PP hiker rescued

Rescue crews this morning reached a hiker who had been stranded overnight on Pikes Peak in a severe spring storm.

The man wasn’t injured, but he was poorly equipped for extreme mountain conditions, said Steven Sperry, public information officer for El Paso County Search and Rescue.

The rescue team found the man shortly after 10 a.m. and planned to bring him to Barr Camp, which is along the main trail up the peak. From there the rescuers will take him about a mile to the cog railway, which will make a special trip for the rescue, Sperry said.

The man, who is in his 40s, was hiking alone and used a cell phone to call for help about midnight, Sperry said. He waited for rescuers just off Barr Trail near the tree line, or about 12,000 feet.

Two teams, each with four men plus two Sno-Cat-type vehicles, took part in the search. The risk of avalanche was high because several feet of snow fell overnight in some places, Sperry said.

The snow dampened sound waves and reduced visibility, making the rescue more difficult, he said.

“They could literally walk right past him ... if the snow’s coming down quite heavily,” Sperry said.

The hiker attempted to cross the trail from Elk Park, about 11 miles up the mountain near Glen Cove on the north face, down to the Pikes Peak Highway.