She lived (and died?) through every New Hiker's WORST Nightmare… 

I was told by my dehydrated hiking partner to go on without her. I refused. Had I separated from her and something bad happened to her, I don't know if I could live with myself

Man. This case has always haunted me. I live in Colorado and hiked that area in 1995. Over the years I've hiked with people that were not able to continue on and I did not hesitate to abort the hike and turn around. The mountains will always be there for another day. Never ever separate, have plenty of gear and turn around if necessary...

Eric knew she was exhausted, inexperienced and poorly equipped, he never should have left her alone no matter what she said. On failing to do that he should have told her to stay where she was and he would come back and get her and then go down together, not tell her to make her way alone across a boulder field to find another trail on an unknown mountain

Hiking the Appalachian trail a very red faced, disoriented and confused young woman passed US as WE rested. Something told me to talk to her and WE could all see she needed help. Water, shade and snacks helped. Her group finally caught up to her about 2 hours later. I will always feel like WE saved that person's life. Update: so many people replied that I want to say thank you. I was not alone and I'm not sure she would have stopped had I been. It was our GROUP that convinced her to just sit in the shade and share a cool drink and relax, together WE would figure things out. ✌️🌎🌍🌏💚

The Number One rule that my climbing instructors always said: You have to turn back as soon as things start to go wrong. They should Turn back the moment they realize they we're on the wrong trail.

Rule number 1: Don't leave your hiking partner. Rule number 2: If you're thinking it will be okay to leave your hiking partner, refer to rule number 1.

A team of friends that I was leading were within 50 feet of the summit of a 12,000 ft mountain with only one fairly easy belay left. Two of the four team members were not confident enough to take the steep snow slope and wanted to turn around while one member wanted to continue. I forced us to all turn around. I still haven’t summited this mountain - someday. Never leave anyone behind without someone to help them - we literally saw teams leaving guys with likely cases of HAPE or HACE at camps on Denali because staying with them would prevent them from summiting. No mountain is worth the life of you or your friends.

There's always time to turn back, especially if it's downhill, but your buddy should go with you. Altitude sickness is nothing to mess with.

As someone who grew up in Colorado specifically a mountain town the rule hiking or going anywhere in the woods was never leave the group or anyone behind we came up together we are coming down together. If we take 50 breaks on the way down but we all get home then we take 50 breaks

Altitude sickness is crippling, both physically and mentally. They should have turned around together.

Decide on a turnaround trigger before you start. For example, if we aren't at summit by X time or we aren't at this landmark by Y time automatic turnaround. And remember when calculating your turnaround trigger to factor how much time and energy you're going to need to have in the tank to get back to the trailhead.

I was stricken with altitude sickness skiing at around 10,000'. I was not acclimated to the altitude at the time and dehydrated from heavy drinking. Going from sea level on the East Coast to the peaks of Utah within 24 hours was a huge mistake. Adding in heavy drinking and dehydration to the equation; a total rookie and careless mistake. It was the best day ever with fresh powder, low winds, and falling snow. I was halfway through my run when I noticed a pretty bad cramp in my right calf, then my left. Next thing I know, the cramps had creeped up my legs into my arms, and my head was pounding and I was disoriented and confused. My whole body was shutting down, so I got to the base as quickly as possible and tore off my boots. That was the last controlled movement I made. I sat like a statue, barely able to make a sound. Tears streamed down my face from the pain and frustration of being paralyzed. People were all around me, but no one noticed that I was in trouble because I couldn't alert them. I sat alone for 2 hours before a guy noticed that I hadn't moved in a while and he asked me if I was ok. I could barely whisper to him that I couldn't move. Fear for my life flashed across his face and he immediately alerted ski patrol who rushed me to the hospital to deliver oxygen to my lungs and brain and get me out of the altitude danger zone. My point is, altitude sickness is nothing to toy with. It's possible that Michelle could hear people calling out to her, but altitude sickness impairment restrained her ability to call back. RIP, Michelle.

I went to high school with her, she was a really nice person and she always had that smile on her face in your picture.

