Search continues in southern Colorado for 2 missing hikers on Ice Mountain, collapsed tent discovered under snow

The search for two missing hikers who went missing during a trek on Ice Mountain continued Wednesday, days after the pair was expected to return. According to investigators with the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon were reported missing on Monday morning. 

Matsuda, 19, from Ridgeway, and Donlon, 20, from New York, left the Colorado Mountain College Leadville Campus on Friday, Oct. 23, to hike the mountain on the far north end of Chaffee County. According to friends, the two planned on returning from the hike on Saturday if they didn't feel safe but if they continued to Ice Mountain would return on Sunday. 

Deputies and search and rescue crews located Matsuda's vehicle at the trailhead on Monday, where they observed eight inches of snow on the ground but none under the vehicle. Investigators determined that when the pair arrived on Friday, it would have been raining and continued to rain on and off for multiple days before it started snowing on Saturday afternoon. 

Chaffee County authorities said the snow was very heavy and created "horrific road conditions" around the county, with deputies dealing with more than a dozen "slide-offs" and traffic accidents within just a few minutes. Although the trailhead received eight inches, Ice Mountain received one to two feet of snow, with three to four feet in some areas due to drifting. 

Chaffee County Search and Rescue teams did not find any human tracks in the fresh snow. The area of Ice Mountain and other nearby peaks were heavily searched by aircraft, including multiple drones and helicopters, as well as aircraft with infrared technology. Unfortunately, there were no signs of Matsuda or Donlon. Search dogs were also brought in, but they were unsuccessful. 

Friends told investigators that the two were experienced hikers and should have had appropriate clothing. They also sent their friends a text with a map plot that pinpointed Ice Mountain as their destination and an area around Winfield and the trailhead circled, possibly indicating where they would camp. 

Investigators said that neither of the hikers' cellphones was used in the past 48 hours and that service in that area would be almost nonexistent. 

Searchers returned to the area on Tuesday, where the search team included resources from Teller County, Lake County, Chaffee County, Arapahoe County and Park County. A helicopter spotted an object near Lake Ann, and a search team was sent in on foot. The object turned out to be the hiker's tent that had collapsed from the weight of the snow. Their sleeping bags, a stove and some clothing were found inside the tent. Investigators said there was no snow under the tent and no visible footprints in the snow, which suggests that the tent had been set up before the snow fell. 

"Unfortunately, we still have not located Kaden and Jackson, and our hearts go out to their families. It is unimaginable what they must be going through. We are still optimistic Kaden and Jackson are hunkered down somewhere waiting to be rescued. Our window of opportunity is closing as poor weather is expected again later this week, so we are putting all our available resources in the field. We are also considering other potential destinations they may have been headed to other than Ice Mountain. They are both strong young men. Kaden is studying to be a wildland firefighter, and Jackson is studying to be a mountain guide "Mountainair", so hope is not lost.  Please keep the families in your thoughts as we continue to search," said Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich.