Search underway for 2 Colorado college students missing after snowy hike
Rescuers found the students’ collapsed tent and gear near Ice Mountain, where snow has complicated search efforts.
Climbing rangers brought an injured hiker to safety Oct. 20 on Mount Shasta, California, after reaching him Oct. 19 and staying overnight. The 39-year-old hiker broke his leg Oct. 18 on Whitney Glacier.
Officials are searching for two college students who went missing during a hike in Chaffee County, Colorado.
Colorado Mountain College staff called the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office Monday, Oct. 26, to report that two students, 19-year-old Kaden Matsuda from Ridgway and 20-year-old Jackson Donlon from New York, left the Leadville Campus for a hike on Friday, Oct. 23, and had not returned. Officials later learned that the two planned to hike Ice Mountain, a 13,958-foot peak on the far north end of the county.
Kaden Matsuda (left) and Jackson Donlon (right), the two missing hikers from Colorado Mountain College Leadville Campus. (Credit: Chaffee County Sheriff's Office)
Deputies responded to the Mt. Huron trailhead, which is typically used to access Ice Mountain, and found Matsuda's car. There was about 8 inches of snow on the ground but none under the car. Officials said it would have been raining when the pair ventured to the mountain on Friday, and it did not start snowing until Saturday.
Matsuda and Donlon planned to return on Saturday or Sunday, depending on whether they felt safe to continue to Ice Mountain, according to the sheriff's office. Family and friends said the two were experienced hikers and likely had appropriate clothing.
Rescue teams, including aircraft and search dogs, searched the area on Monday but were unable to locate the two hikers. Their phones had not been used in the past two days, but officials said service in the area is "nonexistent" and it is possible they were trying to preserve the batteries.
Efforts continued Tuesday, Oct. 27, with a helicopter locating an object near Lake Ann. It was deemed to be a tent that had collapsed under the weight of the snow but had been in place before the weather came in. Matsuda and Donlon's sleeping bags, some clothing and a stove were inside the tent, but the pair were not found.
Images of Ice Mountain, a 13,958-foot peak located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of the Sawatch Range in Colorado. (Credit: Chaffee County Sheriff's Office)
Ice Mountain is a "very technical climb" recommended for experienced hikers, according to the sheriff's office. Earning its name from being encased in ice from rain and snow, the mountain had received 1 to 2 feet of snow, despite there being only 8 inches around Matsuda's car. Snow tends to pile up in other areas because of drifting, making access especially difficult. The sheriff's office noted that avalanche possibilities were not a huge concern since it was the first big snow of the season.
“Unfortunately, we still have not located Kaden and Jackson, and our hearts go out to their families," Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in a statement. "We are still optimistic Kaden and Jackson are hunkered down somewhere waiting to be rescued."
Rohrich added that search operations may be interrupted by bad weather later this week, so they are currently using all available resources. According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert, there is a chance of a rain or snow shower on Friday, Oct. 30, especially later in the day. Rescue efforts could also be difficult from Sunday afternoon on, with rain turning to all snow on Sunday night and Monday before winding down.
Officials are also considering other locations the hikers may have headed to other than Ice Mountain.
"They are both strong young men," Rohrich said. "Kaden is studying to be a wildland firefighter, and Jackson is studying to be a mountain guide 'Mountainair,' so hope is not lost. Please keep the families in your thoughts as we continue to search.”
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