My dad raised us hiking in the Sandia Mountains. He always ALWAYS said to turn back long before you hit the exhausted state, because what you go up, you must walk back down. Never get seperated. The only time you push yourself is in an emergency and then you pick a direction and KEEP GOING no matter what.

Yeah, Eric telling her to "cut across" the mountain to get on the easier trail was just unbelievably stupid. These are two people who couldn't even find the right trailhead out of 2 options while in the parking lot. I think they where both suffering from altitude sickness 😮

Echoing the thought that it was never too late to turn around together. It's only a ~2 hour drive from Denver, and the mountain will always be there. My husband took a coworker hiking at Vesper Peak in WA one day, and they couldn't find the summit due to extremely limited visibility. His coworker wanted to push on, but my husband, the more experienced hiker, refused. They turned around together that day, and returned a couple weeks later for a successful attempt. Don't separate from your original party, yall. These kinds of stories are sad :(

I read a newspaper article on this story that said the construction in the parking lot had porta pots set up in front of the easier trail entrance so it wasn't easy to spot from the parking lot if you didn't know where it was because all you would notice is porta pots. Also the guy who was mentioned at the end of the video also said that the rock field she was crossing has areas of run off before it meets the main easier trail that can look like a trail down if you aren't familiar with the main trail. He thinks that's probably what happened with her that she may have thought she found the trail and followed it down. Splitting up was obviously a huge mistake, but at worst as the experienced hiker of the group, he should have told her to stay there and he'd come back down after summitting and then they would both go across the rock field to the other trail together. I can't believe he would tell a novice hiker to leave an established trail and cross a long rock field to find another trail that neither one of them were familiar with. Such a heartbreaking story.

You say it was too late to turn back, it's never too late to turn back. As long as you have breath in your lungs and your legs are working it's never to late to turn back. - that's where their real mistake was, is once they realized on the wrong trail they didn't immediately turn back. - and as far as calling that guy experienced, obviously he was not experienced at all, number one rule is you never separate from you buddy or make on the fly adjustments to your planned route. Again mistake #1 didn't turn back immediately once realizing on WRONG trail. #2 separated from buddy, while buddy has already made the statement they can not continue, if they can not continue then neither can you because you can't leave your buddy.... but even worse is the reasons he stated she couldn't continue wasnt because she sprained an ankle... no it was from altitude sickness..... any experienced hiker knows anyone suffering from altitude sickness is not in their right frame of mind. You DONT LEAVE THEM ALONE AND YOUR #1 PRIORITY IS TO GET THEM DOWN AS QUCKLY AS SAFELY POSSIBLE. Experienced my butt. Knew just enough to get her into some serious trouble, costing her the ultimate price.

I'll never forget Anne Marie Potton who took a daytrip to the Peak of Whistler Mountain in late fall back in the early '90s, I think. Its a very busy chairlift access tourist attraction, easy road out to Roundhouse Lodge. This young lady disappeared with no trace that day. A light snow fell in higher elevation that night. All searches were futile, the entire mountain was combed. RCMP were suspicious of foul play. The winter came and went, and in late spring, a lifty noticed raven activity a few meters down the glacier side of the peak, (and when I say glacier - its a tiny one, barely anything left of it at all). They had found her. The poor girl had attempted to climb down the glacier for her return hike very late in the day - which was a very bad idea. She fell, then slipped into a very small crevasse, broke her leg. She was covered, and hidden all Winter by the skiff that fell the night she disappeared. This story just confirms that the mountains can kill you whenever they want, and can hide you where no one will ever find you in ten seconds flat.

The guy in the tent seems like he could have been a poacher. This explains the shotgun, blood and refusal to be identified.

My brother was a sheriff’s deputy and lead search and rescuer. I’m talking rappelling out of helicopters into swollen rivers search and rescue. When he was first married and prior to children, he and his wife went hiking with a couple who were friends of a friend. They swore to my brother they were experienced hikers, as my brother and sister in law were. They lied. They had a route planned where they would split up as 2 couples and go to two different vantage points. That was planned prior to the hike beginning and the other couple swore they were experienced. The day of the hike they set off as planned, but night came on and they were still missing, they should have met up 4 hours prior to dusk. My brother had to make his wife remain in place and if they weren’t back in 2 hours, she was to go for help. My brother somehow found the couple, completely lost, and made it safely back. Once down the mountain, my brother let them know how dangerous the situation has been and cut off all future contact. People often make stupid decisions that do not aid their continued survival.

