The search for a missing hiker in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains has been suspended after eight days, according to Custer County officials. KRCC’s Maggie Spencer reports that hiker Mark Stice of Arvada has not yet been located.
Stice’s wife reported him missing more than a week ago when he failed to return from a camping and hiking trip that began the week prior. Search teams found the hiker’s vehicle at the South Colony trailhead south of Westcliffe.
Stice didn’t leave an itinerary with friends or family, nor traces in any trail or summit registers. He also wasn’t carrying a cell phone or other emergency locator. Custer County Search and Rescue says Stice climbed 13 of Colorado’s 14-thousand-foot peaks in the past year and a half, but he was likely unprepared for weather conditions or technical challenges in the Sangres.
Volunteer search and rescue teams from across the state spent over 800 man-hours in the search for Stice. Efforts were suspended yesterday.
