Two college students found dead after they went missing on a hiking and climbing trip in Colorado last weekend were mountain enthusiasts who had been studying to become a wildland firefighter and an outdoor recreation guide, the school said Thursday.
Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, set out last Friday from Colorado Mountain College's Leadville campus for what was supposed to be a weekend trip to Ice Mountain, a 13,958-foot (4,254-meter) peak.
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It was raining at the time, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, and despite a break in the weather on Saturday morning, a severe storm arrived that afternoon, dumping up to 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow. They were expected back by Sunday, but college staff reported them missing Monday morning, and their bodies were found Wednesday afternoon in a basin of West Apostle Mountain, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Aspen.
“They came here to learn, to explore and to build their futures,” Ben Cairns, the campus dean, said in a written statement. “Their lives were full of promise, and their loss is felt deeply by the students, faculty and staff who knew them.”
Colorado Mountain College, which has campuses throughout the Colorado Rockies, is known for its programs focusing on the state's robust outdoor recreation economy, including mountaineering, ski patrol and guiding careers.
Matsuda, of Ridgway, Colorado, and Donlon, of Queensbury, New York, became fast friends at the small campus in Leadville, which bills itself as America’s highest city at 10,119 feet (3,084 meters) above sea level. Located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Denver, the city is home to about 2,600 people and is flanked by some of Colorado’s tallest mountains.
Matsuda was studying to be a wildland firefighter. Classmates and faculty members described him as kind, intelligent and welcoming, the statement from the college said. Donlon, an avid climber and skier, was studying outdoor recreation leadership and had come to Colorado to pursue his love of the mountains.
Ski or Die NY, a group of upstate New York skiers, called Donlon "one of the most ambitious skiers on the East Coast.” It said on its website that he became the youngest person to complete a strenuous 28-mile (45-kilometer) ski tour in the area’s High Peaks last December.
“He lived life with a passion that was contagious, embodying everything we love about skiing in New York,” the group posted on social media. “He was a friend, an adventurer, and someone who was always hungry for what was next.”
Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich credited Matsuda and Donlon with being capable, strong and prepared, saying in a social media post, “Almost all the safety measures we tell backcountry explorers to use, these men did.”
“We are proud of these young men concerning how prepared they were, but sometimes mother nature throws you a curveball,” he said.
Jason Marsteiner, the founder of The Survival University, a Colorado company that teaches wilderness skills, noted how quickly the weather can turn in the state's high mountains.
“The weather rolls in fast and the mountains are steep,” he said. “It's an unforgiving environment.”
The sheriff said in a phone interview Thursday that the men's bodies remained in the basin and officials were waiting for gusty winds to calm so a helicopter crew could retrieve them.
About 60 search and rescue volunteers, aided by helicopters, drones and dogs, searched for the two men.
The helicopter crew discovered a tent collapsed under the snow Tuesday with their sleeping bags, a stove and clothing near a lake northwest of Ice Mountain — but the students were nowhere to be found.
Based on the tent's location, Rohrich said it appeared Matsuda and Donlon changed plans and were aiming for the 13,597-foot (4,144-meter) West Apostle Mountain, instead of Ice Mountain. He said the location of the bodies indicated they were well into a hike when they died.
The sheriff's office said their climbing equipment was not in their dorms, tent or vehicle, suggesting they left their tent prepared for a technical climb. Trash inside the tent indicated they had eaten before starting their hike, officials said.
Authorities had been concerned that aerial searches could be limited in upcoming days because of poor weather that was expected to begin Friday.
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Johnson reported from Seattle, Yu from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed.
