Ranger Finds Body Near Summit Where Hiker Disappeared
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (CBS4) - A Rocky Mountain National Park ranger found a body believed to be that of a hiker who disappeared nearly one month ago. The ranger found the body northwest of the summit of Mount Meeker.
Brian Perri set out to summit Mount Meeker on June 30. He was last heard from when he snapped a picture of himself on the summit and sent it to a friend.
Search crews were deployed on July 5 and found Perris car in the Sandbeach Lake Trailhead parking lot that day.
In the days following the launch of the search, crews used dogs and drones to look for Perri. They covered 22.5 square miles above tree line and in forested areas.
Perri was a Colorado State University master's student studying radiation health physics with extensive survival training. Authorities said the man lost his life climbing in rugged, remote and treacherous terrain.
"You've got loose rock, slick pine needles, 45-plus degree angles," said JC Fischer, Perri's best friend. "Some of the worst (terrain) I've ever seen."
Fischer said the search included about 50 volunteers.
"There's a community of people here in Colorado that came to the aid of a stranger," Fischer told CBS4's Melissa Garcia. "And that's something that I wasn't expecting. I expected to be on that mountain alone, looking for him. And I was not. I had people by me every day."
For Fischer, peace comes in knowing that the avid athlete died pursuing his passion of climbing.
"It's kind of peaceful knowing that he died doing what he loved to do."
More rangers responded late Saturday night, and an investigation is underway. The coroners office has not positively identified the body.