The mountains will always be there, don’t hesitate to turn around, especially if you have hikers who are not as strong as you are. Don’t ever separate, especially with inexperienced people. It’s a truly sad story.

evoking your right to an attorney is the first thing ANYBODY should do regardless of innocence or guilt.

Eric is the exact type of hiking "partner" to avoid at all costs.

Turn around!! Summit fever kills more climbers than just about anything. In 2003, a friend and I were climbing Devils Tower in Wyoming. He was one move from the top, but had mistakenly taken the wrong route on the last pitch. He tried to do the move to get to the final anchor but was too tired after climbing over 800 feet, and to add to that, the protection was not very good at this point in the climb. We decided to forget the summit and just come back another day. We rappelled back down and took the next day off to rest. The following day, we started an hour earlier, took more food and water and less equipment, and made it to the summit without any problems. My friend beat himself up for years thinking he had failed me, because he didn't get to the summit on the first try, but he had actually shown great leadership by making the correct decision considering the circumstances, and probably kept us from needing rescue at almost 800 feet on the side of that tower.

I have backpackers and mountaineering for over 50 years. The number one consideration is knowing the experience and competence of your team members. If you know that everyone is very experienced and has proper gear, splitting up is usually not a problem in easier circumstances. I have done it many times, and my friends do not worry if I split off. I have also done this activity solo. When mountaineering, I would only split up if someone wants to stop and wait for the return. Not a problem unless the person is in distress. You never split up and leave someone in distress alone. The rules change if you bring along inexperienced people. You never split up and leave them alone. I have turned around many times when an inexperienced person wants to stop and go down. It's what you must expect when you bring them along. This jerk split up with an inexperienced and ailing companion.

When my husband and I got married his brother lived in Golden Colorado and we took our honeymoon there. The 2nd day there, we camped on Mt. Princeton (a 14er) @ about 10 thousand feet elevation, we got up the next morning and started out. We made it within 100 ft of the summit and I quit….. So I stayed back on a huge mass of boulders while the group went on up. It was right on the trail up and back so everyone passed right by me. I did get very nervous because it seemed like everyone has passed going down, except my husband, his brother and a couple more people. So I was thinking I’d have to head down by myself. Finally they did arrive and I swore than that I’d never part ways from the group again. Sorry this happened.

So sorry for what Michelle had gone through in her last days, terrifying 😔 Her four kids must have gone through hell not knowing what has happened to her for such a long time 😥

I’m not buying any of it . After 18 years that boot had probably been dragged from pillar to post by numerous animals. I doubt its location has any relevance to where her body is located. There’s too many questions that can’t be answered that should be answered. She had never been there before. She was completely unprepared for this kind of hike. Her experienced partner didn’t even ensure that she had the proper supplies required for this kind of hike. In fact, he knew she didn’t and took her anyway. He obviously didn’t care! She was feeling cruddy before they even left with probable altitude sickness, yet he took her anyway. Any experienced hiker would have called off the hike immediately, and opted for a hike she was more comfortable with and more prepared for. And then there’s all the really sketchy stuff. When she started feeling like she couldn’t go on any longer why would he just leave her alone in very unfamiliar wilderness territory? Why would he not have them both relax for a bit, have a bite and then turn around and go back? Or if it’s absolutely imperative (it’s not) that he summit the mountain why wouldn’t he just tell her to stay right where she was and he’d summit and be right back? Why send her on her way instead of safely hiking out together? Why would any hiker tell a novice hiker who’d never been there before to hike out on her own? On a trail she’d never been on before? In a direction she hadn’t come from? All while feeling sick and disoriented, without any overnight camping gear, and without enough, if any, food and water? Why would any hiker, experienced or not, point a sick and unprepared FRIEND into the thick wilderness and just send her on her way like that? By herself? So I’m not buying any of it. I don’t care where they found that boot. After 18 years it could’ve legitimately ended up in Mexico! It proves absolutely nothing. Any search and rescue crew would tell you that animals will move every and any part of a body and its clothing from the original site. And the longer the time passes the farther and farther away from the original site the items become. So why anyone is attributing any importance to the location of this boot in relationship to where she ended up is beyond me. I think her friend is good for this. There’s too many screwed up things that any hiker on the planet at any level of experience would ever do. No experienced hiker would’ve ever done any of the things this guy did. And no friend would’ve done them either. I have my own theory and suspicion about what happened, but I’ll keep it to myself. But there’s no way any of what he says occurred actually occurred. As a woman whose hiked enough I can tell you that there’s absolutely no way on the planet that if I’m feeling sick and disoriented, and I don’t have any overnight gear, and barely any food or water that you’re pointing me off in some unknown direction in the middle of nowhere with no one around and telling me to make my own way back. No way!! And if anyone has made this “friend” feel really uncomfortable over the last 20 years I’m glad! Keep doing it. It may be the only way you’re going to get to the truth.

