Search area expanded for 2 college students missing in Colorado mountains

Searchers continue to look Wednesday for two Colorado Mountain College students who left Leadville on Friday for a weekend hiking trip near Huron Peak in Chaffee County and have not been seen or heard from since. 

Kaden Matsuda, 19, from Ridgway, and Jackson Donlon, 20, from New York, told family they planned to hike to Ice Mountain, which tops out at 13,960 feet, over the weekend. However, a storm hit the area Saturday and dropped nearly 1-2 feet of snow. 

In an update Wednesday afternoon, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said the men have not been located and search teams are looking on both sides of the mountain they could have tried to summit. More than 60 people as well as dogs are involved in the search, which started Monday. Because the terrain in the Sawatch Range is so difficult and covered in snow, searchers are relying heavily on aerial operations.

Based on where the men’s tent was found, officials said they are also focusing on 13,597-foot West Apostle Mountain, which is near Ice Mountain.

“West Apostle makes more sense as a destination based on where their tent was found. We have also interviewed friends who explained that they have camped with one of the missing hikers in the same location in the past when West Apostle was the destination,” officials said Wednesday afternoon.

Gunnison County Search and Rescue is assisting on their side of the mountain range, in the event the men “summited and went back over the other side where there may be less snow,” the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

The search is expected to continue this week, and officials are “throwing as many assets as we can into the area” before more storms are expected to arrive Friday and could last for several days.

“This potential weather pattern could have an impact on our abilities so we will continue to flood the area during the critical window,” officials said Wednesday afternoon.

Matsuda is studying to be a wildland firefighter, and Donlon is studying to be a mountain guide. Officials said Tuesday they hope the men’s experience will help them survive the conditions.

The pair left maps and detailed information about their trip, and family members called law enforcement Monday morning when the two didn’t return as they planned. Officials found their vehicle covered in about 8 inches of snow at a trailhead near Winfield, and later searchers found the tent and belongings covered in snow. 

Chaffee County Search and Rescue teams started a larger-scale search mission Monday and it continued Tuesday. Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said Wednesday morning roughly 50 searches were back out in the field.

Dozens of searchers are doing an extensive sweep of the area using drones, helicopters and the multimission aircraft with infrared technology. Search dogs were also used at the trailhead. 

Some footprints were located in the area, but officials think those might have been left by a hunter. They said around Ice Mountain there were snowdrifts up to 4 feet. 

Officials said Tuesday the men’s phones had not been used for two days and there was likely no cellular service in that area. 

“We have learned a lot about them and know that they are very strong and capable of enduring tough conditions. Hope is not lost by family and friends, nor us,” Rohrich said in the update Wednesday. “We are proud of these young men concerning how prepared they were, but sometimes mother nature throws you a curveball. Almost all the safety measures we tell backcountry explorers to use, these men did. That is a testament to their upbringing, strength and knowledge.”

This is a developing story that will be updated.