Hiker lost for 24 hours ignores calls from rescuers as they were from unknown number

A man who went missing during hiking on Mount Elbert in Colorado in the US ignored repeated calls from a search team as he did not recognize the number.

The hiker had set out at 9 am on October 18 but did not return 8 pm. Two search teams were organised to trace him and attempts were made to contact him over the phone. But their repeated calls went unanswered as the hiker did not recognize the number.

The missing man returned to his lodging at 9:30 am the next morning. He said that he had “lost the trail around nightfall and spent the night searching for the trail, and once on the trail, bounced around onto different trails trying to locate the proper trailhead, finally reaching their car the next morning, approximately 24 hours after they’d started their hike.”

The hiker said that he did not expect anyone to be looking out for him and ignored the calls from the unknown number.

Following the incident, Lake County Search and Research (LCSAR) issued an advisory asking people to pick up their phones if they get lost – even if they think nobody is looking for them. They added, “If you’re overdue according to your itinerary, and you start getting repeated calls from an unknown number, please answer the phone; it may be a SAR team trying to confirm you’re safe!”