A teenage boy lost in the back country of Larimer County climbed a mountain, to get better cellphone reception, and emergency dispatchers in Wyoming were able to ping his phone and send rescuers the boy’s way.
The incident unfolded Saturday when three teenage boys, ages 15 and 16, were lost while hiking, according to a Larimer County sheriff’s news release.
The teens had left the Browns Lake area at about 8 a.m. and were expected to arrive at Old Flowers Road by 8 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
At about 5 p.m. the boys sent a text message that they were lost and one of them was separated. The person who received the text notified the sheriff’s office.
Larimer County Search and Rescue and sheriff’s deputies, using dogs, began searching the Browns Lake and Jacks Gulch trailheads. Just after 8 p.m. Saturday two of the teens were found about 7 miles southeast of Browns Lake. The third teen was not found.
A search for the missing teen resumed at 6 a.m. Sunday. Efforts included aerial searches as well as a bolstered amount of search crews on the ground.
Shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday, “the lost teen was able to get cellphone reception after climbing to higher elevation,” the sheriff’s office said.
Emergency dispatcher in Albany County, Wyo., used the boy’s cellphone to obtain GPS coordinates, which were relayed to the search teams. At about 3 p.m. the teen was located and accompanied to a trailhead, arriving at about 7 p.m. He was cleared by a medical staff.
The sheriff’s office reminds hikers to stay together. Hikers should wear bright clothing, stay on trails and not move if lost in an area that affords cellphone reception.
