Two teenage hikers spent the night stranded on one of Colorado's deadliest peaks after seeking a shortcut down.
According to a report from Mountain Rescue Aspen, two 19-year-olds from North Carolina had summited Capitol Peak near Aspen on June 24, but became "stuck in a precarious position" after they tried to take a shorter route down the north face of the 14er.
The hikers were cliffed out at around 13,000ft (3,900m) when the call came in at around 8:20pm, and with sunset fast approaching, crews informed them that rescue would not be immediate.
At 6am the following morning, a Blackhawk helicopter with two hoist-rescue technicians was dispatched to scene, where they were able to locate the individuals despite challenging conditions, including a brief snow shower and lightning, and the hikers' clothing choice making them hard to spot.
"The Blackhawk crew was able to visually locate the two stranded hikers, despite the fact the stranded hikers were wearing all black and gray clothing."
Crews were able to hoist the hikers to safety and evacuate them. Though their condition remains unknown, AMT reports the hikers were released after medical evaluation.
Capitol Peak has a reputation as being Colorado's most difficult 14ers (peak higher than 14,000ft), and one of its deadliest, thanks to its notorious Knife Edge Ridge.
Though this 17-mile roundtrip route is the only non-technical route to the summit, it still involves nerve-jangling scrambling across a narrow, exposed ridge where one wrong move could prove deadly – and indeed has done so for at least 10 climbers since 2000, including a Denver woman who fell 900ft after the handhold she was using broke away in 2022.
Last week, two hikers were struck by lightning near the summit of another Colorado 14er while on the phone to mountain rescue.
14er safety
Though details are sparse regarding what led these two hikers to be at high altitude so late in the day, the case serves as a good reminder to hike and climb responsibly with 14er season arriving.
- Always plans to start early (before sunrise) and aim to be off the summit before noon to avoid dangerous afternoon thunderstorms.
- Research your route and carry a map and compass in addition to GPS (and know how to use those tools) to avoid navigational errors.
- Pack extra warm and weatherproof clothes, an emergency shelter and food and drink in case you have to spend the night at high altitude.
- Consider investing in a satellite device such as a Garmin InReach as phone service is often unavailable in remote areas.
- Make yourself searchable by wearing bright colors.
Learn more in our article on how to stay alive when you're hiking 14ers.
- Stay warm with the best down jackets
- Fend off the elements with the best waterproof jackets and rain pants
- Be ready for the unexpected with the best emergency blankets, bags and shelters
