Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

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Briere
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Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by Briere »

Glad to hear they are ok but another reminder that there are no shortcuts on Capital...

https://www.aspentimes.com/news/two-tee ... wednesday/
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climbingcue
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by climbingcue »

The same story repeating over and over again on Capitol, I am sure they knew nothing about what happened in 2017 since they were 11 years old. They saw cool pictures or read about Capitol on social media, happy SAR was able to save them and they did not have to do a body recovery.
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nyker
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by nyker »

Good thing there was cell service where they were...15yrs ago there may not have been and this could have had a different ending.
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Gandalf69
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by Gandalf69 »

"The pair had successfully reached the 14,130-foot summit earlier that day but became stranded while trying to find a shorter route down by deviating from the standard trail."

What a chilling sentence. If I was coming from outside of state, I would look at a resource like 14ers.com for information. First thing on the Capitol page is a huge warning about no shortcuts.....

I'm glad they lived, hopefully they tell their experiences to as many people as possible, so no one else looks for the short cut That AINT THERE! Be careful people.
PS No shortcuts on Capitol Peak "If there was a shortcut, it would be the standard route." Search and Rescue/sheriff
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by seannunn »

It goes without saying it is foolhardy to try to shortcut the descent from Capitol.

I wonder what others of you think about the part that said: they were wearing dark clothing, which made locating them more difficult.
Roach recommends muted colors in his 14ers book, as part of the leave no trace philosophy.
I disagree with that. Personally I wear the brightest colors that I have. Hopefully I will never have to be rescued, but if I ever do, I want to be as visible as possible.
(Also why I have 2 of those crazy mylar silver space blankets folded in the top of my pack. They would shine like a giant mirror (on a sunny day) if I were ever in need of someone locating me visually on a mountain.)

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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by mtree »

seannunn wrote: Thu Jun 26, 2025 9:23 am Personally I wear the brightest colors that I have. Hopefully I will never have to be rescued, but if I ever do, I want to be as visible as possible.
I completely agree with you and take it one step further. I also carry bright colors in all my camping gear. Its sooooo much easier to spot when you setup camp in the dark! You can always spot me on the mountain. I'm the one who looks like the flag of Fiji and Andorra.
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by JChitwood »

I agree everything I own is a bright color. I start with neon orange and get brighter from there. Never understood how dull ass colors became part of leave no trace.
"I'll make it." - Jimmy Chitwood
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by boudreaux »

JChitwood wrote: Thu Jun 26, 2025 8:58 pm I agree everything I own is a bright color. I start with neon orange and get brighter from there. Never understood how dull ass colors became part of leave no trace.
I wear an orange pullover every time out. Most times with a red hat. Better to see you when you need it the most and time is short.
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Jim Davies
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by Jim Davies »

Is it time to reopen the discussion about putting a DO NOT GO HERE sign on that gully? Is it better to be a purist about wilderness or to cut down on deaths and S&R missions?
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by Kiefer »

I just don't understand how people make that mistake of taking what looks like an easy way down.

You're on the trail approaching the junction for the Cap-Daly saddle with the Northwest side of Capitol in view the entire time.
You're at the lake and you see that NW side of Capitol the whole time. While ascending the trail to the saddle, you see that whole NW face...the entire time.
How does someone assume there's an "easier" way down that side than retracing one's steps? I'm obviously missing something. :-k
I'm happy to hear this fortunately had a good ending. But where's the disconnect?

Like Davies said, maybe it's high time to actually install a sign at the top of that gully. I mean, it certainly wouldn't be the worst thing to leave on a summit.
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mtree
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by mtree »

Kiefer wrote: Fri Jun 27, 2025 8:54 am You're on the trail approaching the junction for the Cap-Daly saddle with the Northwest side of Capitol in view the entire time.
You're at the lake and you see that NW side of Capitol the whole time. While ascending the trail to the saddle, you see that whole NW face...the entire time.
How does someone assume there's an "easier" way down that side than retracing one's steps? I'm obviously missing something. :-k
I agree. I can understand if someone gets disoriented or lost, but to assume there's an easier way down after seeing all that???? Mind boggling.
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Re: Two teenage hikers rescued from Capitol Peak early Wednesday

Post by justiner »

People make decisions based on emotions not on facts presented to them and people get into trouble because of that all the time. You can’t avoid it. Ever have a trip where 5 miles up seems to go by quickly, but a half a mile back feels like forever? You get anxious that you’ll never get finished and then you start creating options out of thin air.

In many forms, that’s why assessing the situation around you is a powerful tool to do. Keeping track of how fast you’re actually going — data— can be super helpful “oh I’m going just as fast as before, I’m just tired and my mind is mush”
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