Estes Park – At 31, Jeff Christensen is an experienced mountaineer, extremely fit, capable of hiking far and fast. He spends his winters on the ski patrol. He’s even an emergency medical technician.
That background is one reason his family and fellow rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park are hoping he’s still alive: Christensen hasn’t been seen since last Friday, when he left on what was supposed to be a routine patrol in the park’s vast and rugged Mummy Range some 65 miles northwest of Denver.
“He had a map, he’s good with maps,” his mother, Chris Christensen, said today in this tourist town on the park’s eastern edge. “We feel he would have walked out by now if he was able. We feel he’s injured.” Searchers began looking for Christensen after he failed to report for work Saturday. His parents arrived Tuesday from their home in Forest Lake, Minn.
More than 125 people, dog teams and a handful of helicopters searched the area today. An Oklahoma couple vacationing in Estes Park said they spoke with Christensen between noon and 1 p.m.
Friday as they were coming down Mount Chiquita. Park officials were hoping to talk to other parties the couple said also were in the area that day.
The task is daunting: The search covers a 26-square-mile area in the Mummy Range, an area with few designated trails and elevation ranging from 10,600 feet to more than 13,000.
Christensen, who has been a ranger for four seasons, had with him a radio and a backpack equipped with various gear, though he hadn’t been planning to spend the night in the park, park officials said.
“He’s very strong in what he does. He’s good. He’s been doing (backcountry trips) since college,” said Christensen’s father, Dale.
Mark Magnuson, the park’s chief ranger, said there were no lightning strikes in the area where Christensen was last seen.
“He’s among the best. He’s fit, capable, strong and has a positive attitude. These are all good skills to have for survival,” Magnuson said.
Eddie Lopez, the commander for the team that has taken over the search and rescue operation, said the terrain is steep and treacherous. He said afternoon rain storms have slowed the search, and he also believes Christensen was injured.
Christensen, an outdoors enthusiast who lives in Fraser and works on the ski patrol at nearby Winter Park, has lived in Colorado for seven years. His parents said they were trying to stay optimistic.
“We’re hoping he’s just immobile but you wonder, too, why he can’t just signal to somebody,” said his mother.
Phil Powers, executive director of the American Alpine Club in Golden, said medical emergencies leaves even experienced hikers “without recourse” if they are alone in the wilderness.
Allergies, heart attacks, a simple fall, a stumble while crossing a creek – all can be fatal.
“When you’re alone, there’s no backup. If you’re with one other person and have a fairly minor accident, that one other person can stop the bleeding or call for help,” Powers said.
