Climbing
Park rangers are searching for a missing 60-year-old man who went hiking in the Longs Peak and Mount Meeker area of Colorado over the weekend and hadn’t returned as planned on Sunday.
A family member of Jens “Jay” Yambert, of Urbana, Illinois, notified park rangers on Tuesday that Yambert was overdue, and rangers found his rental car at the Longs Peak Trailhead that night, according to a press release from Rocky Mountain National Park. Though his planned destination or route is unknown, Yambert is believed to have started from the Longs Peak Trailnead at 2 pm Sunday. His possible route may have been Clark’s Arrow to the summit of the peak.
The national park’s search and rescue team began searching the Longs Peak area on Wednesday, and Northern Colorado Helitack provided aerial survieillance, but they have not located Yambert. The search area included Clark’s Arrow, the Boulder Field, North Face, Lamb’s Slide and Peacock Pool. Yambert may have been wearing a black raincoat, khaki pants and hat, sandals and a blue/grey back pack, and he may also be using trekking poles.
On Aug. 24, the National Park Service released a report detailing how this time of year is the most dangerous for hiking and climbing on Longs Peak. Icy conditions and afternoon storms are primary hazards. Some recent storms have dumped 3 to 4 inches of snow on the upper mountain and as temperatures gradually warm and cool, the snow melts and then becomes ice. The NPS said it advises hikers to get a pre-dawn start if they want to summit, and get back below the tree line by noon.
Park rangers ask anyone who has been in the Longs Peak or Mount Meeker area since Sunday to call 970-586-1204, particularly if they noticed abandoned gear or other clues.
