Boulder authorities expanded their search area today in the hunt for a missing hiker who injured his head in a fall late Tuesday in Eldorado Canyon State Park.
Lance Hering, a 21-year-old Marine who is on leave after serving in Iraq, fell about 10 to 15 feet while climbing in the park at about 10 p.m. Tuesday. He was unconscious for about four hours following the fall, according to his friend Steve Powers, who was with him
At about 3 a.m. Wednesday after Hering had regained consciousness, Powers left Hering and went for help.
When rescue workers returned to the spot where Powers left Hering, Hering was gone. He had left his climbing shoes and a water bottle and there were spots of blood, officials said.
Searchers today are focusing on an area of about five square miles on the western edge of the park. Officials have subdivided the search area into 27 smaller grids.
About 80 people – including searchers with dogs, all-terrain vehicles and horses – are searching the grids and clearing each one with “75 percent certainty” before moving on, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Wednesday’s search emphasized covering as much ground as quickly as possible in an effort to find Hering. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle has said he is particularly concerned for Hering because he is likely suffering from a severe head injury.
“The whole thing is discouraging,” Pelle said late Wednesday, “because if this gentleman were up and walking, I think we would have found him with the effort we put in today. So we’re worried that he’s injured and lying some place where we can’t find him.”
Hering’s parents believe their son may have tried to hike out on his own. They urge anyone who may have seen their son to call Boulder authorities at 303-441-4444.
Hering is 6 feet 1 inches tall, approximately 180 pounds. He has close-cropped blond hair. He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, khaki pants and tennis shoes. His t-shirt had been torn and turned into a bandage.
