Boulder County – Searchers were combing an area in Eldorado Canyon State Park on Wednesday for a missing U.S. Marine who fell and suffered a head injury the night before while hiking and bouldering.
Lance Hering, 21, of Boulder, who is on leave from active duty in Iraq, was last seen early Wednesday when his hiking partner went to find help, Sheriff Joe Pelle said.
The search was made more urgent by reports that Hering was “loopy” from a fall he took and that he possibly wandered off while disoriented, Pelle said.
Hering and Steve Powers, 20, were hiking the Eldorado Canyon Trail and were about 2 miles from the trailhead when Hering fell while climbing boulders and scrambling on a rock face, Pelle said.
Hering fell about 15 feet, hit his head and was unconscious for about four hours, Powers told searchers. Powers stayed with his friend until he regained consciousness and had a conversation with Hering before going to get help, Pelle said.
Powers reached a phone and notified authorities about 5 a.m., and he led deputies to where he left Hering. Powers marked the area so that Hering would be easier to spot. When they arrived, however, all that was found were Hering’s climbing shoes, a water bottle and some blood spots, Pelle said.
About three dozen searchers from several different agencies, including three dog teams, mounted patrols and a helicopter, were covering the area, a popular hiking spot that is shaped like a bowl with steep walls. Searchers believe Hering might have headed downhill.
“The area we’re searching isn’t huge compared to some other searches, but the terrain is very steep,” Pelle said. “The angles we’re dealing with are 30 to 40 degrees.”
Hering, who grew up in south Boulder, is a capable outdoorsman, his father said.
“It’s just that he’s hurt right now, and we need to find him,” said Lloyd Hering, who along with the victim’s mother was at the search staging point Wednesday. “It is ironic that he survived all the combat he saw in Iraq and has now been out there injured doing the thing he loves best at home.”
Before going for help, Powers told Hering to stay put, but “we’re not sure how much got through to Lance,” Lloyd Hering said.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
