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Hikers Found Dead After Snowstorm in Rockies
29 Oct
Summary
- Two Colorado college students were found deceased after a hiking trip.
- A heavy snowstorm hit the area during their weekend expedition.
- Search efforts located their bodies on West Apostle Mountain.
Two Colorado college students, Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found deceased on Wednesday afternoon in the Rocky Mountains. The pair had gone missing during a weekend hiking trip that coincided with a heavy snowstorm. Their bodies were located in a basin of West Apostle Mountain.
Authorities reported that Matsuda and Donlon left the Colorado Mountain College Leadville campus on Friday, intending to ascend Ice Mountain, a technical climbing peak. They were expected back by Sunday. Search and rescue volunteers, utilizing helicopters, drones, and dogs, found their tent collapsed under snow northwest of Ice Mountain.
While their exact cause of death remains under investigation, foul play is not suspected. Matsuda was studying to become a wildland firefighter, and Donlon was pursuing a career as a mountain guide. Both were described as experienced hikers and climbers by friends and family.