This kid does a great job. He really seems to study and prepare before his stories. He remains pretty neutral which is always great. He's a decent, cogent storyteller. Give him a listen and maybe subscribe. I did, and have. I'm probably a picky, contrarian scrooge truth be known but I thoroughly enjoy his channel.

Reaching the top was not that important. Before you got to the boot, my first thought was that she fell from a great height stumbling alone and sick in the dark. My second thought was that a misleader wasted a bunch of resources on a wild goose chase based on a huge assumption about which way she went. My third thought was if her friend knew she was physically struggling at that height, he needed to abandon whatever he was doing to walk her down that mountain as soon as she started struggling. He may not have had a malicious bone, but he certainly had some selfish ones.

She had a headache at the start of the trail, and she was not experienced hiker. Without water, food, and her partner, plus the cold and altitude, she ended up in the worst possible situation. I hope she will be found one day😢.

Inexperienced, unprepared and sick. Separating was the wrong decision.

Kyle, this story is worth considering: (2014) Human remains discovered near Middle Anthracite Creek have been identified as missing hiker Sherri O. Ahlbrandt of Littleton, Colo. Ahlbrandt was reported missing in August after hiking in the Oh Be Joyful/Daisy Pass area. There had been no signs of the 54-year-old woman until last week, when a hunting party delivered some of her belongings to the Mt. Crested Butte Police. She separated from her group in a cold fog up an easy trail (Lived there then) because they were all exhausted... so she decided to quickly bag the top off the pass. Raining, foggy, cold... she literally got turned around and went off the other side / the wrong side of the trail. Hunters found her remains far, far away from the pass, in a very desolate area between Crested Butte and Marble, Colorado.

I don’t naturally think of what could go wrong. This channel is teaching me a lesson.

People....please, stop separating while hiking.

That Eric dude ...smh.....he was experienced and should have never left her out there on her own. In fact, they should have turned around as soon as they realized they went the wrong way!!

But her climbing buddy is at fault , he left her alone, when she was sick. What sort of friend does that.

The first signs of altitude sickness that I have experienced first hand is a head ache that only gets worse the longer you remain at that altitude. My limit is 7500 feet approximately and the moment that I descended about a thousand feet, the head ache vanished. Most experience Altitude sickness at over 8 thousand feet. Altitude sickness can cause death and people don't realize how serious this can be. Symptoms: Headache, vomiting, feeling tired, trouble sleeping, dizziness, and more serious complications can include High-altitude pulmonary edema, high-altitude cerebral edema. People who shrug this off can be in for a serious life threatening problem and degree of fitness has really nothing to do with it. The cause is the rapid decrease in oxygen due to rapid decrease in oxygen levels. Ascending more slowly may help some people but car drives into the mountains are pretty rapid ascents. I am a firm believer that as a hiker my first responsibility is to the people that I am hiking with or others on the trail that may need help. The hike becomes secondary at that point and should for all. So, the man hiking with her should have never left her and assumed that she could begin descending alone. And being that this was her first time climbing, I believe that should have ended the conversation about him continuing. Safety should always be number one. It is sad but he will have to live with this. It is sadly common today for people to leave others on the mountain that are slower hikers. I have experienced that myself on at least one occasion and it was not a good feeling being left 3 miles into the back country that is Grizzly bear country is not a good feeling. I would say, pick hiking partners wisely!!

