Colorado hiker, lost for 24 hours, ignored rescuers' phone calls because they didn’t recognize the number
Mount Elbert in Colorado (Getty Images)
A Colorado hiker who had wandered off the trail and got lost ignored repeated phone calls from rescuers because the hiker didn’t recognize the number, officials said.
The person started hiking Mount Elbert from the South Trailhead on October 18 around 9 a.m., Lake County Search and Rescue said. The hiker did not return by evening. Five LCSAR members searched for the hiker until early the next morning but were unsuccessful.
The missing hiker finally showed up at their place of lodging around 9:30 a.m. and the search was called off, LCSAR said.
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The hiker told rescue officials they had wandered off the trail around nightfall and could not find their way back. They said they spent the night searching for the trail, and once located, bounced around onto different trails trying to locate the proper trailhead – all while not realizing that a rescue team was out looking for them.
LCSAR said the subject ignored "repeated phone calls" because they simply didn’t recognize the number.
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LCSAR has now left other hikers with some advice: "If you’re overdue according to your itinerary, and you start getting repeated calls from an unknown number, please answer the phone."
Fox News has reached out to LCSAR for additional comment.