Hiker lost for over 24 hours ignored calls from rescuers because he didn’t want to pick up an unknown number
A hiker who was lost for more than 24 hours in a Colorado mountain ignored calls from the rescue team because he “didn’t recognize the number.”
Lake County Search and Rescue recently disclosed the story of a hiker who got lost near Mount Elbert but ignored calls from the people trying to find him.
As per Daily Mail, the hiker was reported missing at around 8:00 pm on October 18. The search team was informed he had begun his hike at the South Trailhead at 9:00 am that morning. But 11 hours later, he failed to return to the base.
In a bid to locate him, the rescuers tried to call him several times. However, it turned out he didn’t pick up because he didn’t want to answer unknown numbers.
Hiker lost for 24 hours ignored calls from rescuers because of unknown number https://t.co/ik9b7wWTIt pic.twitter.com/9sJTU1pRYS
— New York Post (@nypost) October 25, 2021
After not being able to contact the missing man, rescue teams spent a whole evening searching for him.
Meanwhile, the hiker was completely unaware anyone was looking for him. He returned home safely at 9:30 am the next morning, October 19.
The man, whose name remains unrevealed, told authorities he had lost the trail and searched for it throughout the night. Eventually, he found a path and walked along several trails until finding his way back to his car.
Social media users were confused why the man refused to answer the calls from the rescue team.
Many related to the hiker, commenting things like “this would have been me,” and “Who calls when you could text?” Meanwhile, others slammed him for disregarding the calls, suggesting that would be a millennial trait.
One person wrote: “10 to 1 odds this was a millennial lol.”
Another said: “Say you are a millennial without saying you are a millennial.”
There are a lot of us
Please don’t call me. Ever.
And if you have to, leave a message so I know what it’s about
I need my phone interactions to be scheduled and predictable
Partly because of abuse that involved phone harassment
Partly because of how I’m wired to begin with
— kim jansen (@lefthandwoman) October 25, 2021
Despite the witty comments about the hiker’s ignorance, Lake County Search and Rescue explained:
“Please remember that what seems like common sense in hindsight is not obvious to a subject in the moment when they are lost and panicking.
…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!”
