Two college students found dead after going missing on Colorado hike

The bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, of Ridgway, Colorado, and Jackson Donlon, 20, of Queensbury, New York, were found Wednesday afternoon in a basin on West Apostle Mountain, about 100 miles (160 kilometres) southeast of Aspen, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said. The two left the Leadville campus of Colorado Mountain College on Friday, telling family and friends they planned to hike nearby Ice Mountain. They were expected back Sunday; college staff reported them missing Monday morning.

Ice Mountain is a 13,958-foot (4,254-metre) peak that requires technical climbing. The sheriff’s office said the causes of death remain under investigation and foul play is not suspected. Authorities will not offer theories about what happened until autopsies are complete. A heavy snowstorm hit the Rocky Mountains last weekend.

Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in a statement Wednesday night that he was proud of the search team’s efforts to find the students before another storm expected this weekend. He said their families could gain some closure from finding them, despite the devastating loss. In a phone interview Thursday morning, Rohrich said the bodies remained in the basin. Officials were waiting for gusty winds to ease so a helicopter crew could reach the site and retrieve them.

About 60 search and rescue volunteers took part, with helicopters, drones and dogs. On Tuesday, a helicopter crew found a tent collapsed under snow near a lake northwest of Ice Mountain, with sleeping bags, a stove and clothing nearby. The students were not there. Based on the tent’s location, Rohrich said it appeared they had changed plans and were heading for 13,597-foot (4,144-metre) West Apostle Mountain instead of Ice Mountain. The location of the bodies suggested they were well into a hike when they died.

The sheriff’s office said the students’ climbing equipment was not in their dorms, tent or vehicle, suggesting they left the tent prepared for a technical climb. Officials said garbage in the tent indicated they had eaten before setting out. Authorities had been concerned that poor weather expected to begin Friday could limit aerial searches in the coming days.

Matsuda and Donlon were outdoor enthusiasts who became fast friends at the small Leadville campus. The college said Matsuda was studying to become a wildland firefighter, and classmates and faculty described him as kind, intelligent and welcoming. Donlon, an avid climber and skier, was studying outdoor recreation leadership and had come to Colorado to pursue his love of the mountains.

Campus dean Ben Cairns said they came to learn, explore and build their futures, and that their loss was deeply felt by the students, faculty and staff who knew them. Leadville, which the college describes as America’s highest city, sits 10,119 feet (3,084 metres) above sea level. About 100 miles (161 kilometres) west of Denver, it is home to roughly 2,600 people and is surrounded by some of Colorado’s tallest mountains.