BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The family dog of a hiker reported missing more than a week ago was found on the Peak to Peak Highway Thursday, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
Josh Hall, 27, of Arvada, left for a hike with the family dog, Happy, around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 3. He was reported missing later that day.
His vehicle was later found at the Hessie Trailhead near Nederland. His phone last pinged around noon that day near the Devil’s Thumb Trail/Diamond Lake cut-off.
Happy, Josh's dog, was found today between the 40 and 41 mile markers of Peak to Peak Hwy. The pup has been reunited with family and is getting some much needed food and love. Please still be on the lookout for anything associated with Josh (clothing items, black leash, etc.). pic.twitter.com/rRzoXnKiPt
— BoulderCountySheriff (@BldrCOSheriff) February 11, 2021
Thursday, Happy was found on the Peak to Peak Highway between mile markers 40 and 41 near Ward. He's been reunited with the family.
Rescuers began searching the area for Hall and Happy on skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles the day they were reported missing.
The sheriff’s office said approximately 70 rescuers have helped in the search, totaling 650 person hours between Wednesday night and Saturday evening. On Monday, the sheriff's office suspended the ground search.
“After multiple days of searching, we have made the difficult decision to suspend ground search efforts, until such time as new information surfaces, or until snow melt occurs, increasing safety and searching becomes more feasible,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Monday afternoon.
They’ll continue to search from the skies, weather permitting.
Investigators believe Hall was wearing a green khaki jacket, dark hat, a gray or green backpack and had a black leash. Anyone recreating in that area who comes across any of these items is asked to contact Boulder County Dispatch at (303) 441-4444.
