LAKE COUNTY, Colorado — Members from Lake County Search and Rescue, Summit County Rescue Group, and Chaffee County Search and Rescue North were sent into the field to search the 14,421-foot Mount Massive after two hikers were reported missing.
Lake County Search and Rescue received the report of hikers in distress on Sunday night at about 8 p.m. The hikers had said they needed help, but their phone died before any additional information could be communicated.
>The video above is about an increase in backcountry rescues in Boulder County.
A mission was planned overnight, involving the Colorado Search and Rescue Association, with the decision made to launch a full-scale effort the following morning. Because the subjects' phones were dead, narrowing down a specific location proved difficult. Cell phone forensics only delivered a partial success.
On Monday morning, a full-scale, multi-team effort was launched. More than 20 searchers scoured large areas of Mount Massive seeking the missing hikers. Flight for Life Colorado assisted with an aerial search, as well as with inserting crew members at higher points of elevation.
At about 11 p.m., both subjects were found after spending 34 hours in the backcountry without shelter. Neither subject was injured, though they were cold, hungry, and thirsty, likely also faced with some level of exhaustion. They were ultimately found in the Halfmoon Lakes Basin.
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