Lost Hiker Abandons Trail, Loses Shoe After Rescue Crews Had Already Determined His Location
Earlier this week we shared footage from a Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputy who used a drone to locate a lost hiker and provide a headlamp to the individual, but that story is quite a bit more bizarre than initially revealed.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the lost hiker set out on Colorado’s Quandary Peak at night, failing to bring either a headlamp or flashlight. Instead he chose to use his phone for light, which was rapidly losing battery power.
Cold and uncertain as to whether or not he was still on the trail, the man decided to call for help. That’s when the deputy brought in the drone to locate the subject and drop off a headlamp. At the same time, a team from the Summit County Rescue Group was assembled to search for the individual.
Unfortunately, once the hiker had received the headlamp, he completely abandoned the actual trail and instead sprinted straight down the mountain, losing a shoe in the process. Since he was off the expected path, the search team was unable to find him.
Luckily when the man finally emerged from the woods, he was found to be uninjured (though likely pretty cold) and was given a ride to a hotel for the night.
There are a lot of things that went wrong in this situation, including the fact that the man didn’t bring a reliable flashlight or headlamp with backup batteries, but running from the site is what stands out the most. If you’ve called in for help, stay where you are unless directed otherwise. This person was lucky they were able to remerge from the woods, but had the situation gotten worse there’s a good chance he wouldn’t have been found until it was too late.
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