Two Colorado college students have been found dead after going missing during a hiking trip in the Rocky Mountains last weekend when a heavy snowstorm hit, authorities said.
The bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, of Ridgway, Colorado, and Jackson Donlon, 20, of Queensbury, New York, were found Wednesday afternoon in a basin of West Apostle Mountain, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Aspen, the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted on social media.
They left Colorado Mountain College Leadville's campus Friday, telling family and friends they planned to hike up Ice Mountain, a 13,958-foot (4,254-meter) peak near West Apostle Mountain that requires technical climbing, the sheriff's office said. They were expected back by Sunday, but college staff reported them missing Monday morning.
The sheriff's office said the causes of their deaths were under investigation, but foul play was not suspected. Authorities said they would not offer theories on what may have happened until autopsies are completed.
“Our heart aches for Kaden and Jackson’s family and friends,” Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in the statement Wednesday night. “We are very proud of our team’s efforts to find them before this weekend’s coming storm. Although this is a gut punch, our prayers were answered that we would find Kaden and Jackson, allowing some closure for the family.”
Matsuda and Donlon were outdoor enthusiasts who became fast friends at the small campus in Leadville, which bills itself as America’s highest city at 10,119 feet (3,084 meters) above sea level. Located about 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Denver, the city is home to about 2,600 people and is flanked by some of Colorado's tallest mountains.
Matsuda was studying to be a wildland firefighter, and classmates and faculty members described him as kind, intelligent and welcoming, the college said in a written statement Thursday.
Donlon, an avid climber and skier, was studying outdoor recreation leadership and had come to Colorado to pursue his love of the mountains, the statement said.
“They came here to learn, to explore and to build their futures,” said Ben Cairns, the campus dean. “Their lives were full of promise, and their loss is felt deeply by the students, faculty and staff who knew them.”
The sheriff said in a phone interview Thursday morning that the men's bodies remained in the basin and officials were waiting for gusty winds to calm so a helicopter crew could fly to the site to retrieve them.
About 60 search and rescue volunteers, aided by helicopters, drones and dogs, searched for the two men.
The helicopter crew discovered a tent collapsed under the snow Tuesday with their sleeping bags, a stove and clothing near a lake northwest of Ice Mountain — but the students were nowhere to be found.
Based on the tent's location, Rohrich said it appeared Matsuda and Donlon changed plans and were aiming for the 13,597-foot (4,144-meter) West Apostle Mountain, instead of Ice Mountain. He said the location of the bodies indicated they were well into a hike when they died.
The sheriff's office said their climbing equipment was not in their dorms, tent or vehicle, suggesting they left their tent prepared for a technical climb. Trash inside the tent indicated they had eaten before starting their hike, officials said.
Authorities had been concerned that aerial searches could be limited in upcoming days because of poor weather that was expected to begin Friday.
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Associated Press writer Wufei Yu in Phoenix contributed.