I got left in my group of friend's dust in the Porkies a few years back. It was starting to get dark, and I was unable to continue without help. I came to a fork in the trail and wasn't sure where to go, so luckily I turned back to a clearing to make camp if necessary. My friend showed up about 5 minutes later. He was yelling my name, but in the undulating terrain, I didn't hear him until he crested the adjacent hill to me. He carried my pack for me and led me to our campsite a full 2 miles farther. I was angry with them, but at the same time, I knew they'd be looking for me. Had I taken the wrong turn, I might have been on one of these videos.

How tragic. I am not a hiker but I am somewhat a survivalist. I cannot imagine undertaking any trek like this without some form of shelter and minimal survival gear...ounces be damned.

It has never occurred to me before that any of the old shoes or boots I've seen out in remote places in the mountains might be connected with a missing hiker. So I learned something here.

There is no such thing as "too late to turn around".

I'm always amazed that there are so many people who will volunteer to hike up mountains or other treacherous terrain or places. It's such a show of humanity to use your skills and experience to help. They deserve all the respect and gratitude they can get.

My friend’s 22 year old son will be hiking the Appalachian trail in March. He’s never hiked before and I’m worried for him more than my friend. She just brushes it off and says ‘he’ll be fine’! However, I’m hearing more and more about hikers being harmed from foul play.

5:55 another big takeaway is that it is never too late to turn around. If a route is too difficult, too hard to follow, or you’re just not feeling up to the challenge-for any reason, it is _always_ acceptable to turn around. It is so much better to bail on a goal in the attempt and be able to come back another day than to die (or even have an harrowing trip, or need to be rescued) trying to meet that goal.

Its never to late to turn around, attitude sickness is like being drunk and leads to confusion and bad decisions. Never ever split up with your hiking party!

Separating in such an extreme situation when staying together and helping each other can be life saving? Totally insane!

Shocking that adults could ever attempt a hike like this without adequate provisions or an emergency kit and knowledge for an unplanned overnight stay.

Kyle, I really like your conversational style, your research of the cases, and lack of dramatic music on your videos. I hike a lot, mostly alone, and I have been drawn to these stories over the years. It seems that no matter how much I already knew about a particular incident, you add valuable insight and information to the story.

Our first 14er attempt in Colorado was Mt of the Holy Cross. We totally missed the trailhead. Did a bit of bushwacking and then decided that was enough fun for one day. Pretty sure we made the exact same mistake. We enjoy bushwhacking so it was nothing that gave us any concern. But, there is not a mountain in Colorado that is safe for inexperienced hikers. I have never gone back. My husband did several years later. I've personally had some bad experiences in the mountains of Colorado. That could have turned out very badly. I thank my Guardian Angel for keeping me safe. Not going to be able to finish watching this. This hits too close to home for me. So very sad that her hiking partner had such little care for her or her safety.

As an experianced hiker that has taken my fair share of novices out for their first real backcountry eperiance, I feel that one way or another much of the blame falls on Eric for sending her off on her own. In this situation, an individule will minimal hiking expereiance, fatigued, and possibly suffering the affects of altitude should have been escortd down. The summit will be ther another day. Regardless of what she said, there is no way he should have left her. Man up Eric accept some responsability for what ever happened after you sepatated.

Good, clear telling of a sad story, Kyle. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

1) it's never too late to turn around. 2) always stick together.

The thing about summits... people get fixated on it. Its no good to reach a summit dead exhausted/broken and requiring a helo or strapping ranger to carry you down. Personally in my hiking experience I've had to turn back from summits before. It sucks to have to give in to your body but once you start taking a rest stop every 3 steps it's time to turn back and focus on your conditioning. Seen a lot of people ditch their partners who are flagging so they can get the summit. It's a dirty deal.

