Climbing
Search and rescue teams recovered the body of a 21-year-old hiker from Arizona after he fell 800 feet to his death while navigating a technical traverse near Telluride, Colorado, the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office reported Thursday. This incident marks the second fatality in Colorado’s high-altitude wilderness this week.
- Related: Eyewitness Account of Terrifying Moment Woman Slipped to Her Death Off Half Dome, Yosemite, CA
The search for the experienced climber began Tuesday when he was reported overdue from hiking the ridge between the 14,000-foot peaks of El Diente and Mount Wilson, located approximately 20 miles southwest of Telluride. The hiker fell into the upper Kilpacker Basin. Authorities have not released his identity. Search and rescue teams recovered his body after a two-day search, which involved aviation assets from three agencies.
*SAR El Diente Hiker
San Miguel County Search and Rescue assisted Dolores County Tuesday and Wednesday searching for…Posted by San Miguel County Sheriff – Colorado on Thursday 25 July 2024
The tragic news came shortly after the Grand County Sheriff’s Office announced the recovery of another climber’s body near Lone Eagle Peak in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, west of Denver. The family reported the climber missing after he failed to return from a route that included Brainard Lake, Pawnee Pass, Crater Lake, Lone Eagle Peak, and Apache Peak. Rescuers discovered his body on Tuesday afternoon, but adverse weather conditions delayed recovery efforts until Wednesday.
