Colorado Community College students, staff remember hikers found dead

Two young men attending Colorado Mountain College in Leadville were found dead this week.

19-year-old Kaden Matsuda and 20-year-old Jackson Donlon intended to hike Ice Mountain in Chaffee County when they set out Friday October 23rd. Three days later they hadn't returned so staff from the college called authorities.

CMC Leadville is one of several campuses in the Colorado Mountain College system, and it only has about 100 students enrolled. CMC Leadville Vice President and Campus Dean Ben Cairns Dean said that it's a very tight knit community.

"We're a hands-on campus for people who really want to live a life in the outdoors," said Cairns.

Which is what drew Matsuda and Donlon there. Kaden was studying wildland fire and Jackson outdoor recreation leadership.

"These two met here at CMC Leadville, where many outdoor partnerships and friendships are forged. They bonded over their love of the mountains and the adventures," said Cairns.

He said it was that call to adventure that led the two to go exploring near Ice Mountain on the 23rd, but when they didn't return on Monday October 26th, the CMC Leadville community grew concerned and called the Chafee County Sheriff.

A search party was formed, but for days they found no sign of the men. Still the community in Leadville stayed optimistic.

"These are strong young men with a lot of skills in the outdoors, and we were really hopeful. The first responder teams were excellent. They're out in the field as soon as we knew," said Cairns.

It wasn't until Wednesday October 28th that rescue crews found their bodies that grief hit them. Cairns says it hit the community hard.

"Everyone knows each other and every student who lives in the residence hall knew Caden and Jackson well," said Cairns. "This is an incredibly difficult time for Colorado Mountain College community"

No one at the college wants to speculate about what happened to the young men, but the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office says foul play is not suspected. Cairn says Kaden and Jackson were experienced outdoorsmen but also understands that loss, no matter painful, is part of living a life full of adventure.

"Sometimes really tragic things happen in the mountains," said Cairns.

Colorado Mountain College Leadville is providing counseling and mental health resources for its students and faculty.