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Alpine Rescue Team wrote:Here are a couple of corrections from our 02:00am original post. It is now understood that our hiker summitted Mt Bierstadt around 10:00am on Tuesday and called his wife from the summit. A second call from the hiker to his wife was made around 12:45 from the summit of Mt Evans but did not go through. It is believed that the hiker was returning to the summit of Mt Bierstadt later that afternoon. From the National Weather Service it is understood that a severe thunderstorm occurred in the area on Tuesday afternoon. Again, we are all saddened by the outcome of this.

RIP Clint. Thanks for this report Alpine Rescue Team, and for all that you do.

I drove to the Gnuella Pass parking lot in the late afternoon yesterday, hoping to get in a training run up Bierstadt (for Pikes Peak Ascent). It was raining/thundering at 5:30 PM when I got there, so I chatted with some out-of-staters scoping out the route for the next day until the storm cleared a bit. I left the trailhead at 6:30 PM and got to 13K before the clouds started thickening over Evans again, so down I went.

While descending, I saw emergency vehicle lights at the trailhead and I could hear a loudspeaker without being able to understand it. OK, I thought, run down faster then... At the trailhead, I met a deputy sheriff who anxiously asked if I had seen anyone on the trail (I had not) or if I had seen anyone higher up (again, no, and I had been looking up higher because the storm was in that direction). He told me there was a hiker missing and that the route was probably the Sawtooth. I went over the route with the deputy and pointed out where to watch for someone crossing the willows after the descent of the gully on Evans.

I watched the news this morning did not see any mention of it so I went to work happy. I am very sad to come home to this tragic news tonight. My condolences to his family.

Very sorry to hear this news. My thoughts, prayers and condolences for the family left behind. We are always one step away from eternity. (we just don't know which step)

Sincerest condolences to Clint's wife. It's is sickening thinking about what she is going through.

Having done the sawtooth, it gives me pause thinking about what his last moments may have been like caught in a storm on that traverse. May he rest on peace.

So heartbreaking. RIP Clint.

My condolences to all of his friends and family. RIP. Thank you, SAR for all the hard work you do out there!

this one is really bugging me ... all of these accidents are very sad, but this one is really bugging me for some reason ... it haunted my dreams last night ... very restless night ...

I feel so sorry for his wife and family! I hike solo often, and my biggest fear by far is imaging what my wife would go through, if something happened to me. I keep thinking of how exciting their phone call must have been on the top of Beirstadt, and how such an amamzing day had to end like this...it breaks my heart! RIP and peace and I wish the best for his family!

A group of us from salida crossed the sawtooth yesterday and searched also. A very sad outcome.
I want to thank the pilot of the black hawk.. We watched as he hovered very close to the ground to take out the body. All day they searched very close to the walls and ridges. These people are trained incredibly, but thank you for putting yourself a risk to put closure on this.

Any individual death is great tragedy. Buts on any given 14er outing are small. Jon K of summit-camping fame says the are 700,000 14er climbs a year. That works out to about fatality per 70K climbs in recent years.

SilverLynx wrote:

Aug_Dog wrote:this one is really bugging me ... all of these accidents are very sad, but this one is really bugging me for some reason ... it haunted my dreams last night ... very restless night ...

It has been bothering me a lot too for some reason, all of last night and this morning. Maybe because myself and a lot of others have done the Sawtooth and it just really hits home. I understand that it was only his second 14er - Bierstadt/Sawtooth was also my second 14er.

Puts it in perspective. Bierstadt or Evans was my second 14er too. It was the start of a rewarding and addictive hobby. I'm glad Clint was able to summit a few, but so very sorry for his family's loss. Rest in Peace, Clint.