An injured Colorado man braved the storm and spent the night alone in the mountains after being abandoned by a coworker during an office break, rescue officials said Sunday.
According to Southern Chaffee County Search and Rescue, the man was part of a group of 15 coworkers who set out on Friday to summit Mount Shavano.
“While the coming days and weeks may be an awkward time in the office, one of our travel companions will be completing his final summit attempt alone,” it said.
The male hiker, dressed all in black, reached the summit at 11:30 a.m. and became disoriented as he began his descent. His belongings, left on the rocks to guide him down, had been picked up by a previous group on their way down.
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The missing hiker regained cell phone signal and called for help, after which rescuers found him. (Chaffee County South Search and Rescue)
The hiker was attempting to descend on his own and ended up in a steep area of rock and scree on the northeast slope toward Shavano Lake.
“He was concerned about his safety and sent a pin drop to colleagues who had already descended,” Southern Chaffee County Search and Rescue said in a statement. “They told him he was on the wrong route and to turn back up the slope and get back on the trail.”
The man continued on to the summit alone while the rest of his colleagues descended. (Chaffee County South Search and Rescue)
As the man approached the trailhead at about 3:50 p.m., he dropped the pin again to send a message to the group, but shortly after sending the message, a strong storm hit the area bringing freezing rain and high winds, authorities said.
The storm caused further confusion for the man and also cut off his cell phone signal.
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Search and rescue teams were called in with two emergency teams and a drone pilot after receiving a call about the delayed climbers at 9pm. They worked through the night but were unable to reach the summit due to high winds and freezing rain.
The man, dressed all in black, became disoriented during his descent and was caught in a violent storm. (Chaffee County South Search and Rescue)
The next morning, the man regained cell phone signal and called 911 for help. He was found in a ditch above the North Fork drainage, below Esprit Point.
The man told rescuers he had become disoriented while trying to descend the mountain on his own and had fallen at least 20 times, and was unable to get up after his final fall.
“The hiker was incredibly lucky in that he had cell signal and was still conscious and strong enough to call 911,” rescuers said. “He was in the third search area, but it would have taken rescuers a while to reach him on their own.”
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Search and rescue officials urged hikers to travel with a partner when setting out into the countryside and to bring light-coloured clothing and other essentials.
