July 16th, 2010

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

The body of a 29-year-old Rhode Island man was discovered early Friday morning, July 16, by a hiker on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. The man's body was found along the Keyhole Route by "The Trough" and on "The Ledges" at roughly 13,000 feet in elevation. It is believed he fell roughly 250 to 300 feet.

Park rangers were notified this morning at 5:30 a.m. by a hiker who found the man's body. It is believed the man fell sometime after 7:15 p.m. July 15.   A park trail crew, who were camping near the Boulderfield, were the first park staff on scene at 9:30 a.m.

Park rangers were flown to the Boulderfield by the interagency United States Forest Service/National Park Service helicopter from Bridger-Teton National Forest and Grand Teton National Park, staged in the park for the Cow Creek Fire.  They hiked to the scene and reached the man at 11:02 a.m. The victim's body was flown to a helispot in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of the park at 1:30 p.m. His body was then transferred to the Boulder County Coroner.

The victim was in a hiking party with three others, who had stayed behind at their backcountry camping site at the Boulderfield, and were not with him at the time of the accident. The victim's name will not be released until next of kin are notified.