RMNP Search

[jimmnn]

Search underway in the Chasm Lake (11,760) area of Rocky Mountain National Park for an overdue hiker, rangers are reporting blizzard conds low wind chill and requesting additional SAR units for tomorrow first light.

166.350

Jim<

 

[jimmnn]

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK - A man who was hiking Saturday near Long's Peak and Chasm Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is missing.

The 32-year old man from the Denver area was last seen by his partner at 5 a.m. in the Cabin Junction area, according to Kyle Patterson, a park spokeswoman. She says he was expected back around 11 a.m. A search was launched when he failed to return.

Patterson says the snow has been picking up all day and was nearing white out conditions Saturday afternoon in the search area, at 12,700 feet. She says if the man isn't located by nightfall, the search will be suspended until Sunday morning.

"We want to make sure that our folks stay safe and with the conditions the way they are now, we don't want them continuing after dark," said Patterson.

Patterson says the missing man had mountaineering boots and crampons with him but no snowshoes or overnight gear.

 

[mpg0515]

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK - A man who was hiking Saturday near Long's Peak and Chasm Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is missing.

The 32-year old man from the Denver area was last seen by his partner at 5 a.m. in the Cabin Junction area, according to Kyle Patterson, a park spokeswoman. She says he was expected back around 11 a.m. A search was launched when he failed to return.

Patterson says the snow has been picking up all day and was nearing white out conditions Saturday afternoon in the search area, at 12,700 feet. She says if the man isn't located by nightfall, the search will be suspended until Sunday morning.

"We want to make sure that our folks stay safe and with the conditions the way they are now, we don't want them continuing after dark," said Patterson.

Patterson says the missing man had mountaineering boots and crampons with him but no snowshoes or overnight gear.

Geez..... I think that RMNP has been cursed. There has been so many searches this year and last. I'll tell you one thing, I would not want to be missing up there right now....

 

[evergreenwaterman]

Snow is heavy here in Evergreen at 5:30. Hope it tracked different for the man in RMNP. The storm here is heavy and wet, visibility less than about a quarter mile.

 

[mpg0515]

Couple of searchers are staying at the cabin which I assume is up near the Chasm trailhead.. They heard what sounded like yelling but turned out to be nothing. A lot of there comms are simplex. Why don't they use their repeater? That is what it is for! I had to point a 10 element yagi up there just to hear what was going on sometimes

 

[mpg0515]

Couple of searchers are staying at the cabin which I assume is up near the Chasm trailhead.. They heard what sounded like yelling but turned out to be nothing. A lot of there comms are simplex. Why don't they use their repeater? That is what it is for! I had to point a 10 element yagi up there just to hear what was going on sometimes

Sounds like they found the missing person... Not 100% sure though, tough to hear a lot of it. One of the searchers said it would be an hour and a half to climb out.

 

[BobWeb]

9news.com is reporting that he has been found. Damn good thing too, very cold and snowy up there.

 

[jimmnn]

Found

Overdue Hiker Found in Longs Peak Area of
Rocky Mountain National Park
A 32-year-old male from Denver was contacted by rangers at 6:50 p.m.
on the east slope of Mount Lady Washington. Prior to this he was last seen near Battle Mountain Junction in the Longs Peak area this morning, Saturday, March 11, at 5:30 a.m. He and his hiking partner were planning
to ice climb near Chasm Lake. When the two men reached this junction
area
they separated. One traveled back to the Longs Peak parking area and the other planned to continue to Chasm Lake. Their plan was to meet back at the parking lot by 8:30 a.m. The man who went to Chasm Lake had not been seen since 5:30 a.m. Battle Mountain Junction is 2.8 miles from the Longs Peak Trailhead and is located at 10,900 feet. Chasm Lake is 4.2 miles from the Longs Peak Trailhead and is located at 11,760 feet.
Rocky Mountain National Park was contacted by the hiking partner at 11:00 a.m. notifying park staff of the situation but not asking for assistance. The partner, who was hiking back up the trail, asked another person hiking down the trail to call the park and ask for assistance later in the morning. This call was made at 12:45.
Rangers left the trailhead at 3:15 p.m. The weather conditions during the day continued to deteriorate with heavy snowfall throughout the area and white-out conditions reported above tree line (11,500 feet). The search efforts were in the process of winding down, due to darkness, when the rangers saw a headlamp moving down Mount Lady Washington. They contacted him at 6:50 p.m. at approximately 12,000 feet. The man was in good condition. Rangers gave him water and food and are currently traveling down the trail with him and are estimated to be at the Longs Peak Trailhead at 8:30 p.m The man was not prepared to spend the night. However, he did have food, water and proper clothing for the weather. He did not have snowshoes.

 

[rick521]

Good News

It is nice to see a story end without someone dead.

Jim the pictures are beautiful.

 

[epbernstein]

It is nice to see a story end without someone dead.

Jim the pictures are beautiful.

Apropos of nothing, I suppose, but...

A long time ago, when I was in high school, a friend and I decided to backpack up Long's Peak. It was late May or early June, and there was still a fair amount of snow in places, which slowed us down considerably.

When darkness started to fall, we were nowhere near a camp site, so we decided to pitch camp on the side of the trail. We kept a clean camp site, used a propane stove in lieu of a fire, cook kit dedicated to cigarette butts, etc.

The next morning, as we were breaking camp, a ranger came along and insisted on issuing us a ticket for illegal camping.

"But, sir, we didn't want to get lost in the dark and have you organizing a search. And look around--aside from the tent stake holes and some mushed-down grass, what signs did we leave"

"I agree that this is one of the neatest sites I've seen, but I still have to give you a ticket for illegal camping..."

Whatever we paid for that ticket was far less than the cost of a search...