It’s amazing how unprepared they were when it comes to vital supplies and just knowing which way to go after planning for it for that long. Crazy!

There's literally no reason that Eric should have continued on. NO MATTER WHAT. Ditching your hiking partner (especially when they are not experienced) is unbelievable .

It is good to have a goal, but it is not good to be obsessed with achieving it, especially when you put your life, or the life of others, in danger. What a sad end for a wife and mother. And for so many years, without a physical clue. I am glad they found the boot. May her family be at peace.

Such a heartbreaking story. May she rest in peace. Also, floored he told her to go on her own and that they separated.

The stories you cover are so intriguing!!! And I find myself looking for the plotted hikes, from most of your stories!!

can concur altitude sickness. I climbed a Rocky Mountain peak, but could not summit. I was within sight of the summit. The altitude sickness was a powerful adverse influence.

I was on a search and rescue team in Arizona for 10 years. During that time I have knowledge of several searches which were unsuccessful in finding lost hikers or bodies which were in fact well within the search area. The problem is that most of the volunteer searchers end up following the same trail as dozens of other searchers, usually because they do not have the necessary off-trail navigation skills. They do fine following the trail in front of them, but not so when off trail. As I looked at the map (20:12 in the video) I could immediately see that the Angelica couloir would be an enticing route for an inexperienced hiker to follow if she missed the trail. So I wonder why none of the hundreds of searchers went there? Surely some of the searchers had the necessary navigation skills to do that. Probably it would require an overnight bivouac and/or a helicopter drop-off to search that area.

This reminds me of how different things were 20 years ago. Yes, there was GPS but not as widely available as it is now.

It's never too late to turn around when you realize you are going the wrong way.

I find it hard to understand why her hiking partner Eric, knowing she was inexperienced & possibly suffering from altitude sickness, did not insist on accompanying her down the trail. After all he was an experienced hiker, who had climbed trails in this region before. He must have been aware as to how badly Michelle was suffering, that she was struggling to keep up with him & that there was the possibility that she wouldn't be able to make it down unaided. As the more experienced hiker, he should have turned around & gone back with her. I also don't understand as to why Eric didn't check that Michelle had brought enough water, food & the proper gear with her? It just seems really suspicious that Eric took a hiker who had no experience of hiking in high altitude on a trail that would be difficult for her, in a bad weather season. In my opinion, Eric is partially to blame for Michelle's death.

Rule number 1, IT'S NEVER TO LATE TO TURN AROUND!

I can’t believe how experienced her friend is and let her go out with that little of fear AND let her go by herself when she was logistically and evidently dehydrated. You need the same amount if water to make it out as you hiked in with typically.

I’ve lead lots of individuals and groups on mountain climbs. At the trailhead BEFORE we head out I establish some rules. One is that we leave together, we hike/climb together and return together. Another is a turnaround time. And September on 14footers definitely requires a beefed up day pack.

Altitude Sickness is real and no joke. Healthy, hydrated, fit and relaxed did not prevent my experiencing altitude sickness. All it took was one step closer to 13,000 ft. to nearly pass out. The only warning was feeling a little tired. Retreating a couple of feet back made a world of a difference to feeling better and being conscious. Some members of my group kept hiking and one stayed with me. Hard lesson learned with the right companion!

As a Triple Crowner, I think the most important thing in the mountains is mitigating risks. In order to do that, you must educate yourself about such risks before such a trip. Skill sets such as map and compass are of utmost importance in the mountains but can be learned anywhere. Don't wait until you are lost to pull out the map, regularly check the map to verify your location and direction to prevent being lost. Self reliance is one of the joys of the mountains for me. I did not find this joy by always hiking with a partner. I studied routes I wanted to hike and learned the risks; avalanche, long waterless stretches, altitude sickness, snowfields... and planned accordingly. I also would not have left an inexperienced hiker to navigate cross country on a high rocky peak solo. Either turn around or tag peak and return to a waiting companion to lead them to safety. If you accept a partner, take responsibility for them, as they should for you. Pick a partner carefully for mountain adventure.

