Overdue Colorado hiker ignores calls from rescuers thinking they were scammers

ASPEN, Colo. — The Lake County Search and Rescue in Colorado were called out to help find an overdue hiker lost on the state’s highest peak.

Crews searched for the hiker for several hours overnight across common areas spot many people get lost on Mount Elbert. They also said they tried multiple times to call the hiker’s cell phone.

The SAR team found out the next morning that the hiker had lost the trail, but found their way back to the trailhead and made it back to the place they were staying safely.

When the Colorado rescuers talked to the hiker they found out why they had ignored repeated phone calls from rescuers.

“One notable take-away is that the subject ignored repeated phone calls from us because they didn’t recognize the number,” the search and rescue team wrote on Facebook.

“If you’re overdue according to your itinerary, and you start getting repeated calls from an unknown number, please answer the phone; it may be a SAR team trying to confirm you’re safe! ”

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