scanjunkie said:
Is it just me, or is there a post on here every other day about someone missing in Colorado?? What's going on out there??
Poor planning and/or preparation account for a large number of these cases. Checking LOCAL AREA weather reports for the area you are planning to hike in is important, just because DENVER is going to be 45 degrees and sunny doesn’t mean you won't get 12 to 24 inches of snow with temps. around 0 (or below) in the mountains. GPS and compasses are essential tools to take along but if you don't know how to use them properly, they are pretty much useless. Setting a turnaround "POINT" rather than a turnaround "TIME" is another mistake people make. Someone that says "I'm going to hike to the top of that mountain and back" could be making a mistake. Say they start their hike at noon and it will be dark at 7:00 PM, their trip to the top of the mountain takes 4 hours, WELL GUESS WHAT!!! The best bet in this situation is to say "I'm going to hike for 3 hours and then turn around and go back." You always want to give yourself at least an extra hour on your return trip as a safety cushion. This is just a very small tip of the iceberg as to why people get lost or become overdue because of their own mistakes.
Also keep in mind that the Rocky Mountains aren't just gently rolling hills and meadowlands. They are full of very rough terrain with cliffs, valleys, unstable rock formations and heavily wooded areas just to name a few. Accidents and injuries account for a fairly large number of hikers/skiers being overdue also. Every year we have numerous injuries and deaths that take place in the mountains. Here are a couple of better known cases of this: This past summer a veteran park ranger went on a hike. He never arrived at his destination so search parties were sent out. A couple of weeks later his body was found at the bottom of a cliff. Another case was the hiker that slipped and fell; his arm got caught and crushed between two rocks. He was pinned and unable to get his arm free. After a couple of days with no one finding him he made an interesting decision. Using his pocket knife he cut off his own arm to free himself and was then able to walk out to safety. Other dangers are out there too. A few years ago there was a group taking a hike on one of the trails when they realized a 3 year old was missing. Extensive searches never found the little boy. A year or so later a hiker in that area found the boy's shoes and some shredded clothing. It was determined that the way the clothing was shredded was consistent with a mountain lion attack.
So Mark, are you planning a trip to the Colorado high country this coming year? :wink:
