Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Helicopters search for LV hiker lost in Colo. park
The weather in Rocky Mountain National Park improved enough Saturday for helicopter operations in the continuing search for a 20-yearold hiker from Las Vegas who was last seen a week ago.
Search and rescue teams have encountered deep snow and high winds since Tuesday while searching for Micah Tice, a cadet candidate at the Air Force Academy Prepatory School, who was last seen in the Colorado national park on Nov. 24. For the first time since Tuesday, weather conditions cleared enough for two Colorado National Guard helicopters to search for the 20-yearold from the air in the Longs Peak section of the park.
The company FLIR Systems Inc., which develops thermal imaging technology, also volunteered services and used fixed-wing aircraft to conduct thermal imaging of the search area Saturday, the park said. The company also conducted a flight Thursday night.
Despite the respite from wind, helicopter crews encountered strong gusts and cloud cover that lowered visibility on Longs Peak, the park said Saturday.
Hikers who briefly walked with Tice last saw him along the trail near the Battle Mountain area as “visibility and weather conditions continued to deteriorate,” according to a Thursday news release.
Search and rescue efforts have spanned about 10 square miles this week in the Longs Peak area.
Weather conditions Saturday included deep snow, high winds and freezing temperatures, while crews were “mitigating avalanche danger,” the park said.
Tice’s mother, Janice Tice, has posted updates about the search on her Facebook page and through text messages to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
On Friday, Janice Tice asked for more skilled volunteers through a Facebook video.
“I believe with all your encouraging words he’s still alive,” she said in the video. “He is a survivor. That’s who he is.”
Park rangers asked anyone who has been in the Longs Peak area since Nov. 24 or who may have had contact with Tice regarding his planned route to call Rocky Mountain National Park at 970-5861204.