A Florida man on a company retreat turned separated from his co-workers throughout a hike within the Colorado Rockies final Friday, leaving him lacking within the wilderness for a day and forcing him to courageous a extreme in a single day storm earlier than being rescued, search and rescue officers stated rescue authorities.
“He is fortunate he is alive,” Evan Brady, public info officer for Chaffee County Search and Rescue, stated of the person, Steve Stefanides, of Apopka, Florida.
At dawn final Friday, Mr. Stefanides, 47, and 14 of his colleagues at Beazley, a London-based world insurance coverage agency, started a preferred trek to the summit of Mount Shawano, a 14,000-foot peak about 75 miles west of Colorado Springs, Chaffee County Search and Rescue South stated in a press release. Through the trek, Mr. Stephanides stopped for a relaxation whereas his colleagues continued on the route, Mr. Brady stated.
Mr. Stefanides resumed his journey and reached the summit of Mount Shawano alone, Mr. Brady stated in a phone interview Thursday. However when he reached the highest, Mr. Stephanides turned disoriented, and since the path is of course uneven and at occasions unclear, he started descending the fallacious manner, Mr. Brady stated.
With some shaky cellphone service, Mr. Stephanides despatched his location to co-workers who have been already descending, the county’s assertion stated. “These fellows knowledgeable him that his route was fallacious and he had to return up the slope to regain the trail.”
As he tried to search out his solution to the precise path on Friday, Mr. Stephanides despatched his colleagues at the very least yet one more location pin from his cellphone, however was left much more disoriented. Round 9:00 p.m., Chaffee County Southern Search and Rescue was notified of Mr. Stephanides’ standing as a lacking hiker and used search groups and a drone pilot to attempt to find him. Ten native volunteer {and professional} search groups, in addition to helicopters, have been dispatched to help.
However rescue efforts have been thwarted on Friday evening by a “brutal” storm that rolled into the mountain vary, Mr Brady stated.
“The groups encountered excessive winds and freezing rain, which made reaching the highest harmful and created many difficulties for the drone operator,” the county stated in a press release.
Though rescue groups reached the summit and traced the path he had been on, Mr. Stephanides’ efforts to search out the path despatched him additional off beam, Mr. Brady stated.
Mr Stefanides managed to outlive the chilly, moist evening with a wind chill that pushed temperatures on the mountain into the excessive 20s or low 30s, Mr Brady stated.
The climate cleared on Saturday, however a weary Mr. Stephanides fell at the very least 20 occasions on moist rocks, together with one fall from which he was unable to rise up, he later advised the county rescue group. Whereas on the bottom, he was in a position to name 911, which offered emergency crews with a “secure location” to go looking, the county search group stated. Rescuers discovered him at midday.
“This hiker was phenomenally lucky to regain cell service when he did and nonetheless had sufficient consciousness and sources to name 911,” the assertion stated.
Mr. Stephanides, Beasley’s underwriter primarily based in Florida, declined to remark, based on his spouse, Amy.
In a press release, Adrian Cox, Beasley’s chief govt, expressed his gratitude for search and rescue groups who have been in a position to find “one in every of our workers after he turned concerned in a charity stroll”.
Mr Stefanides is hardly the primary particular person to get misplaced within the space. The paths are stony and landmarks usually are not at all times seen.
“We get a whole lot of missions the place individuals get disoriented,” Mr. Brady stated.
On social media, commenters joked about how his colleagues had deserted him, a story that was backed up partially by the county’s assertion, which stated Mr Stephanides was “left to finish his last ascent to the summit alone” and that failure “may make for some awkward conferences on the workplace.”
However Mr Brady stated the concept that Mr Stefanides had been deserted was overblown and as an alternative stated it was an excellent reminder by no means to enterprise into the wild alone.
America’s most stunning areas can be its most harmful. Earlier this month, a lady was lacking within the mountains of Colorado for 4 days before being found alive.
Susan Okay. Beachy contributed analysis.
