Yet another classic case:

Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Lost And Unprepared Hikers Rescued from Backcountry


On the afternoon of Wednesday, January 8th, two hikers – a man and a woman, both 23 and both from out of state – contacted the park by cell phone and reported that they’d become lost while hiking back down from an ascent to the summit of Flattop Mountain (12,324 feet).


Park SAR personnel immediately began a search for them in the Flattop Mountain and Mill Creek Basin areas. They were found above the Banana Bowls at an elevation of roughly 10,600 feet around 8 p.m. They were escorted out of the backcountry, arriving at the Bear Lake trailhead around 9:45 p.m.


Neither of the hikers had snowshoes or backcountry gear, and neither was prepared either for the freezing temperatures or for a night in the backcountry. Due to post-holing in deep snow, the man’s jeans, cotton socks and leather work boots were frozen solid when searchers found them. Rescuers used a backpacking stove to thaw his boots so he could walk out.

Lucky the cell phone had coverage, had they been at a lower elevation they many not have been rescued.