Press Release
February 2, 2015
For Immediate Release
On January 31, 2015 the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Communication Center received information of two overdue hikers in the La Plata Peak area in northern Chaffee County.
According to family members Israel Valdovinos, age 33 and Danial Schreither, age 32, both from the Colorado Springs area, had summited La Plata Peak on Saturday afternoon. They called family members and stated that they would return to their vehicle, which was parked at the trailhead, by 10p Saturday night. When they were not heard from several hours later the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office was contacted.
Chaffee County Search and Rescue North began a ground search early Sunday morning and located the hikers camp at about 10500 feet on La Plata Peak, but the two missing hikers were not there. Flight for Life was called for air support and at approximately 1pm crew members from Flight for Life spotted the hikers below the summit of La Plata Peak. Ground hikers from Chaffee SAR located the two hikers a short time later and verified that they were in fact the two missing hikers and that they were both in good physical condition.
Information gathered from the hikers revealed that the two had summited La Plata Peak as planned early on the afternoon of Saturday but soon after the weather took a bad turn resulting snow and heavy winds. Valdovinos and Schreither then dropped below the summit and took shelter in sparse trees where they were forced to spend the night. On Sunday morning the pair were then attempting to walk out of the area when they were contacted by search and rescue crews.
Valdovinos and Schreither were assisted in hiking out of the area by search and rescue crews. Both parties were extremely fatigued but other than that found to be in sound physical condition.