Missing Hiker - Ben Brownlee

[Shaychampmerg]

I believe this was posted before by Davis Pidgeon : MISSING HIKER BEN BROWNLEE

UPDATE: Last reported sighting was 11:30am Saturday near UN13832 coming down from UN13811. His blue 4th gen 4runner is still at Grizzly Gulch TH. Doesn’t seem to have made it down to do Half Peak.
Anyone in the Silver Creek/Connamon Pass (Redcloud/Handies) area this weekend? If so please DM me. Haven’t heard from a friend up there who was hiking centennials/bicentennials out that way.
Only info we got from his trip:
“For this weekend I have a pretty solid plan: Friday drive up to Cinnamon pass attempting to leave Denver by 10am. Knock out 3 bicentennials in 5 miles above the pass that evening. Camp at the redcloud sunshine trailhead below the pass. Saturday climb the unnamed centennials, 2 bi’s and 2 regular 13ers. Sunday climb centennial half peak, bi quarter peak and 1 regular 13er then head back! Total goal: 12 peaks, 3 C’s, 6 Bi’s, 3 reg 13ers”


We have Helicopters. What we need is PEOPLE ONE THE GROUND and any connections to INFARED IMAGING “Forward looking Infared” cameras by FLIR, the manufacturer, they can be mounted to both civilian & military aircraft, there are different versions of the cameras but this what they would need. A state Air National Guard would prob have this. But they are pretty advanced technologies today & are pretty accurate."

Ive called the Colorado National Guard. Waiting for their response. IF YOU KNOW ANYBODY WHO MAY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ACCESSING THIS TECHNOLOGY IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS, PLEASE RESPOND HERE OR EMAIL shanellmergersondesign@gmail.com I'm on FULL ALERT until this man is found. EMAIL ME OR MESSAGE ME HERE!!

If you may have seen Ben on the trail, please message us!! Phone number if needed 469-952-9642 THANK YOU!

[climbingcue]

We will be in that area Thursday through Monday hiking 13ers. We will keep an eye out.

[daway8]

I’m sure this has already been figured out but, in the off chance it hasn’t been, here’s the peak list he seems to have been going for based on searching the map for the descriptions provided:

Fri: 3 bicentennials in 5 miles; American Peak, Jones Mountain A, Niagara Peak
Sat: the unnamed centennials, 2 bi’s and 2 regular 13ers; Unnamed 13,832, Unnamed 13,811, Cooper Creek Peak, “Every Mountain,” Gudy Peak and C.T. Peak.
Sunday: centennial half peak, bi quarter peak and 1 regular 13er; Half Peak, Quarter Peak and Unnamed 13,164

Here they are circled on the map for easy reference for anyone in the area.

Sounds like he was last seen Sat 10/3 at 11:30am near Unnamed 13,832 (first peak NE of Redcloud).

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[Bombay2Boulder]

Hoping he is found safe. One thing I will like to point out is that Gudy and CT Peak both have make shift summit registers, atleast when I did them earlier this June. It might be helpful to see if those registers have his entries.

[SurfNTurf]

Ben is a friend of mine, and I've been in touch with various friends and family members over the last 24 hours. Here are a few more details:

-His vehicle is still at the Grizzly Gulch TH.
-David (daway8)'s musings are roughly in line with mine. I was thinking more like Woods/13,688 on Friday, but it's moot speculation. He was last seen around 11:30 a.m. Saturday descending Pt. 13,832/Pt. 13,811 toward the saddle with Redcloud. The assumption is he was continuing toward Cooper Creek Peak, Every Mountain, Gudy, and CT Peak. To me, this is the most likely area to search. But it's not a certainty. Just a fairly educated guess.
-I personally was on Half Peak and Pt. 13,164 on Sunday, and I camped at the Cataract Gulch TH the night prior. We saw no signs of another summit hiker, with clear views down both Cuba and Cataract gulches for many hours. This strengthens the assumption that he went missing Saturday and never attempted his Sunday climbs.
-SAR is also searching the area around the Redcloud/Sunshine summits.