Don't leave your hiking buddy behind. Its called the buddy system for a reason. Stay with her, let here catch her breath and rest for a bit, then see if she wants to continue. It said he made it to the summit early so no rush. But, why even tell her to start back down if the summit was so close? If its so close tell her to stay put, rest, catch your breath or whatever. Absolutely no need to send her off.

Thanks for reminding us to be safe and careful at all times!it is so easy to get hurt,lost or disoriented in the wilderness.

Hey Kyle. I've never been a hiker and at this point I'm barely a walker most days due to some wicked osteoarthritis in my lower back and neuropathy that makes me have intense, debilitating cramps in my legs if I walk too far. But I really enjoy your videos! I feel like you're taking me to places that would be impossible for me to go on my own. I'm like a vicarious hiker, I guess. You've got an engaging personality, a wealth of knowledge through experience, and you're funny as heck. I think a million subs is definitely an attainable goal! Can't wait to see you get there!

Before GPS, my backpacking partner and I missed a branch in the trail. The 2-foot high trail sign marking the branch had rotted and fallen into the brush. Three miles later our trail faded into nothing. Luckily we found a stream that started at the lake we should have been headed for. Following that stream, we made it to our destination the hard way. On our way back, three days later, we found the broken trail sign. How easy that day would have been had that sign not fallen.

As kids growing up in the Colorado mountains in the late '40's and 50's, we were taught never to go off into the woods by ourselves! Someone sure dropped the ball with her.

Hats off to all the volunteer rescuers.

Once again we see you never leave a partner in distress..

I couldn't do what her friend did... 1) I'd make sure I had a minimum equipment list for any hiking buddy, especially considering she was completely inexperienced, I'd make it clear that without the equipment we'd not be doing the planned hike. Perhaps a much shorter easier hike to assess any hiking buddy's abilities,and it'd be a great introduction. 2) altitude sickness or not, Michelle was obviously not at 100%, so perhaps a short hike to assess how affected she was by it. 3) I wouldn't care what she said about carrying on the hike without her, I'd stop the hike and return with her. As the experienced 'leader' of the hike I'd feel responsible for my partner's safety, especially considering I let them proceed on the hike without appropriate equipment. Of course we've also had other fatalities and disappearances with the reverse outcome...the lead hiker going on ahead and disappearing. Hiking alone will always be more hazardous...

It’s pretty ambitious for experienced hikers to tackle those heights. You never know how your body will handle the altitude each time you go. Never separate, all go forward or all turn back.

Just wanted to say rest in peace, and my condolences to any family that may be reading these comments. Hindsight is always 20/20.

You ALWAYS have enough time to turn around on a trail and go back down! Listen to your body, know your limits because even identical twins don't have the exact same body. If one wants to stop and go back down, you ALL go back down. In hiking, rock climbing, and spelunking, you NEVER go alone and you can always try again, but you can't if you're dead.

I had a goal for years to do a trail outside of telluride. Finally made it happen last year on a solo trip. It was 3 lakes to get too moderately difficult 8miles with significant elevation gain. I came prepared with overnight supplies in case the worst happened even tho the plan was only a day hike. Once i got to the second lake i noticed clouds rolling in that were questionable. The trail itself wasnt super busy. The last stretch was less than a mile up but was all exposed. What did i do? Stopped enjoyed the scenery and told myself its okay that i didnt finish the trail id been planning and waiting to do for years. I appreciated the beauty and difficulty i had already seen. Ate my snack and took a long break, then TURNED AROUND and went back down to the trail head. My thoughts were not disappointment i didnt finish, but the adventure getting to that point. And that the mountain will always be there. It gave me a reason to come back and try again with a friend or my husband. Something to look forward to. My safety was more important than finishing to the ending point. I always play it safe vs "finishing" thats where soooo many ppl make this bad mistake. Always trust your gut. If its telling you dont do it or turn around. Do it. Dont ignore it. This is so sad for everyone involved. I hope the family finds closure one of these days.

10:55 Michelle "crossed a boulder field" to connect with another trail. For whatever reason, boulder fields feature prominently in mysterious disappearances in alpine areas and National Parks in the United States. It is probably a good idea to avoid them whenever possible.

