Missing Explorer Refuses Assistance Calls from Unidentified Caller

Junk phone calls have become quite a bother in recent times. Over the past three months or so, I reckon my phone has rung around 20 times, but I’ve only answered about twice. Every other call was from an unfamiliar number, and if I was sufficiently bored to answer, it was always some automated system trying to sell me something regarding student debts or posing as the tax administration. Due to this prevalent issue, individuals have become much less trusting of unknown numbers, which caused a predicament in the Colorado mountains.

An adventurer, whose identity remains undisclosed in the media, wandered into the Colorado mountains on the 18th of October, but accidentally veered off-course and ended up lost. When Lake County Search and Rescue was dispatched to find the explorer, they tried to contact the hiker’s mobile phone to ascertain their safety and location. The positive news is that the hiker had their phone with them. The downside is that because the calls from Search and Rescue were originating from an unrecognized number, the hiker ignored all of them.

Explorer missing for 24 hours disregarded calls from rescuers due to unfamiliar number https://t.co/ik9b7wWTIt pic.twitter.com/9sJTU1pRYS

— New York Post (@nypost) October 25, 2021

The search effort persisted for an entire 24 hours before eventually being halted once the hiker managed to find their way back down the mountain and reach their vehicle. According to the official report, the hiker “lost sight of the trail at twilight and spent the night hunting for the path, and then wandered onto various trails in an attempt to locate the correct trailhead.” The hiker was oblivious to the fact that Search and Rescue was actively seeking them until much later.

“One significant lesson learned is that the individual ignored multiple phone calls from us because they didn’t recognize the number,” officials stated. “If you surpass your scheduled return time and start receiving repeated calls from an unfamiliar number, kindly pick up the call; it might be a Search and Rescue team trying to confirm your safety!”