Brad McQueen's other post is a duplicate of this one, so sharing Ben's photo on this thread as well. If you saw him at any time after the 11:30 a.m. Saturday report, please share that information with the Hinsdale County Sheriff as soon as possible. He is an ex-collegiate runner and passionate and competent peakbagger, with recent ascents of the Tenmile Traverse, Ellingwood Ridge, and the Grand Teton.

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[disentangled]

prayers for his safety as well as those searching for him.

[blakhawk]

Hoping for the best....that's gotta be tough for searchers with that big itinerary. Even under the assumption of Saturdays...what if he got disoriented and tried descending the wrong way down one of the many drainages towards Henson creek? That's a lot of ground to try and cover....yeesh. These posts are always a sobering somber reminder that people can get lost or killed with any skill level,and years of experience.

[ZNixon]

s**t, I really hope he's okay! I hate to hear this! I will keep Ben in my meditations, really hoping for a positive outcome here!

[Agstrohmeier]

Sent an email as well, but based on the description I was camped near his car Saturday and never saw/heard anyone around the vehicle between 2pm Saturday and 6am Sunday. Hopefully at least confirms the suspicions he went missing Saturday. Hoping for the best.

[mtngoatwithstyle]

Hope and praying he is found soon. I shared the message from FB on my page so that words spreads out and more people can help. I am unable to join the search but will do anything I can from home.
Maybe there are hunters as well in the area/s nearby that can help . Weather seems to be holding warm during the day albeit some cold temps at night.

[ParkerTodd16]

Terrible news - his body was found today. https://www.facebook.com/11626778228069 ... xtid=0&d=n

[denvermikey]

Denver Hiker’s Body Located in Hinsdale County
October 6, 2020
8:30 p.m.
Lake City, CO – The body of a Denver hiker reported missing late Sunday evening has been located in the San Juan Mountains near Lake City in Hinsdale County.
Ben Brownlee, 26, is presumed deceased after a body matching his description was located by helicopter approximately 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 5. The body was spotted and identified by friends approximately 75 to 100 feet below a steep rocky ridge southeast of Cooper Creek Peak. The ridge runs between Cooper Creek Trail and Silver Creek Trail off of County Rd 30, southwest of Lake City along the Alpine Loop.
Brownlee’s family was notified immediately.
Recovery will begin Wednesday morning and will require specialized technical operations to reach and retrieve the body.
The search for Brownlee began early Monday morning after he was reported overdue from a solo hiking trip at midnight Sunday. His car was located at the trailhead of Redcloud and Sunshine Peak early Monday morning by Hinsdale County Sheriff Department. Helicopter sweeps of the area where Brownlee indicated he would be hiking took place Monday as well as on-the-ground searches by members of Hinsdale County Search and Rescue. On Tuesday, the search continued with more than a dozen search and rescue personnel on foot along with Brownlee’s family and friends. Brownlee was spotted with the use of a private helicopter chartered by his family.
State resources were in the process of being deployed to continue the search on Wednesday when notification of the discovery of Brownlee’s body was received. Hugh Zuker, Coordinator with Colorado Search and Rescue Association (CSAR) arrived in Lake City Tuesday to assist in the search and recovery.
Brownlee was last seen by a fellow hiker on Saturday morning, October 3, hiking in the general area east of Redcloud Peak near Lake City. Brownlee was an experienced and avid hiker, whose general itinerary was to hike 13,000-foot peaks in the Lake City area of the San Juan Mountains.
Hinsdale County Undersheriff Jordan Kaminski and Deputy Search & Rescue Coordinator Mike Ralph oversaw the search and rescue operation from Lake City. Hinsdale County Search and Rescue members assisting in the operation included Patrick Tubbs, Logan Rhodes, Mabree McClung, Rachel Moore, Peter Nesbitt, Richard Hurd, Jerry Johnson, Brant Cunningham, Christian Hartman and Wade Wandrey. Western State Search and Rescue personnel from Gunnison joining the search on Tuesday included Dominic Gamel, Matt Ziegler, Jayden Shelly and Brandon Bashan. Operational support was provided by Hinsdale County Sheriff deputies Brennen Pantelo, Charles Ferris and Tom Carl along with Barbara McDonald with Hinsdale County Sheriff Department and Hinsdale County EMS Director Buffy Witt.