There have been a few cases of missing hikers being swallowed up by rockslides. One young woman was only discovered about 2-years later because her boot, with her foot still in it, was seen sticking out of a shale pile. That said, as soon as a hiking partner complains about a headache it is time to turn around and try another day with the requisite altitude adjustment time factored in. Even then, once you use up half your water it is time to turn around. There is no shame.

Anybody who’s dropped something tiny on the floor knows to expand the search area beyond what you’d expect 💔

I can't help but notice that the vast majority of all these hiking deaths and tragedies occur when someone is hiking alone. The old adage they taught us in Boy Scouts will save your life. Always hike with a buddy.

*It is never too late to turn back*

My group was climbing a 14er here in Colorado when I turned around and noticed my sisters hair was floating around her head. We scooted down that mountain as fast as we could safely, made it just before the lightning storm hit.

This was still Eric's fault. Being the more "experienced" hiker you think he would have known to not let someone sick hike down the mountain by themselves.

If you take someone with you, and you leave them behind, you are responsible for them. And what happens. Never ever leave anyone alone or let them do such things alone, experienced or not. Doesn’t matter if the laws support this… you should never think it’s okay to do this. Stay together.

What a terribly sad story. That poor woman’s last hours must have been terrifying.

I've heard about this one before, but I didn't know that one of her shoes had been found. At least there's maybe a bit of closure for her family and friends 😢 I'm of the mind tho that her hiking partner should not have left her, and should have just turned around at the point where she was lagging behind and he had to help her. Bagging a peak is not so important as your friend's life! The mountain isnt going anywhere, go back and try again when you're better prepared!

The bigger lesson than your BIG lesson, IMO is to turn around if you see you're on a trail too difficult for you. That seems to be the problem here, and where their lack of experience really shows: they couldn't bring themselves to turn around and leave their goal for another day.

I did not want to go on to find the Bighorn sheep in the desert in mid day, so my friends left me alone. It was scary, I got heat exhaustion, dizzy, disoriented,faint, clammy, and hide to hide under a bush in the shade. Not a good idea to leave anyone.

Once when I was a canoe ranger, my boss hooked me up with a noob volunteer because no other rangers were available. she appeared in sandals, a 20 tent, and no food except for a handful of granola bars. We were on a 3-4 day patrol with no possibility of re-supply.. I told her it was a mistake, she disagreed and said she fasted all the time. I stuffed a bunch of extra food into my portage pack. Sure enough, the first day when we set camp she was ravenous...I pulled out the extra ration for the day and she didn't even thank me in her obvious state of embarrassment. I told her not to worry because I brought food for her. Needless to say, she was off the list for future work.

Is mountain climbing the only activity where a human would leave someone alone in such a bad situation that they could die, just so they could tag a summit, my mind boggles at the thought

You would NEVER leave your partner if you can tell she was already struggling, let alone have her cross some boulders. Very suspicious.

I just find it strange that these 2 went hiking together in the first place

My husband and his hiking friend came across a really confused young woman while hiking. She had a whistle and that’s all they heard so they eventually found her while searching and trying to get closer to the whistle. They found her. Her “friend” had gone on without her while she rested but she didn’t have any water or food! She said she fell asleep while resting. She was so dehydrated and her mental health was bad. They gave her water and led her down to a lake to drink more since they had a filter. She was able to fill up her water bottle and they fed her. She had nothing! I guess her friend had all the main supplies. Just insane. She easily could have died out there! Just crazy how some people just don’t plan well.

I read a number of comments about the fact that she said “go on without me; I’m heading back down”. And I agree 💯%. Imagine leaving someone you care about - in that terrain, in all that wilderness, a well conditioned athlete, and yet beaten by exhaustion and possibly mountain sickness - so that you can finish your goddamn hike! Put yourself in that position. It is unimaginable to me that I would say “are you sure? Okay, well 🤷🏻‍♂️… I’ll see you around”. Whether this guy killed or simply left her, his duplicity is only a matter of degrees. He has no doubt earned every measure of scorn and suspicion coming to him… throughout his life. That may sound harsh. But people with character simply do not leave their “wingman” for any reason.