Colorado Man Rescued After Being Left Behind by Co-Workers on Hiking Retreat

What was supposed to be a fun office retreat in the Colorado mountains quickly became dangerous after one employee was left behind.

Mount Shavano, Colorado / iStock

A group of 15 employees gathered together on Friday morning to hike Mount Shavano, a 14,231-foot peak in Colorado. While the crew started the hike together, they chose to split up with one group heading for the summit and the other group hiking toward the saddle before descending. However, one employee was left on his own.

At approximately 11:30 a.m. on Friday, the man reached the summit of Mount Shavano by himself. After he reached the summit, he struggled to find his way back down and soon realized that he was lost, due to the field markers no longer being present.

To try and get back on track, he dropped a pin to his co-workers on the trail, who then recommended that he return to the summit to orient himself. The hiker took their advice and returned to the ridge. To inform his co-workers that he was near the correct trail, he sent his location for the second time.

An intense storm abruptly arrived, sending in freezing rain and wind. The hiker struggled to find his way back, which was made worse by the storm.

At 9 p.m. that evening, Chaffee County Search and Rescue - South received a call stating that the hiker had not returned. Two Search and Rescue (SAR) teams hit the trail, determined to find the missing individual.

According to a post uploaded to Facebook by Chaffee County Search and Rescue - South, "SAR was assisted with additional aerial search by REACH's Lifeline 2 helicopter, who despite flying several search patterns throughout the area did not detect any sources of artificial light apart from search teams anywhere on the mountain."

The SAR teams worked well into the morning searching for the missing hiker, but initial efforts were unsuccessful. An hour later, the teams received positive news.

At roughly 10 a.m. on Saturday, the hiker gained enough cellphone service to dial 911. On the call, he notified emergency personnel that he had taken multiple falls and was unable to stand up. However, he was alive and able to speak.

With the hiker having service and his ability to communicate, rescue teams were able to locate him just above the North Fork drainage. When the SAR teams arrived, he was evacuated and transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

After spending the night in the wilderness without proper equipment, the hiker was incredibly fortunate to have a positive outcome.