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71-Year-Old Hiker Found Deceased In Torreys Chute

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) -- Searchers looking since Tuesday for a hiker on Torreys Peak discovered his body Thursday below the ridge he was last seen hiking on.

The hiker has been identified as Don Chambliss, 71, of Englewood. Family members told authorities Chambliss was an accomplished hiker and was training locally for a trip overseas.

Chamblisss's body was found shortly after noon at 13,600 feet in elevation on 14,275-foot Torreys Peak, according Undersheriff Bruce Snelling of the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office. Chambliss's body was lying in the Dead Dog Couloir, a chute below the critical knife edge section of Kelso Ridge, the eastern ridge of Torreys.

Torreys Search (from Pete Downie)
A Flight For Life helicopter hovers over the low point between Torreys Peak and Grays Peak in Clear Creek County Wednesday afternoon. A 70-year-old man is missing in the area. He was last seen hiking on Kelso Ridge, in the upper right of the photo, near the summit. (credit: Pete Downie)

Snelling said it is unclear whether a climbing miscue or a medical incident may have precipitated Chambliss's apparent fall.

Due to the location of the body in difficult terrain, Snelling said, rescuers have postponed Chambliss's recovery until Friday. Additional resources will be required for the retrieval.

Clear Creek County dispatch was initially notified of an overdue hiker at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The first searchers from Alpine Rescue Team stayed in the field until midnight. On Wednesday, helicopters from Flight For Life and the Colorado National Guard's High-Altitude Aviation Training Site (HAATS) accompanied 20 searchers on the ground.

Torreys and neighbor Grays Peak are popular Front Range 14ers often climbed together.

 

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