight on Colorado Mountain After Being Left by Coworkers
A hiker on a Colorado mountain was left by his group of office coworkers during an office retreat and ended up spending a harrowing night alone in freezing rain and high winds after becoming disoriented.
The incident took place on Mount Shavano, which stands at an elevation of 14,231 feet (4,338 meters), about 153 miles (246 kilometers) southwest of Denver. Chaffee County Search and Rescue officials reported receiving a call Friday night about the overdue hiker, who had been separated from his group during their ascent.
The group of 15 hikers, including the man, had set out from the trailhead at sunrise, with plans for some to reach the summit. The man was left to complete the final push to the summit alone, and he successfully reached the top around 11:30 a.m. However, when he began his descent, he became disoriented after discovering that belongings left in a boulder field to mark his way down had been removed. His attempts to descend led him into a dangerous scree field, an unstable slope made up of loose rock fragments. The man texted his coworkers, who informed him that he was off course and advised him to climb back up to find the trail.
By 4 p.m., the man texted that he was near the trail, but a severe storm rolled in, bringing freezing rain and high winds. He lost cell service and became further disoriented in the deteriorating weather conditions.
Chaffee County Search and Rescue received a call about the missing hiker around 9 p.m., and teams were immediately dispatched. Despite searching throughout the night, they were hampered by the same harsh weather conditions and were unable to reach the summit. A search helicopter also failed to locate the hiker overnight.
On Saturday morning, just as nearly a dozen rescue agencies were preparing for an expanded search effort, the hiker regained cell service and called 911. Search crews were able to locate him in a gully, where he reported having fallen at least 20 times on the steep, slippery slopes. After his last fall, he was unable to get back up.
Rescuers extracted the man from the gully, stabilized him, and transported him to a hospital for further evaluation and care. His name and the extent of his injuries were not released.
“This hiker was phenomenally lucky to have regained cell service when he did, and to still have enough consciousness and wherewithal to call 911,” search and rescue officials noted. “Though he was located in a secondary search area, it would have been some time before teams made it to that location on their own.”
