A hiker in Chaffee County, Colorado, had to be rescued after getting caught on a mountain by a snowstorm while wearing nothing over a cotton hoodie.
The all-volunteer, non-profit Chaffee County Search and Rescue North (CCSR-N) organization received word of the distressed hiker at around 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the group posted on Facebook Saturday.
The climber was attempting to “bushwhack” the summit of a “13’er,” which means climbing a peak over 13,000 feet tall while going off the beaten trail, CCSAR-N said in the post.
The mountain in question was a ridge north of Mount Princeton, CCSAR-N confirmed to Denver CBS affiliate KCNC.
The unnamed hiker was without food, water, or heat when the sudden snow storm came.
With darkness and hypothermia both setting in, the hiker decided to bail down an avalanche chute in order to reach a road, CCSAR-N explained.
The group, which operates under the purview of the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, was unable to pinpoint the GPS signal of the hiker’s phone, and rescuers searched multiple chutes in an effort to find the person.
At around 12:42 a.m. local time Thursday, the team found 6-8 inches of fresh snow covering what appeared to be footprints. The team then followed the prints until, at around 2 a.m. they found what they thought at first glance to be an unusual looking rock.
“Upon further investigation it was determined it was not a rock but the subject sitting upright in a fetal position covered in snow,” CCSAR-N said in its post.
After determining the hiker was alive, CCSAR-N responders spent three hours warming the person up at the scene before coming down from the mountain.
The organization reminded readers to remember the National Park Service’s “10 Essentials,” a list of basic items recommended for sojourns out into a national park or other wilderness areas.
The essentials are: navigation, sun protection, insulating clothing, light sources, fire materials, first aid, repair kit, food, water and emergency shelter.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.