DennisNJ
08-08-2005, 07:09
ESTES PARK, Colo. - A hiker found the body of a missing Rocky Mountain National Park ranger Saturday, eight days after the ranger apparently fell during a routine patrol, park officials said.
Jeff Christensen was found dead near Spectacle Lakes at roughly 13,000 feet, park officials said.
More than 200 searchers, some in helicopters and others with rescue dogs, had been searching the vast and rugged Mummy Range for the 31-year-old ranger for the past week.
He had told co-workers on July 29 that he was planning a routine backcountry patrol to the Lawn Lake trailhead, and visitors told park officials they saw Christensen that afternoon near the summit of Mount Chiquita. But when Christensen didn't show up for work the next day, search teams were sent out to find him.
The area he had been patrolling covers 26 square miles and has few designated trails. It's peaks top 13,000 feet, and overnight temperatures dip into the 40s.
Jeff Christensen was found dead near Spectacle Lakes at roughly 13,000 feet, park officials said.
More than 200 searchers, some in helicopters and others with rescue dogs, had been searching the vast and rugged Mummy Range for the 31-year-old ranger for the past week.
He had told co-workers on July 29 that he was planning a routine backcountry patrol to the Lawn Lake trailhead, and visitors told park officials they saw Christensen that afternoon near the summit of Mount Chiquita. But when Christensen didn't show up for work the next day, search teams were sent out to find him.
The area he had been patrolling covers 26 square miles and has few designated trails. It's peaks top 13,000 feet, and overnight temperatures dip into the 40s.