Immobilized hiker lost overnight on Colorado 14er after getting left behind by co-workers

An office work retreat didn't go as planned in Colorado, when one of 15 hikers in a group was left to attempt a fourteener summit alone, subsequently getting lost and injured to the point of immobilization as a result.

According to Chaffee County Search and Rescue – South, the group of co-workers started their push up 14,231-foot Mount Shavano at sunrise on Friday morning from the Blanks Cabin Trailhead.

Utilizing the standard route, some members of the group successfully summited the peak, while others ascended to the saddle on the route and returned from there. One hiker, however, was left to complete the final push to the summit alone. Things went wrong and what happened next "might cause some awkward encounters at the office in the coming days and weeks," according to search and rescue.

The lone hiker ultimately summited Mount Shavano at about 11:30 a.m. on Friday, but then things started to go downhill.

As the hiker began his descent of the peak, he became disoriented, with belongings that had been left in the boulder field portion of the route to mark the correct path down having since been removed by members of the group who had already left the area.

The lone hiker then attempted to make the descent without much guidance, ending up in a steep field of scree on the northeast slopes of the mountain headed toward Shavano Lake. The standard route up and down the mountain, however, travels off of the east-southeast side of the peak instead.

As the hiker started to worry about his own safety, he sent a pin-drop of his location to coworkers, who let him know he was headed the wrong way and that he needed to go back upslope to regain the trail.

At about 3:50 p.m., the lost hiker sent another message to his group, letting them know he was nearing the trail at the top of the ridge. The situation was complicated shortly after that message was sent though, when a strong storm that included freezing rain and high winds blew through. This resulted in the hiker becoming disoriented again, as well as in him losing his cellular connection.

At about 9:00 p.m., a report of an overdue hiker was received by search and rescue crews, who launched into the field from the Blanks Cabin Trailhead with two hasty teams and a drone pilot. It was determined that the missing hiker's last-known-point was in the area of the saddle between Shavano and nearby Tabeguache Peak, thus the crew worked to clear the standard route to this area, as well as the Shavano Lake/Squaw Creek drainage.

Unfortunately, the bad weather remained an issue, making it unsafe to reach the summit and difficult to pilot the drone. The REACH Lifeline 2 helicopter was also called to the scene to assist, though it did not detect any signs of the hiker or artificial light that may have belonged to the hiker on the mountain. At this point, it should also be mentioned that the hiker was in all-black clothing, which can be nearly impossible to spot at any time of the day from a distance, and especially so at night.

Crews eventually came out of the field at about 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, with no clues related to the hiker's whereabouts.

A second round of search operations started at about 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, and as crews entered the field, a phone call from the subject was received.

With cell connection once again established, the information from the call led crews to the area above the North Fork drainage in a gully below the 13,625-foot Esprit Point, which is located roughly south of Mount Shavano.

The subject was located, but was immobilized, having fallen "at least 20 times" while moving around the mountain. The last fall rendered him unable to keep walking, but at this point, he also regained his cell service and was able to call for help.

Search and rescue efforts then switched to focus on reaching and extracting the subject, which ultimately involved five technical rope lowerings. The subject was then wheeled out of the field and to an ambulance.

This incident highlights several important lessons when it comes to safety.

First and foremost, it's important to never leave a hiking partner behind in unfamiliar terrain. This greatly increases the chances of a negative outcome should something go wrong.

Second, it's important to note that cell service isn't always available in the backcountry. In this situation, search and rescue crews mentioned how crucial it was to a positive outcome that the hiker was able to regain cell service and make that final call for help – especially considering that the hiker's phone battery could have died given the lengthy time he was in the backcountry and that falls could have left him unconscious and unable to place a call. According to search crews, the hiker was found in an area that would have been searched later on, potentially too late for a positive outcome. Consider carrying a satellite-based emergency communication device that can be more reliable than relying on cell connection, alone.

A third key lesson to learn from this situation is the importance of wearing bright layers, as brighter colors can be easier to spot in an otherwise natural landscape.

And lastly, if one becomes lost, the best course of action is generally to stay put. This will allow search and rescue teams to head to a last known location and is also beneficial when it comes to the grid-style searching strategy that's often used.

Thanks goes out to the many search and rescue teams involved in this mission, including Chaffee County Search and Rescue (both North and South), El Paso County Search and Rescue, Fremont County Search and Rescue, Western Mountain Rescue Team, Park County Search and Rescue, Teller County Search and Rescue, Araaphoe Rescue Patrol, Inc., DFPC Cañon Helitack, and the Colorado Search and Rescue Association.

If you're interested in supporting Colorado's volunteer-powered search and rescue operation, one way to do so is through the purchase of a CORSAR card. It's cheap, at only $5 per year.