SAGUACHE COUNTY, Colo. — Search and rescue crews are searching for a missing 41-year-old hiker in the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Saguache County authorities received a report about the overdue climber on Sunday. The man, Luis Corkern, had been climbing Challenger Point and Kit Carson Peak, which are two 14,000-plus-foot peaks fairly close to each other east of Crestone.
According to reports, authorities learned Corkern had ascended Kit Carson via the north ridge route on Saturday and summited around 4 p.m. He had plans to descend using the Challenger Peak summit and taking the standard route back to Willow Lake and down to the parking lot.
As of Tuesday morning, he had not returned to his car at the trailhead. Multiple agencies, including Custer County Search and Rescue and Saguache County Search & Rescue, started to search for him on Monday both on foot and from the air. Shortly after 5 p.m., the search ended as thunderstorms moved into the area.
The search restarted on Tuesday morning.
Officials described Corkern as standing 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 180 to 190 pounds. At the time, he was wearing a white helmet with a raccoon tail added to it. He has a maroon- or burnt orange-colored backpack, and a gray or black T-shirt. He also has rain gear.
His partner said he is an experienced and prepared climber, having summited about 30 fourteeners, and is the father to their three young children.
Anybody with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Saguache County Sheriff's Office at 719-655-2544.
